For Hagen Rickmann it is clear that Europe must become more independent. In the ntv podcast “So techt Deutschland”, the Telekom manager expects that the big US players can be role models for companies in this country. That could also help with digitization.
Digitization can help combat climate change. A Bitkom study shows that if industry becomes more digital, this will help to reduce CO2 emissions. If the use of digital technologies in Germany is accelerated, up to 64 million tons of CO2 can be saved in 2030 in this country alone. That would correspond to 17 percent of the total planned CO2 savings by 2030.
Telekom manager Hagen Rickmann sees several advantages here. “Firstly, you help to reduce CO2 emissions and secondly, you invest in future technologies. Thirdly, this will help us to remain competitive.”
That’s why Rickmann also advocates higher taxation of the so-called over-the-top players, which include Amazon, Google and Microsoft, “who do murder business here on our data highways and, in my view, are not asked to pay enough,” according to Telekom -Manager.
Companies in Germany and Europe could also learn a lot from the large US corporations. They often act too slowly because they are too perfectionistic, says Hagen Rickmann. “That’s sometimes the mistake in our tinkering and engineering.” With this approach, there is a great risk of not being able to enter the market in good time. “Perhaps a B-solution is sufficient for the time being to build trust.”
