Europe’s not lacking talent — it’s lacking confidence. That’s the verdict from Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, who says an “inferiority complex” among European media and investors is holding back the continent’s tech industry. “The main reason why the European tech industry is small is a mistaken assumption of technological inferiority on the part of the European media,” wrote LeCun in an X post.  “Perhaps more importantly, there was a similar inferiority complex on the part of investors, which made them less willing to take risks when the mere possibility of an American competitor would rear its head. That has been changing over the last few years.” Grab that deal This reluctance to make bold bets is illustrated in the funding gap across the Atlantic. Despite having more than twice the population, European tech firms struggle to attract the investments going to their American counterparts. In 2024, US startups raised bn, more than triple the bn figure for Europeancompanies, according to Crunchbase LeCun’s comments came in response to an X post by Arnaud Bertrand, the French founder of rental marketplace HouseTrip, who has had his own struggles building a startup in Europe. Bertrand founded HouseTrip in 2009, a year before the launch of a similar startup: Airbnb. HouseTrip also planned to make booking an apartment as simple as booking a hotel, but couldn’t compete with its American rival. Airbnb, which is now valued at over bn, grew into one of the world’s greatest tech successes.   Housetrip struggled to compete with the cash-flushed unicorn. Two years after Airbnb entered the European market in 2012, Bertrand stepped down as CEO. In 2016, TripAdvisor acquired the company for an undisclosed sum, before incorporating it into the travel site Holiday Lettings. Bertrand took to social media today to push back against a recent Wall Street Journal article that scrutinised Europe’s tech sector. Published Monday, the piece blamed the region’s sluggish performance on overregulation, fragmented markets, limited access to capital, and a risk-averse business culture. Bertrand agreed with some of the criticisms, but added that they “are all secondary.” “Based on my experience, the key problem faced by European startups can be summarised in one word: patriotism,” he said.” “There is virtuallyin Europe, and more than anything that’s what’s killing EU startups, or preventing them from developing,” he continued.  According to Bertrand, one of the reasons his startup failed to beat Airbnb was a lack of patriotism among investors and media in Europe — a determination to back their own startups. LeCun, however, has a different view on the causes. “Not sure I would call this a lack of patriotism,” he said. “More like a lack of self-confidence.” Europe’s tech competitiveness will be a hot topic at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are now on sale — use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the checkout to get 30% off. Story by Siôn Geschwindt Siôn is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy. From nuclear fusion breakthroughs to electric vehicSiôn is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy. From nuclear fusion breakthroughs to electric vehicles, he's happiest sourcing a scoop, investigating the impact of emerging technologies, and even putting them to the test. He has five years of journalism experience and holds a dual degree in media and environmental science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. When he's not writing, you can probably find Siôn out hiking, surfing, playing the drums or catering to his moderate caffeine addiction. You can contact him at: sion.geschwindtprotonmailcom Get the TNW newsletter Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week. Also tagged with #meta #chief #inferiority #complex #stunting

Europe’s not lacking talent — it’s lacking confidence. That’s the verdict from Meta’s chief AI scientist Yann LeCun, who says an “inferiority complex” among European media and investors is holding back the continent’s tech industry. “The main reason why the European tech industry is small is a mistaken assumption of technological inferiority on the part of the European media,” wrote LeCun in an X post.  “Perhaps more importantly, there was a similar inferiority complex on the part of investors, which made them less willing to take risks when the mere possibility of an American competitor would rear its head. That has been changing over the last few years.” This reluctance to make bold bets is illustrated in the funding gap across the Atlantic. Despite having more than twice the population, European tech firms struggle to attract the investments going to their American counterparts. In 2024, US startups raised bn, more than triple the bn figure for Europeancompanies, according to CrunchbaseThe 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now! LeCun’s comments came in response to an X post by Arnaud Bertrand, the French founder of rental marketplace HouseTrip, who has had his own struggles building a startup in Europe. Bertrand founded HouseTrip in 2009, a year before the launch of a similar startup: Airbnb. HouseTrip also planned to make booking an apartment as simple as booking a hotel, but couldn’t compete with its American rival. Airbnb, which is now valued at over bn, grew into one of the world’s greatest tech successes.   Housetrip struggled to compete with the cash-flushed unicorn. Two years after Airbnb entered the European market in 2012, Bertrand stepped down as CEO. In 2016, TripAdvisor acquired the company for an undisclosed sum, before incorporating it into the travel site Holiday Lettings. Bertrand took to social media today to push back against a recent Wall Street Journal article that scrutinised Europe’s tech sector. Published Monday, the piece blamed the region’s sluggish performance on overregulation, fragmented markets, limited access to capital, and a risk-averse business culture. Bertrand agreed with some of the criticisms, but added that they “are all secondary.” “Based on my experience, the key problem faced by European startups can be summarised in one word: patriotism,” he said.” “There is virtuallyin Europe, and more than anything that’s what’s killing EU startups, or preventing them from developing,” he continued.  According to Bertrand, one of the reasons his startup failed to beat Airbnb was a lack of patriotism among investors and media in Europe — a determination to back their own startups. LeCun, however, has a different view on the causes. “Not sure I would call this a lack of patriotism,” he said. “More like a lack of self-confidence.” Europe’s tech competitiveness will be a hot topic at TNW Conference, which takes place on June 19-20 in Amsterdam. Tickets for the event are now on sale — use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the checkout to get 30% off. Story by Siôn Geschwindt Siôn is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy. From nuclear fusion breakthroughs to electric vehicSiôn is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy. From nuclear fusion breakthroughs to electric vehicles, he's happiest sourcing a scoop, investigating the impact of emerging technologies, and even putting them to the test. He has five years of journalism experience and holds a dual degree in media and environmental science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. When he's not writing, you can probably find Siôn out hiking, surfing, playing the drums or catering to his moderate caffeine addiction. You can contact him at: sion.geschwindtprotonmailcom Get the TNW newsletter Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week. Also tagged with #meta #chief #inferiority #complex #stunting

Ask almost any pediatrician or child expert, and they will tell you: Good nutrition is the foundation for healthy development, especially during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. When children are well-nourished, they are better able to grow, learn, and engage with their communities, and to be resilient in the face of illness.      Undernutrition is linked to nearly half of all deaths in children under five. Today, an estimated 148 million young children are affected by stunting—being too short for their age as a result of chronic undernutrition, often starting in the womb. Stunting isn’t just about height; it reflects lasting setbacks in brain development, immune strength, and overall health—consequences that can limit a child’s potential for life. Another 45 million children suffer from wasting, a life-threatening condition where they are dangerously thin for their height. There is enough food in the world to feed all children everywhere, and yet, we are still not on track to achieve global nutrition targets by 2030.    We are facing a pivotal moment for the world’s children. Poverty, climate change, and humanitarian crises pose critical challenges to feeding children sustainably. The sheer magnitude of the obstacles can seem overwhelming, but there is incredible news: The child nutrition crisis is completely solvable, if we come together to scale up sustainable solutions.    A core part of UNICEF’s work is preventing malnutrition by improving children’s and women’s access to nutritious, safe, affordable, and sustainable diets. We know what to do, but we need financing, at the right time, directed at the right places.   A solution aimed at ending child undernutrition   The Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), led by UNICEF, is changing how we tackle child undernutrition—by making funding smarter, more coordinated, and built to scale. The CNF unlocks government investment by pooling global resources and expanding access to proven solutions. The ambition is bold: Reach 320 million women and children every year by 2030. To make that happen, the CNF is working to mobilize $2 billion over the next five years—inviting partners to help drive lasting, system-level change for the world’s most vulnerable children.   The CNF is a massive undertaking that has the potential to change the lives of millions of children and women. With reductions in foreign aid putting more children at risk than ever, innovative partnerships—like the one driving the CNF—are even more urgent.   A partnership effort to realize impact   Achieving goals at this scale means involving some of the world’s most influential people and organizations. The support of founding partners such as the Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FDCO) of the UK government has been critical. For example, the Gates Foundation’s initial $70 million contribution supported CNF’s development and launch, opened conversations for initial deals on scaling up maternal nutrition services, and helped local therapeutic food manufacturers expand production to meet unprecedented demand. Likewise, the respective $79 million and £21 million investments from the CIFF and FDCO to date demonstrate the catalytic nature of the fund and the necessity of partnership to meet its goals.   Momentum for the CNF continued at the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris in March, where Kirk Humanitarian committed the first pledge of $125 million to accelerate adoption of prenatal supplements in high burden countries that have demonstrated readiness and political commitment for long-term, sustainable scale up. Kirk Humanitarian has already deployed over $34 million for 16 million bottles of prenatal supplements to the CNF in support of UNICEF’s Improving Maternal Nutrition Acceleration Plan. At the same time, the Gates Foundation announced an additional $50 million commitment to the CNF to continue and expand on its work through 2028.   Also at the N4G, Jackie and Mike Bezos committed up to $500 million to the CNF in a landmark effort to end child undernutrition. This historic investment is poised to save millions of lives—not just today, but for generations to come. The matching component of their commitment is intended to inspire others to step up and multiply the impact.   The Women’s Tennis Association Foundation has also joined the effort, supporting the CNF through UNICEF’s Improving Maternal Nutrition Acceleration Plan to prevent anemia and malnutrition in pregnant women.   These partnerships support the CNF’s ability to build robust and sustainable systems and strong infrastructure to create a future where no child suffers from undernutrition.  Promising early results show that it is possible to end undernutrition   These investments are already delivering results. In Pakistan, UNICEF, backed by the CNF, launched a program to bring essential nutrition and health services to the country’s most vulnerable communities. Through the CNF Match Window—which enables governments to double their investments in essential nutrition supplies—more than 150,000 women received nutritional supplements leading to healthier pregnancies and stronger birth outcomes. The results were so compelling that Pakistan’s Ministry of Health partnered with UNICEF to scale up the program to reach 2 million women.    We’ve known for a long time the devastating toll malnutrition has on a child’s ability to live a healthy, full life. But with the CNF, what once felt insurmountable now has a clear path forward. By reimagining how we finance solutions—blending public and private investment, sustaining long-term support, and incentivizing government action—we’re not just responding to a crisis, we’re building a system designed to end it. The tools are in place. The momentum is real. And now, there’s an opportunity for bold partners to come together and change the future. With the right investments, we will end child undernutrition—for good.   Michele Walsh is executive vice president and chief philanthropy officer of UNICEF USA.   Source: https://www.fastcompany.com/91333579/imagine-a-future-where-no-child-dies-of-undernutrition #imagine #future #where #child #dies #undernutrition