On roethof.net, I have spent significant time analyzing why projects fail, why workloads explode, and why the digital foundations of organizations and increasingly entire societies are crumbling. In earlier posts, I argued that our reliance on foreign controlled platforms is not just a technical vulnerability. It is a strategic risk. At the time, many dismissed these points as internal operational concerns or the musings of a critical outsider. The world has changed.
The provocative thesis that the next Trump moment will be digital rather than military is, in my view, the ultimate validation of everything I have been warning about. This is no longer a matter of a server glitch or a misconfigured database. We are talking about losing strategic control over our own society. The consequences are already embedded in the systems we rely on every day.
From operational failure to digital colonialism#
I have previously detailed how enterprises outsource not just workloads, but decision making power and operational sovereignty to foreign cloud providers. What was once an operational convenience has now become a form of digital colonialism. By migrating our core operations to platforms governed by foreign jurisdictions, we have effectively ceded control over our digital future. The cost is astronomical.
In 2024, just four US tech giants reported a combined revenue of over 576 billion USD in revenue. Roughly 30% of that money leaves Europe directly. That is around 84 billion USD per year. We are funding the very technologies, including advanced AI (a double-edged sword I’ve analyzed regarding privacy and security) that will make European industries dependent and, in some cases, obsolete. We are financing our own obsolescence and calling it innovation.
This isn’t just a commercial issue. It is structural wealth transfer on a scale that parallels historical colonialism, but in the digital sphere. While executives celebrate quarterly growth, they are signing the blueprint for dependence, fragility, and eventual irrelevance. In earlier discussions on enterprise agility and the human cost of cybersecurity, I explored how internal operations collapse under pressure. Today, we see that same pattern on a global, societal scale.
Sovereignty washing: the new boardroom lie#
The response from hyperscalers has been predictable. They offer sovereign clouds with local labels, sometimes even partnered with European firms, and assure customers that compliance equals security. But compliance isn’t resilience. That distinction is often lost in corporate theater.
A cloud does not become sovereign simply because the servers are in a local rack. If the provider is a US company, it still falls under the US CLOUD Act. Your data is reachable by foreign authorities, regardless of physical location. Sovereignty without exit capability is an illusion. True sovereignty requires the tested ability to move your workloads elsewhere within 48 hours without asking for permission. If you cannot do that, you are a hostage, not a customer.
This mirrors the operational negligence I have highlighted before. Organizations spend millions on regulatory compliance but fail to invest in the infrastructure and flexibility required to actually enforce independence. On a global stage, the consequences are exponentially higher.
Open source as a strategic defense#
Open source software has often been discussed as an enthusiast choice or a lower cost alternative to proprietary systems. I have long argued that open source is essential not just for cost savings, but for operational sovereignty. Today, it is no longer optional. It is a strategic defense mechanism.
Using proprietary SaaS is like renting someone else’s brain. You cannot inspect it, you cannot move it freely, and you are bound by the provider’s jurisdiction, policies, and priorities. Open source solutions like Linux, Nextcloud, or Wire give you ownership of the logic of your operations. You can run them anywhere, modify them as needed, and most importantly, you control your own destiny.
Governments have failed to lead by example. They promise open source but spend 99% of IT budgets on proprietary licenses. This is not just wasteful. It is a deliberate strategy of dependence. If we are serious about sovereignty, investment must shift from foreign monopolies to local, legally aligned providers. Companies like Hetzner, OVHcloud, and other European specialists are examples of infrastructure that actually operates under local law.
Digital sovereignty as a business requirement#
The so called digital Trump moment is not hypothetical. It is the point at which policy changes, geopolitical tensions, or unilateral decisions in foreign capitals can brick entire business processes. Convenience over control has consequences, and those consequences are now systemic.
For a long time, I have been a lone voice highlighting these cracks. My previous writings were warnings, early indicators of the risks embedded in our operational choices. Today, the time for warnings is over. Action is required.
Digital sovereignty is no longer just a political slogan. It is a cold blooded business requirement. It determines whether your organization is the master of its own fate, or merely a bargaining chip in global trade conflicts. If your stack is foreign controlled, your business is not yours. Period.
The path forward#
The solutions are not theoretical. They are practical, urgent, and achievable. First, audit your dependencies. Map every core operation, data flow, and software dependency. Know where your digital control points are and where they are not. Second, invest in open source and local infrastructure. Use software and cloud providers that you can inspect, modify, and migrate freely. Build redundancy and exit options.
Third, build internal competence. Digital sovereignty is not just about software. It is about the skills and governance structures to manage it. Train teams to operate and migrate workloads independently. Fourth, shift public policy and procurement. Pressure governments and institutions to invest in open, locally governed infrastructure rather than foreign monopolies.
We are at a crossroads. The digital Trump moment is the reckoning for years of operational negligence, complacency, and misplaced trust in convenience. It is time to act decisively. Those who control the stack will control the business, and by extension, their destiny. Those who do not will pay the price strategically, financially, and operationally.
Conclusion#
The era of warnings on roethof.net has been building toward this point. My analysis of systemic digital failure has traced this trajectory. The evidence is now undeniable. The bill for our collective negligence is due.
We can no longer treat infrastructure as an afterthought. Digital sovereignty is a strategic imperative, not a philosophical preference. Control your stack, or surrender control of your future. The digital Trump moment is here. The question is: will you be ready?