I think they do contribute to local economy. Google provides services which make lives of millions of people better. Search and maps are two. Android is another one. It's only thanks to Android being developed people have access to amazingly cheap powerful and useful devices.
Maps saves billions for people: you don't need to buy overpriced shitty navi devices anymore. You save tons of time. Android is worth billions for EU citizens as well. Otherwise we would be stuck with shitty quality or overpriced luxury electronics. Search allows customers to not overspend when online shopping at the very least.
Both Google and Amazon make our lives so much better that even if they don't pay any taxes ever again it's worth having them. Of course that they don't pay taxes is a lie (VAT is included in their services and they have tens of thousands of employees in Europe who pay taxes on their salaries, the only thing they don't pay is a corporate tax).
I sure hope Google lobbies for laws. Otherwise we would be stuck with what local lobbies like French or German publishers want and we already know it's a mess way bigger than what Sundar Pichai would come up with if he could write the law himself.
And yes, I realize that what those companies do with privacy is not ideal. Still I remember how it sucked shopping for books in English being a student in a poor country before Amazon came along. I remember how expensive and how terrible experience navi devices were before Google Maps came along. I remember the joy and disbelief when I've first seen Google Earth: a 3d smooth map of the whole world with zoom to top it and it's completely free to use!
Google and Amazon made my life better, saved me tons of money and time, allowed me to get education and entertainment not only better but for fraction of the cost. Meanwhile when I think what EU legislators brought me: cookie law which doesn't change anything but forces me to click on pop-ups like it's 90s again. GDPR which is hot mess of a law which contributed to my life in form of endless forms I have to sign and endless privacy messages I have to listen to. The way it's implemented means I have to waste a lot of time driving now because some companies and doctor offices are no longer willing to communicate by email. Many websites not being available without VPN connection. The next thing EU sets its eyes on is crippling free speech even more. Don't get me started on all the small business killing regulation like VAT MOSS. It would be worse if the regulators didn't feel at least some heat from tech companies.
To be honest, all of those contributions could also attributed to local competitors which are doing the same thing if Google would disappear, there's competitors in the search and maps area, and unlike Google, they do pay taxes and bring local jobs, hence why the commission isn't receptive much to Google's arguments... Additionally the Google competitors in the EU are so small that nobody really cares if those laws do impacts them as well...
Android is probably the only exception indeed but I don't think that's nearly enough of leverage to counter the current trend.
The issue is that Google optimized profit so much in the EU that they even get rid of their leverage there. I do think they are right to fight against those laws (and I'm also personally against them) but let's be fair, at this point nobody cares what Google says in the EU. There's an idea in the EU that impacting Google's business won't impact in any ways the local economy and that's hard to prove them wrong with the way Google is setup.
The problem is EU regulators see industries impacted by Google but forget all the Google users who benefit tremendously from Google existence. It's the same with Amazon. If Amazon was based on Mars, shipped from there and never paid a penny in taxes it would still be valuable to have because cheap quality services make lives better.
It's still the case of they kill several inefficient industries along the way. We would all be worse of just so French bookshop or German legacy media publisher can make money again.
Both Google and Amazon make our lives so much better that even if they don't pay any taxes ever again it's worth having them. Of course that they don't pay taxes is a lie (VAT is included in their services and they have tens of thousands of employees in Europe who pay taxes on their salaries, the only thing they don't pay is a corporate tax).
I sure hope Google lobbies for laws. Otherwise we would be stuck with what local lobbies like French or German publishers want and we already know it's a mess way bigger than what Sundar Pichai would come up with if he could write the law himself.
And yes, I realize that what those companies do with privacy is not ideal. Still I remember how it sucked shopping for books in English being a student in a poor country before Amazon came along. I remember how expensive and how terrible experience navi devices were before Google Maps came along. I remember the joy and disbelief when I've first seen Google Earth: a 3d smooth map of the whole world with zoom to top it and it's completely free to use!
Google and Amazon made my life better, saved me tons of money and time, allowed me to get education and entertainment not only better but for fraction of the cost. Meanwhile when I think what EU legislators brought me: cookie law which doesn't change anything but forces me to click on pop-ups like it's 90s again. GDPR which is hot mess of a law which contributed to my life in form of endless forms I have to sign and endless privacy messages I have to listen to. The way it's implemented means I have to waste a lot of time driving now because some companies and doctor offices are no longer willing to communicate by email. Many websites not being available without VPN connection. The next thing EU sets its eyes on is crippling free speech even more. Don't get me started on all the small business killing regulation like VAT MOSS. It would be worse if the regulators didn't feel at least some heat from tech companies.