Comment by formerly_proven

If you look back at the last 30-40 years german industry was often at the leading edge of emerging technologies, e.g. different types of renewable energy (especially wind and solar), automation, robotics, machine learning and so on, advanced ADAS, and to a lesser degree with batteries and EVs (though broadly competitive with lots of investment). It's just that they get backstabbed the shit out of them by politics. Who then turn around and act all pikachu at the job losses.

I don't think there is any other country which had this many opportunities and leads into high-growth and ultra-high-growth industries and made sure none of them panned out. That's not bad timing or bad luck, it's systemic. Maybe the US's conversion into a petrostate?