Observing national stasis
18 September, 2025
According to Adriaan Mol, founder of Mollie and MessageBird and worth 3.5 billion dollars, as quoted in the Parool newspaper, he would not start his companies in Amsterdam if given another chance. He added that tech companies thrive despite the government, not because of it. In Portugal, the CEO of Cloudflare stated the following on X when asked about his unsatisfaction with Portugal for Cloudflare:
“Mostly around immigration. But also permitting. General stifling bureaucracy. And a complete lack of a functional airport. Mostly I’m sick of being told things are going to get better if we just invest more only for them to continue to trend worse.” — Matthew Prince
A similar sentiment is echoed by ASML, the world’s largest semiconductor producer, which has threatened to leave the Netherlands. This prompted the government to initiate Plan Beethoven, a program aimed at increasing housing and improving the electricity grid to retain the conglomerate, as it provides the Netherlands with a significant position in global politics. The CEO at the time, Peter Wennink, stated that strict immigration policies limit the import of talent from abroad, restricting the company’s growth:
“We prefer to do that here, but if we cannot get those people here, we will get those people in Eastern Europe, or in Asia, or in the United States.” — Peter Wennink
Additionally, Reuters reports that ASML cannot guarantee further growth in 2026 due to geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges, such as U.S. tariffs set by President Trump, indicating the risks of overdependence on the U.S. Restrictions on selling to China also pose challenges for the company, confirming that heavy bureaucracy hampers innovation and growth.
While the importance of rules cannot be understated, excessive regulation can lead to bureaucratic paralysis. A state of stasis in which individuals and organizations cannot grow. A growth mindset requires embracing the risk of failure and a free exchange of ideas, all while maintaining a unifying vision for the future. Until Dutch society becomes courageous in facing the fear of unknown consequences, it will struggle to progress in an increasingly volatile world.