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It is sad that all the big tech companies have basically become advertising companies. That said, I do think those tech companies are still more interesting than a company that makes luxury bags.

So I figured I'd check what the other largest European companies are. In order: LVMH, Novo Nordisk, L'Oréal, ASML.

#4, ASML, is of course the pride of the Dutch tech industry. That's a company that's innovative on tech and making its profits entirely by making the best chip manufacturing machines.

#3 L'Oréal is primarily known for shampoo and cosmetics and that sort of stuff.

#2 I hadn't heard of. Apparently they mostly provide diabetes care. That's awfully specific for such a big company. No idea if they're big because they're incredibly innovative in that field, or that they're monopolising healthcare.

LVMH's name suggests it's not a company that grew this big naturally, but it rather the result of several mergers. An artificially inflated moloch.

I think most people here would be happier with ASML in the top spot.



Novo Nordisk must be a huge fan of the food pyramid. A company riding the wave of humans eating themselves to death.

The world is an amazing place!


They do way more than diabetes/insulin medication - they make and R&Ded recombinants, oesteoperosis medication, menopause medication, and hemophilia medication.

They're one of the Big Pharma firms like Pfizer and GSK, and the only reason Denmark (and specifically Aarhaus) is on the map for bioinformatics.

Separately, why are so many new HN commentators snarky asshats.


> They're the only reason Denmark (and specifically Aarhaus) is on the map for bioinformatics.

That's a sick burn of the Aarhus University Bioinformatics Research Centre https://birc.au.dk/ but maybe that research is only there because of that company too?


Oh I didn't mean that as a burn!!

Aarhaus has an amazing bioinformatics program thanks to the strong public-private partnership in place between Novo Nordsk, Universitet Aarhaus, and Government intervention.

Denmark's following the same game plan the US applied in the 1970s-80s to the Bay Area, San Diego, and Boston to develop the biotech industry.


Novo Nordisk manufacture insulin; that's an absolutely enormous business!




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