Excerpt: In an extensive interview with de Volkskrant, Paul Verhagen discusses the failures of the Western technological model, the growing power of Big Tech, and what Europe can learn from China's approach to artificial intelligence.
In a wide-ranging interview with de Volkskrant, Paul Verhagen reflects on his Dutch, American and Chinese identity, and how the changing geopolitical order has fundamentally altered his relationship with the United States. Drawing on his book The Techtonic Shift, he argues that America's problems extend far beyond Donald Trump, reflecting deeper institutional weaknesses and the consequences of decades of neoliberal thinking.
A central theme of the conversation is the West's failure to anticipate the societal consequences of new technologies. While China recognized early on that the internet would profoundly reshape society and developed institutions to control it, Western governments largely left its development to private technology companies. Verhagen argues that this failure has contributed to the concentration of power in Big Tech, the proliferation of addictive algorithms, and the erosion of democratic accountability.
The interview also examines the contrasting American and Chinese approaches to artificial intelligence, and what Europe can learn from them without embracing China's authoritarian model. Verhagen argues that Europe must regain control over its technological infrastructure and rethink the relationship between technological innovation, individual freedom and democratic institutions.
de Volkskrant, October 24, 2026. Interview by Laurens Verhagen.