"Leave Europe," says another EU-based tech company's CEO

Pack your bags and wave goodbye to the Old Continent, startups! That’s the advice from Job van der Voort, the Dutch dynamo behind Remote, a $3 billion HR tech unicorn. He’s the latest in a growing posse of European tech bosses sounding the alarm over the EU’s regulatory chokehold, claiming it’s strangling innovation. And he’s not alone — companies are literally fleeing Europe, chasing freer skies across the Atlantic and beyond.

Van der Voort didn’t mince words in a recent chat with The Next Web, declaring, “It’s becoming unattractive to start and maintain a business here.” His solution? “I tell startups to leave Europe if they want to succeed.” He’s already walked the talk — Remote, founded with Marcelo Lebre in 2019, set up shop in San Francisco from the get-go because, as he puts it, “It was simply easier to start it there.” Now, with a hefty $300 million Series C haul in 2022 that pushed the company’s valuation to over $3 billion, he’s got the swagger to back up his sass.

At a recent tech conference in Paris, influential figures such as Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch and DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis joined the outcry, calling for a regulatory framework that is flexible enough to support innovation and competitiveness. Their impassioned pleas highlight a growing consensus: Europe’s current approach to regulation is increasingly seen as a major hurdle for startups looking to scale quickly and globally.

For van der Voort, the answer is simple. “It’s becoming unattractive to start and maintain a business here,” he said, referring to the burdensome administrative hurdles that plague the continent. When he co-founded Remote in 2019 with partner Marcelo Lebre, the decision to base the company in San Francisco was clear-cut. “Starting a business in an environment that fosters agility and innovation is essential,” he noted, a sentiment that resonates with many entrepreneurs today.

This isn’t just one CEO throwing a tantrum. This week, Dutch software star Bird (once MessageBird) dropped a bombshell: it’s ditching Europe for New York, Singapore, and Dubai. CEO Robert Vis griped to Reuters, “We foresee that regulations in Europe will block true innovation in a global economy moving extremely fast to AI.” With over $3 billion valuation, Bird’s exit is a gut punch to Europe’s tech dreams, leaving folks wondering who’s next in line for the lifeboats.

The trend’s picking up steam. French darlings like Dataiku and Algolia already swapped Paris croissants for San Francisco sourdough, joining other EU unicorns that have bolted abroad, mostly to the US. Sure, they’re lured by juicy markets and fat funding rounds, but whispers of regulatory relief echo in the background. Even big dogs like Spotify and Wise cracked the $500 million revenue club by conquering the US, not by battling Brussels’ red tape, according to Hoxton Ventures.

It’s not just European firms jumping ship. Stateside giants are flexing too — OpenAI’s Sam Altman once threatened to ditch Europe over AI rules in 2023, though he later cooled his jets. Meanwhile, Meta and Apple hit pause on AI goodies in the EU, citing regulatory headaches. The message? Europe’s rulebook might be a buzzkill.

Why the exodus? The EU’s got a knack for piling on rules — think GDPR and the new AI Act, which French President Emmanuel Macron warned could leave Europe regulating stuff it no longer invents. BusinessEurope found over 60% of companies moaning about investment roadblocks, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies says Europe’s lagging the US in tech-driven growth. Van der Voort predicts a grim future: “The EU needs to consider its own fate over the next decades. Regulation standing in the way of innovation — that makes it harder for startups and is incredibly hurtful for the economy.”

So, as tech titans like Bird soar off and voices like van der Voort’s ring out, Europe’s left at a crossroads. Will it loosen the reins to keep its innovators, or watch them fly away? Share your thoughts in the comments.