> We're probably about the same age, so let me ask you this: have you ever heard or seen a European person (who failed a business he or she depended on) carrying his or her failure like a badge of honor?
> What they are (require to be) ashamed of is tricking the system or running illegal businesses that lead to the aforementioned failure.
Are you trying to say that most startup failures are due to their illegal nature? If that's the case for majority of failed startups in Europe that you are familiar with, that's kind of telling (whether it is in regards to startups in Europe in general or just the European startups that you are personally familiar with, that's a different question).
I'm trying to say that people are not ashamed of failure in Europe and that the only kind of failure that is a shame is using illegal/unethical tactics.
In several European countries what Uber and Airbnb did to local markets is considered shameful.
Also the term disruption is considered a bad thing.
To put it in more simple terms for you: people are more important than profit.
That's why, generally speaking, quality of life is better than US average, despite lower average salaries.
Also Europe is not a monolith, so whoever talks about Europe as a single entity is probably wrong.
Barcelona, for example, has a very active startup scene and it's 10 times better than any city in the US.
There is also a tendency is the US to consider a success becoming a monopolist or a unicorn, that's not what many startups here aim for.
There is also a huge language barrier, Americans usually show no or little interest foe anything that is not in English.
It's highly probable you don't have frequent contacts with people speaking (only or mainly) French, Spanish, Danish, Hungarian, Italian , German, Dutch etc. etc. but most Europeans do or know someone that can work as a trait d'union.
there are many startups working in the green economy here that are doing great things, by working together instead of fighting each other.
Yes, I have.