European AI startups don't have a talent problem. They have a confidence problem.
That's the point Anton Osika, the CEO of AI startup Lovable, made in a post on X over the weekend as the debate continues over whether Europe can produce AI companies capable of competing with Silicon Valley's biggest players.
"The talent was never the problem," he wrote. "The belief that you could build from here was."
"Since we started, I was repeatedly told that if you want to build a serious AI company, move to San Francisco," he said. "We chose Europe, and have never looked back."
The comments reinforce a message Osika has long championed: founders don't need to move to Silicon Valley to build successful AI companies.
Lovable has emerged as one of Europe's fastest-growing startups, surpassing $500 million in annual recurring revenue this month.
Osika said millions of people have used its vibe-coding platform to turn ideas into products and businesses, with many of those users based in Europe. The US remains its largest market, however.
'The talent and demand is here'
Osika said that some of the best engineers he knows are now moving back to Europe to do their most important work.
Recent data suggests that this trend is underway. Analysis by workforce intelligence firm Revelio Labs, which uses public immigration data, found that more tech workers were moving from the US to Europe than from Europe to the US by the end of 2024, reversing a long-standing pattern of tech migration.
That includes Patrik Torstensson, a former Meta engineering director who joined Lovable earlier this year after leaving the tech giant's California office in July 2025 and its London office in April.
The shift comes as some foreign workers face a more challenging path to building careers in the US amid stricter immigration enforcement and increased scrutiny of work visas.
For Europe to capitalize on that momentum, Osika said that one piece is still missing.
"The talent and demand is here," he wrote. "We just need regional infrastructure to match it," he said, referring to Europe's need for more local AI infrastructure.
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Thibault is a business reporter at Business Insider's London office.He covers the intersection of wealth, work, and technology — focusing on the global economy, AI’s impact on the workplace, job and cognitive skills, and how economic changes are affecting careers. Before moving to the trending team, Thibault covered international affairs, including the Russia-Ukraine war, tensions in the South China Sea, and Russia’s economy on the news desk.He has previously worked at the Daily Express and held internships at Agence France-Presse, Politico Europe, and Factal.Il parle français. Se habla español.Email Thibault at [email protected], connect with him on LinkedIn @ThibaultSpirlet, or follow him on X @ThibaultSpirlet and BlueSky @thibaultspirlet.bsky.social.Expertise
- AI and the future of work
- Job and cognitive skills in the AI economy
- Workforce trends
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