WSJ What’s News – "Do Foreign Governments Need American Tech?"

Date: February 22, 2026
Host: Luke Vargas, The Wall Street Journal
Guests:

• Sam Schechner, WSJ Tech Reporter
• David Amiel, France’s Minister for State Reform

Episode Overview

This episode of What's News Sunday focuses on the escalating movement toward "tech sovereignty" in Europe, particularly in France. With Western countries increasingly concerned about their dependence on U.S. technology, host Luke Vargas and his guests discuss why governments like France are curbing the use of American digital tools, what "strategic autonomy" truly means, and whether Europe can realistically rival Silicon Valley’s dominance. The episode explores the implications for U.S. tech firms and offers an inside look at France’s policy push directly from a senior government official leading the effort.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Move Toward Tech Sovereignty in Europe

• Trigger Events: France’s recent order for government workers to stop using U.S. video conferencing and collaboration platforms (e.g., Teams, Zoom, Skype) marks the latest in a broader European effort to reduce reliance on American technology.

  • "The proliferation [of these tools] had made France dependent on non-European actors." (00:47, Luke Vargas)

• Definition & Rationale:

  • Sam Schechner explains the new urgency for digital sovereignty:
    • "[European] leaders have really started to question this transatlantic relationship... Now you start to hear more seriously this conversation of like, well, what would we do if our tech was cut off?" (01:43, Sam Schechner)
  • The pandemic, geopolitical tensions (notably under President Trump and crises like the war in Ukraine), have underscored the need for resilience and self-reliance in critical digital infrastructure.

2. The Scale and Challenge of Decoupling from U.S. Tech

• Depth of Dependence:

  • Sam Schechner notes the enormity of U.S. firms’ dominance in Europe:
    • "For cloud services...the top five American providers have something like 83% market share." (03:11, Sam Schechner)
  • Achieving true independence will take decades, not months or years.

• Immediate Steps vs. Long-Term Projects:

  • Small advances like France’s government-only replacements for established U.S. platforms are achievable, but full sovereignty requires immense investment and innovation.
  • "It's a very, very big lift to separate from US Tech... we're talking a project of decades." (02:34, Sam Schechner)

3. U.S. Tech Industry’s Reaction

• High Stakes:

  • The European market is crucial for U.S. tech giants:
    • "Europe represents, for these big companies, upwards of a quarter of their revenue. I mean, it's no joke. It would be a bloodbath if they were cut off..." (03:42, Sam Schechner)
  • Companies are investing heavily in European presence and R&D to maintain their foothold (e.g., Google’s AI hub in London, AI labs in Paris).

• Mutual Dependency:

  • While Europe needs U.S. tech, U.S. tech also depends on Europe’s market and talent.

4. Europe’s Path to Digital Independence

• Role of Private Sector:

  • Government initiatives can drive adoption in the public sector but real competitiveness comes from a vibrant domestic tech industry.
    • "The government is not going to build a tech ecosystem... the whole game, right, can Europe build and sustain a vibrant tech ecosystem on its own?" (04:21, Sam Schechner)

• Catch-up and Leapfrog Opportunities:

  • While Europe lags in established sectors like cloud, areas like AI (notably through startups like France’s Mistral) present chances to leapfrog.

5. France’s Approach from the Policy Front Line

David Amiel – France’s Minister for State Reform (Joined at 06:35)

• What is Tech Sovereignty?

  • "It means three things. First, avoiding critical dependencies... second, ensure compliance with our values... Third, support European innovation, particularly in cloud computing, in artificial intelligence, in data management..." (06:39, David Amiel)

• Concrete Actions:

  • France’s rollout of 'Visio', a homegrown video conferencing solution, with:
    • R&D by French state and private firms
    • Cloud hosting by French company Outscale
    • AI-powered transcription from Pianote, a startup
  • Importance of adoption: "If you don't provide public agents with state of the art solutions, there will be no adoption and history is full of state led projects that led to nowhere because of that." (08:32, David Amiel)

• Wider Implications:

  • Emphasis on resilience during future crises.
  • Not merely a reaction to U.S. politics, but a longstanding strategic goal: "The sovereignty agenda... it's really been at the heart of what President Macron has been pushing for since his first election in 2017." (10:25, David Amiel)

• Relationship with the U.S.:

  • Strategic autonomy does not mean protectionism:
    • "No, as you know, we don't believe in protectionism. I think that innovation also flourishes on trade, on exchange of ideas and so on." (12:28, David Amiel)

• Lessons from the U.S.:

  • Europe can learn from America's blend of public-private partnership, research institutions, and innovation ecosystems.
    • "When you look at what the U.S. has been really good at, there is no doubt that innovation is at the core of it." (11:27, David Amiel)

• Vision for European Tech Champions:

  • "Definitely, I believe that European should aim at creating European champions in tech... the next frontier is really scaling up through supporting innovation, easing access to capital, streamlining certain regulations and so on." (13:23, David Amiel)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "It's a very, very big lift to separate from US Tech... we're talking a project of decades, not something that you can do over the course of a few months."
  (02:34, Sam Schechner)

• "Europe represents... upwards of a quarter of their revenue. I mean, it's no joke. It would be a bloodbath if they were cut off somehow from Europe."
  (03:42, Sam Schechner)

• "There is no strategic autonomy without tech sovereignty."
  (06:36, David Amiel)

• "If you don't provide public agents with state of the art solutions, there will be no adoption and history is full of state led projects that led to nowhere because of that."
  (08:32, David Amiel)

• "We don't believe in protectionism. I think that innovation also flourishes on trade, on exchange of ideas and so on."
  (12:28, David Amiel)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:18–01:43: Episode introduction & overview of France's ban on US tech tools
• 01:43–04:21: Sam Schechner on European tech sovereignty, U.S. tech dominance, and Silicon Valley's response
• 06:16–13:47: Interview with David Amiel – France’s strategy, Visio platform, public/private partnership, and ambitions for European champions

Conclusion

This episode makes clear that while Europe—especially France—is determined to pursue digital sovereignty, the scale of existing U.S. tech dominance means any decoupling will be a long-term, complex strategic effort. France sees sovereignty not as protectionism but as resilience, values-driven regulation, and fostering innovation. The mutual dependency between Europe and Silicon Valley will shape the tech landscape for years to come. For listeners wanting to understand the real stakes behind headlines about "tech sovereignty," this episode is essential.