Denmark is often ranked as one of the top 5 easiest countries in the World to start and run your own business (depending on which report you look at). And we usually rank higher than USA. I get that entrepreneurial spirit has more to do with wanting to start your own thing, but if we're lacking some of that here, it's certainly not because rules and regulations have made it too difficult to do so.
the problem is due to EU regulations it's impossible to grow and very difficult to have a business , even the EU have now admitted that fact, they had Draghi make a report on why EU don't have a lot of innovation and loose marked share , and that is the main reason , what happens is there is a Danish startup and as soon as they get success the USA buy the idea!!!!, incl. technology ect. think of google maps invented by Danes , Joe and the juice ect.
@@Gert-DK Maybe it's easier to start a company and run it in Denmark than in the USA, but it's not because Denmark has a particularly strong entrepreneurial culture; the "Law of Jante" somewhat hinders that kind of thinking. I think it would be quite good if Denmark could promote the culture a bit more.
Thanks for your insights! Just wanted to mention that lots of huge tech innovation comes from Denmark. Dynamics 365, c#, c++, Google Maps, php, Skype, etc etc are Danish inventions. I think Americans simply have more money to buy up the Innovation before it becomes the next Lego.
Great video guys and very courageous of you to point out "the areas of improvement" for Denmark knowing that Danes don't take criticism easily... I totally agree with the things you point out!
@@hguldmannI wouldn't really say that. Most copenhageners are originally from Jutland either in 1st or 2nd generation and therefore know a lot better how life is in Jutland than the other way round. Imo jutlanders are like Texans in the US or bavarians in Germany. They like to say that they are small underdogs who are oppressed by the evil swamp in the capital, but in reality it's quite the opposite. Of the last six Prime ministers, four have been from Jutland and only two from Zealand (and here I count Lars Løkke who was born in Jutland but moved to Zealand as a child to the zealanders). Now there even is a Jutland first party in Parliament, no other part of the country has such a party.
@@hguldmann as a person from jutland, living in Copenhagen for 20+ years, the opposite is true - not only have i been to jutland more often than they have been here...
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@@TainDK You have many old friends and family to visit in Jutland. They have you to visit in Copenhagen. It makes sense that you go more often.
Also Scandis love to meet other Scandinavian people around the world.. its like this common bond regardless of what Scandinavian country you come from. So if you dont go around thinking a lot about Norwegians, if you meet some Oslo guys in New York or London or China or whatever, you're gonna be like they're your best mates and we're all like that. 😅
Very much agree that Danes could learn to appreciate small talk, and small unimportant relationships. It does happen here, especially with people age 55 and above. So many of them are more than happy to talk to people and feel connected, and you can get some really fun conversations out of it. Wish it happened more often, but I think those who try, are so used to getting the cold shoulder that they eventually just stop. Or at least, that’s why I stopped trying to initiate
Interesting points; I would however like to make a few counterpoints. But first, the points I do agree on. I certainly agree on customer service; however, I would add that people in general also should be much more appreciative of the service worker. Too often someone rants on the worker even though that worker has no say in whatever the rant is about. We should do better there. As for your other points,. Regarding the socializing, that really mostly happens in "foreninger" (gaming/sport clubs, gyms, boy/girl scouts, ect.). This is a key aspect that we are really bad at pointing out to immigrants. In the Nordic countries (and nothern Germany), this is the place where you hang out, meet new people, and form loose connections. We are bad at talking about that, as it is so ingrained in our culture (one of the unspoken ones). It is, however, an almost foreign concept in most of the rest of the world (in the US, the closest example is the community built around the church). Could we do more small talk? I mean sure, but people have busy lives, things to do, etc.; to ask a stranger to take time out of their day for you is a lot to ask, particularly when you can do it when they have time (being in the "forening"). So we do that a lot... Just on during work or on the street (in general ofc). Regarding entrepreneurship, I am not sure what it is you want to change. Denmark has some of the easiest/simplest laws to start a business; it takes less than 15 minutes to get the needed paperwork in order, and quit a lot of people make their own small business because of that. If you are thinking of guys spending 80+ hours a week on getting their business growing, some (a fair few actually) do that, but I suspect you are hitting a blindspot from your own background. You look at Denmark with 5.8 million people and compare it to the US with 365+ million people, and you compare the start-ups; however, you will also find that most of the successful US start-ups happen in the same areas, making it look like it is much more entrepreneurial in spirit. But looking at comparable numbers, the difference isn't that different. Where we see big differences are in start-ups in the US that become billion-dollar enterprise... However, the argument of size becomes a thing. Silicon Valley (but not just there) simply has the concentration of cash that allows for quick investments that allow small companies to make the investments in production and R&D, allowing start-ups to quickly realise their potential. But it also has to be said that a lot of fraud is happening in the US system (particular when a company is registered at the stock exchange). Regarding celebrating different cultures and two-way integration,. I am honestly not sure that is "right". "When in Rome, do as the Romans" is a thing; culture is evolving, but frankly, a lot of Danish culture is on the way out (this makes me sound like a far right loon, I realise); Danish children have a less advanced language in Danish than in English. Media, education, work, and more have adopted more and more English (dare I say American, slurs, and idioms). I would suggest that what you are asking for is that Denmark should become more convenient to your taste and less like what Denmark is (a bit on the nose, I know), and what is risked is that this culture becomes less unik, less what you feel in love with in the first place. Even food and music. How much in-season food do you eat? Likely very little! And how much French, German, Italian, or Polish music in their own language do you hear in general? Again, overall very little, I assume, simply because the american culture is so dominant. This is not, per se, negative, but it is much worse culturally than the idea suggests. Big cultures like the American and Spanish-American bully smaller cultures; they do not intergrate but push others aside. I am not against other cultures becoming part of the Danish culture, but I am not convinced that "integration is a two-way street.". Also, this is not really feeling "threatened" by other cultures, but a real-life observation that small unik/special cultures rarely flurish with other cultures being exported to the degree that the US exports its culture in the digital/information age. Had that been the case, the US citizen should be far better at French, Italian, and German than is the case. Finally, regarding technology and innovation in business... My impression is that the major difference is in law. Denmark takes its foundation in Roman and continental (German and French) law, where regulation is the starting point, unlike Anglo-law, where freedom is allowed until something happens. In this way, I firmly believe Europe (and thus Denmark) are in the right order. The US, in particular with social media (that drives like 85% of all US-based innovation in tech at the moment), has had a headstart by default in this regard, and you can argue that this has helped make a lot of good (and you would be correct). However, if we look at social media, because there was no regulation in the first place, the US, the UK and many other nations are or have been on the brink of losing the battle to the most extremist political movements in 70+ years, and the US democracy is arguably on the brink because of that. Is that worth it? Is that worth a few billion dollars? Or would we have been better off had the regulatory systems been allowed to be part of the design-process to begin with, allowing for less hatred and stress, as we are looking into today? We know that conflict has been programmed into the algorithms at Facebook, at Twitter (x), and other places. The difference here, I think, argues for the continental way of thinking, but it is certainly less profitable in the short term. Overall, it was really interesting to hear your thoughts and suggestions. I hope you enjoy my points of view, as they should be seen as appreciations for your views. And have a nice day!
I think you are a little off regaarding busyness friendly. Here top 5 list from USNEWS : Luxembourg: Known for its favorable tax environment and transparent government practices. Switzerland: Offers a stable economy, low corruption, and efficient bureaucracy. Sweden: Praised for its transparent government and supportive business policies. Singapore: Renowned for its ease of doing business, low taxes, and strategic location. Denmark: Offers a supportive business environment with low corruption and high transparency. These countries are often highlighted for their conducive environments for businesses to thrive.
Yes both Americans and Danes are amazing and they can learn from each other! I'm American and visited Denmark last year and LOVED it!! But, I was quite surprised (alarmed) how many Danes don't even give eye contact or simple greetings to each other or visitors. I wasn't looking for someone to have lunch with or searching for new friends (I have my good friends in Denmark already) but I'm used to simple, friendly courtesy. Dear Danes, eye contact or a slight smile will not kill anyone! ❤ Thank you guys! ❤
watercooler talk is not valued in Denmark... the smiling, greeting and eye contact thing, to people that we dont talk to or know, dont get those, but the ones we know or talk to, even just a little, like saying hello to the person scanning your stuff when shopping, they get that, but not random people, as there's no reason to, and as we're most all Danes in this country, and most of us think like that, that's just how we are... it might look different to outsiders, but we know what it really is, just like stuff in USA are some ways, that will look different to people NOT from USA...
The lack of eyecontact is a cultural thing. Personally I would feel it deeply uncomfortable having to have eyecontact the way you suggest. Being an introvert that might actually kill me.
if you smile at someone they will always smile back, but you can´t expect people you don´t know who are doing their own thing to stop and chat with everyone. I´m guessing you only went to Copenhagen but it´s different everywhere and most towns people are pretty friendly but in a big city people aren´t gonna be able to smile and look at every person they see.
Hmm... my guess is that you live in is very mono-coloured neighbourhood. The suburb to Copenhagen I currently live in is quite colourful, the full scale from potato to red beet to chocolate. We see each others colours, but we stick together. Kids, even in kindergarten, are taught that we don't all look the same, and sometimes don't even want to eat the same. The kindergarten that my son attends always offer an alternative to the meal of the day... it's vegetarian to be honest. That means that if you're brought up to avoid pork or beef... you can still have food when chicken isn't on the menu. And by my experience with the US each culture/colour/race tend to gather around each their table. I was once asked by a polite African American man if we were french, simply because my Chinese ex and I was eating by the same table... guess where... in the heart of NYC.. McD at times square. Tell me again who's more "racist" in general... here it's not odd for kids of different cultures to eat next to each other. In other words, I strongly but respectfully disagree with you on that point.
Aarhus is kinda the Silicon Valley in Denmark if you're willing to include all the areas going down to Skanderborg... Janteloven is the limiter... we're all afraid to fail. Denmark has one of the most lenient legislations available in the world for startups... We're just not good at teaching ourselves to be entrepreneurs.
5:51 as a Danish high schooler, you can learn coding in Danish high school, and I think they’re also trying to integrate it in lower levels of education. It’s just that, since we have many different types of high schools, I can’t guarantee everyone is learning how to code nowadays.
I really do think your topics were chosen with a bit of ignorance. I am not trying to be rude, this is just the Danish directness. As long as a Dane don't hit you, he is polite. 😉 One thing we definitely could learn from the US, is how to get the tobacco smoking down. Look at the US in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Lots of smoking. Now very little, I wish we could learn that from the US.
I pretty much agree with you. The two guys live in Copenhagen and have almost no knowledge of the rest of Denmark, but something that what they say is straight up nonsense. Besides, you can't compare the USA and Denmark in that way - a huge difference in both history, mentality, social conditions and especially in size. The two "professors" should try to make a comparison between the smallest state in the USA and the entire USA - it makes the same stupid sense. When they talk about "lacking" both ways, I think it's strange that they can't speak Danish after so many years in Denmark - they expect everyone to adapt to their needs instead of the other way around - they don't contribute anything especially for this country. Why does Denmark even have to be like the USA? - that would be pure disaster!
1) I normally think you're quite spot-on with your observations of Danish culture and spirit, but the first point isn't correct. There's a huge entrepreneurial spirit in Denmark, and it's extremely easy to start and run a business. Probably one of the easiest places in the world, and definitely easier than in the US. You can literally go online right now, spend 10 minutes filling out a form, and get your VAT number within 24 hours - and you're ready to go with your business. There will be virtually no administrative requirements, for instance you can avoid submitting annual reports as long as you earn below a set amount. And setting up a limited liability (ApS = LLC) is almost as easy, and the required capital investment is one of the lowest in the world. 2) Absolutely correct. Customer service in Denmark is shite compared to US. 3) Your point stands, but not under the label "diversity and inclusion", as that's generally indicative of a progressive attitude towards people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, etc. where Denmark is far ahead of the USA. However, under the term "cultural diversity" your point absolutely stands. And I absolutely agree that integration is a two-way street. 4) Agree on this one. I think the point you tried to make in (1) came across much better here. 5) Haha, yes, this one is true. But we do like it this way ;)
I’ve lived in the States for 4 years, and this is my experience as well. We’re a very homogeneous culture, and that has it’s perks, but on the flip side of that is we’re not as good embracing other cultures. Something I’ve learned in US is to engage in conversations with random people, and I’ve been able to adapt it to Danes.. and I’ve actually met multiple people saying, they wish us Danes would just engage in each other a bit more than what we currently do. I will also say, there’s a difference between countryside vs city. Overall, the topics you guys are saying are my experiences as well, and the same things I’ve pondered over.
Well, about not being ignorant, I don't know man. The number of times I have been asked by Americans what language Danes speak ("Dutch?"), and if it's close to Amsterdam, I think the Geography classes here could use a little emphasis. Oh, and now we have politicians in the Congress claiming that government can control the weather!! So clearly the battle against ignorance has been lost for a couple of generations... ( I blame homeschooling..)
It's going to hell in the US with common knowledge of common people - they know nothing about the rest of the world and they don't speak other languages.
"Day drinking is never wrong!" 🤣🤣 As two Sconnies living in Denmark, the idea of "Friday bar" has kind of blown our minds a bit. And J-Day is on a Friday this year!
Small talk. Is perhaps not as widespread in the larger cities. But is very common in the smaller communities. I myself live in a smaller town. The local grocery store is the meeting point. And gossip central. Better than facebook. I know all my neighbors. A few years ago we had new people move in. They are already part of our circle of neighbors. I would not have done without them. They stood up when years ago I was close to becoming a widow with 2 small children. And got all the help I needed during those difficult days. There is a big difference between City and Country. But otherwise you are right in your observations.
You have a point about tech. This is not a specific Danish problem, but a problem mostly created by the largely failed governments of Germany the last 25 years.
We do have people with entrepreneurial ambitions just the size of the country and the problem growing and expanding the business is difficult. Also some incentives like shares and options are not as good as in the USA...capital is really a problem. Also creating a business is not your way to social climbing.
I think all points are valid and reasonable, i will agree a 100% with you haha! I love when the old lady at the bus stop, asks me a question and then we start a little conversation from there, or when i say thank you to the cashier and they give me a big smile, and i love more then anything to learn about other peoples cultures! I wish people would be a bit more open minded but unfortunately I feel like the media and the politicians are painting a grim picture of many ethnicity's that aren't a 100% white, and that is just fuel on that bonfire we have going on..
Entrepreneurship is often stimulated by projects with friends. Yes, Danes must learn to embrace strangers. The citizens who are not involved in IT are lost. Yes, just like embrace, small talk is a difficult thing for the "Dane"💗👍🤟
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽💖 Diversity, multiculturalism and integration!!! Absolutely necessary!!! Socializing!!! Living in South Jutland I would like to add: healthcare!!! You definitely don't want to end up in the hospital of Aabenraa!!! ;)
Zealand and Jutland are very different when it comes to entrepeneurial spirit. When a Jutish plumber, joiner or similar hires a journeyman just out of vocational school, it goes without saying that he will only stay until he is ready to start his own business. That is not so on Zealand. One problem is the banks. I have no experience in this, but this is what I have heard. If you go to an American bank with a business plan to get a loan to start your business, and say: "I have previosuly gone bankrupt with a similar project," the banker is counting this as a plus. You have experience. You know where the problems are. You are not likely to make the same mistakes again. If you say this to a Danish banker, he stops listening. You are not going toget that loan whatever you say or how ever good your business plan is.
For diversity and inclusion i dont think Denmark nor USA should be any type of model for how to do it. Both countries have people that are open to other cultures and diversity (including myself), but both also have (a lot of) people that are against it. And not to make Denmark better than USA, but from what i have seen Danes are basing more of their opinions on various views and usually come up with their opinions after seeing more than one viewpoint, whereas America is better at advertising and convince people to convert to the same views
Denmark do like foreigners, if they pay their tax here. Our Foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen was in India and two other countries, this spring. He was there begging for immigrants, yes the word "begging" was used. Furthermore, our embassy in Teheran has issued 2000 visas to Iranian nurses, which some of them already have started.
If we learned what you ask we wouldn't be Danes. We value privacy. We are willing to include all who accept our values and why should we desire those who do not? I have no desire to live in a multicultural society. And I suspect a lot of US "entrepreneurship" is more motivated by desparation than desire/drive.
I think compared to how small our country is it’s doing great in the startup business but maybe it’s more the way Dane’s think about startup businesses that are different from the American way. But I think you’ll see more of that in the future. Costumes service in Denmark certainly could be better especially the young generation are extremely rude and arrogant. It’s like I’m too good to sit here and give you MY service and I do not get paid enough for MY service. I certainly have not seen many young people smile and seemed like they enjoyed their work. In restaurants I find it annoying if someone comes over more than one to make sure everything is okay and I’ll tell them that I’ll call them if I need anything. It’s so annoying when you sit there and in a great conversation and someone keeps interrupting you. The restaurant should know their food is great enough for them not to come around all the time. I think small talk is something that all Scandinavian are really bad at but you might see it more in smaller cities and especially in supermarkets or shops if this is the place you always go to. If it’s a new store you rarely see anyone small talk until you have come to this store several times. I myself are definitely an introvert but for some reason people always comes up to me to talk even when I moved to London I could sit and drink my coffee and suddenly BAM someone would sit across me and start a conversation. I just need to get over that shyness and it’s really nice and fun to hear about people’s life. Even now that I live in Spain tourists comes over to talk to me as they can see I’m definitely not Spanish ( I’m quite blond) I’m getting better at relaxing when that happens but I would never go and talk to someone myself.
The one thing that I think is something America does way better is the concept of going from basically a nobody to a millionaire . Saw this documentary about some Indian or Pakistani guy turning up on New York in the late 70s or early 80s, and he got a job as a dishwasher at some hotel i think. And this program was telling us way later that he was now a millionaire that owned a lot of hotels and restaurants and so on around New York. And it took some time, but not too long. Maybe 20 years or so... And that thing was fascinating, and i dont think you could do that anywhere but in America. Thats ine thing you got.. dont know what you do that's different or if the drive is different, but i love that you can go from bum to king in the same town. The whole... American customer service is really not something i want... Its too let me kick your arse out for Scandinavian people. We dont like fake stuff and all that stuff is fake... US people dont love customers more than we do, they hate them just as much. So why pretend to want to marry somebody just for turning up.. and don't be around me like some deranged vulture all the time.. and we're not leaving this table for the next 2 hours so dont try and flip this table before we're good and ready 😊 scandi service is just as good as Amazon trust me ive dealt with head office several times.. no help whatsoever.. 😎
Great advise. Silicon Aarhus 💯 5 minute friendship 💯 I think service is very polite 80% of the time. And those people are also allowed to have a bad day and be grumpy. Dont fake it for me. Sounds almost like you suggest socializing without drinking???!!! How would that work?
I do not agree, it clearly is a sjælland point of view. Come to Esbjerg and see the innovation, inclusion etc. I am dutch by origin, also on the road of changing my gender, and I have no problems with it. All very inclusive. Esbjerg is working hard on innovation on recycling, energy, and a lot of other things. Århus university is also working on other ways of generating power for example. I do not agree with your points at all.
As a dane, you guys are spot on. All of the things you mention, i would love to see implemented in our culture. There's a kind of cynicism in everyday life, unless we drink (and we are, bc we hate being like that). I would love if danes learned from the US on theese ones.
I am so glad to hear the negative feedback from Danes. It makes me hopeful that after moving to Copenhagen because of her boyfriends job, she will learn that Denmark is not the magical place she thinks it will be. Thank you.
Gotta disagree. I dont want to make way for other cultures, or make it a part of my life at all. Im danish, and i dont want anything to do with other cultures other than learning about them. i especially dont want anything to do with the destructive ones.
are you unhappy to be in our country so just go home our country is not perfect But it is better than USA. although there are many politicians who would like to turn Denmark into Little America.
I am actually native Danish, and I honestly think your comment is stupid. So because one can't just accept feedback regarding how one's country is doing, one should go home? If we all thought the same, the world would be a boring place!!
Denmark is often ranked as one of the top 5 easiest countries in the World to start and run your own business (depending on which report you look at). And we usually rank higher than USA. I get that entrepreneurial spirit has more to do with wanting to start your own thing, but if we're lacking some of that here, it's certainly not because rules and regulations have made it too difficult to do so.
the problem is due to EU regulations it's impossible to grow and very difficult to have a business , even the EU have now admitted that fact, they had Draghi make a report on why EU don't have a lot of innovation and loose marked share , and that is the main reason , what happens is there is a Danish startup and as soon as they get success the USA buy the idea!!!!, incl. technology ect. think of google maps invented by Danes , Joe and the juice ect.
@@veronicajensen7690 Dont forget "røde pølser" 🤣😉
I have started two business in Denmark. Its incredible easy.
@@aaaaa5272 What nationality are you?
@@Gert-DK Maybe it's easier to start a company and run it in Denmark than in the USA, but it's not because Denmark has a particularly strong entrepreneurial culture; the "Law of Jante" somewhat hinders that kind of thinking. I think it would be quite good if Denmark could promote the culture a bit more.
Thanks for your insights! Just wanted to mention that lots of huge tech innovation comes from Denmark. Dynamics 365, c#, c++, Google Maps, php, Skype, etc etc are Danish inventions. I think Americans simply have more money to buy up the Innovation before it becomes the next Lego.
Great video guys and very courageous of you to point out "the areas of improvement" for Denmark knowing that Danes don't take criticism easily... I totally agree with the things you point out!
I think it is because you live in København that you have those wews. Have you ever been to AAlborg or Esbjerg?
No They have not! A trip to the WEST-beaches does NOT count!
Udkant skræmmer 😛
it is further from Copenhagen to Jutland than it is from Jutland to Copenhagen
@@hguldmannI wouldn't really say that. Most copenhageners are originally from Jutland either in 1st or 2nd generation and therefore know a lot better how life is in Jutland than the other way round. Imo jutlanders are like Texans in the US or bavarians in Germany. They like to say that they are small underdogs who are oppressed by the evil swamp in the capital, but in reality it's quite the opposite. Of the last six Prime ministers, four have been from Jutland and only two from Zealand (and here I count Lars Løkke who was born in Jutland but moved to Zealand as a child to the zealanders). Now there even is a Jutland first party in Parliament, no other part of the country has such a party.
@@hguldmann as a person from jutland, living in Copenhagen for 20+ years, the opposite is true - not only have i been to jutland more often than they have been here...
@@TainDK You have many old friends and family to visit in Jutland. They have you to visit in Copenhagen. It makes sense that you go more often.
Also Scandis love to meet other Scandinavian people around the world.. its like this common bond regardless of what Scandinavian country you come from. So if you dont go around thinking a lot about Norwegians, if you meet some Oslo guys in New York or London or China or whatever, you're gonna be like they're your best mates and we're all like that. 😅
Very much agree that Danes could learn to appreciate small talk, and small unimportant relationships. It does happen here, especially with people age 55 and above. So many of them are more than happy to talk to people and feel connected, and you can get some really fun conversations out of it. Wish it happened more often, but I think those who try, are so used to getting the cold shoulder that they eventually just stop. Or at least, that’s why I stopped trying to initiate
This is one of those times I heavily disagree with you fellas
Interesting points; I would however like to make a few counterpoints.
But first, the points I do agree on. I certainly agree on customer service; however, I would add that people in general also should be much more appreciative of the service worker. Too often someone rants on the worker even though that worker has no say in whatever the rant is about. We should do better there.
As for your other points,.
Regarding the socializing, that really mostly happens in "foreninger" (gaming/sport clubs, gyms, boy/girl scouts, ect.). This is a key aspect that we are really bad at pointing out to immigrants. In the Nordic countries (and nothern Germany), this is the place where you hang out, meet new people, and form loose connections. We are bad at talking about that, as it is so ingrained in our culture (one of the unspoken ones). It is, however, an almost foreign concept in most of the rest of the world (in the US, the closest example is the community built around the church). Could we do more small talk? I mean sure, but people have busy lives, things to do, etc.; to ask a stranger to take time out of their day for you is a lot to ask, particularly when you can do it when they have time (being in the "forening"). So we do that a lot... Just on during work or on the street (in general ofc).
Regarding entrepreneurship, I am not sure what it is you want to change. Denmark has some of the easiest/simplest laws to start a business; it takes less than 15 minutes to get the needed paperwork in order, and quit a lot of people make their own small business because of that. If you are thinking of guys spending 80+ hours a week on getting their business growing, some (a fair few actually) do that, but I suspect you are hitting a blindspot from your own background. You look at Denmark with 5.8 million people and compare it to the US with 365+ million people, and you compare the start-ups; however, you will also find that most of the successful US start-ups happen in the same areas, making it look like it is much more entrepreneurial in spirit. But looking at comparable numbers, the difference isn't that different. Where we see big differences are in start-ups in the US that become billion-dollar enterprise... However, the argument of size becomes a thing. Silicon Valley (but not just there) simply has the concentration of cash that allows for quick investments that allow small companies to make the investments in production and R&D, allowing start-ups to quickly realise their potential. But it also has to be said that a lot of fraud is happening in the US system (particular when a company is registered at the stock exchange).
Regarding celebrating different cultures and two-way integration,. I am honestly not sure that is "right". "When in Rome, do as the Romans" is a thing; culture is evolving, but frankly, a lot of Danish culture is on the way out (this makes me sound like a far right loon, I realise); Danish children have a less advanced language in Danish than in English. Media, education, work, and more have adopted more and more English (dare I say American, slurs, and idioms). I would suggest that what you are asking for is that Denmark should become more convenient to your taste and less like what Denmark is (a bit on the nose, I know), and what is risked is that this culture becomes less unik, less what you feel in love with in the first place. Even food and music.
How much in-season food do you eat? Likely very little! And how much French, German, Italian, or Polish music in their own language do you hear in general? Again, overall very little, I assume, simply because the american culture is so dominant. This is not, per se, negative, but it is much worse culturally than the idea suggests. Big cultures like the American and Spanish-American bully smaller cultures; they do not intergrate but push others aside. I am not against other cultures becoming part of the Danish culture, but I am not convinced that "integration is a two-way street.". Also, this is not really feeling "threatened" by other cultures, but a real-life observation that small unik/special cultures rarely flurish with other cultures being exported to the degree that the US exports its culture in the digital/information age. Had that been the case, the US citizen should be far better at French, Italian, and German than is the case.
Finally, regarding technology and innovation in business... My impression is that the major difference is in law. Denmark takes its foundation in Roman and continental (German and French) law, where regulation is the starting point, unlike Anglo-law, where freedom is allowed until something happens. In this way, I firmly believe Europe (and thus Denmark) are in the right order. The US, in particular with social media (that drives like 85% of all US-based innovation in tech at the moment), has had a headstart by default in this regard, and you can argue that this has helped make a lot of good (and you would be correct). However, if we look at social media, because there was no regulation in the first place, the US, the UK and many other nations are or have been on the brink of losing the battle to the most extremist political movements in 70+ years, and the US democracy is arguably on the brink because of that. Is that worth it? Is that worth a few billion dollars? Or would we have been better off had the regulatory systems been allowed to be part of the design-process to begin with, allowing for less hatred and stress, as we are looking into today? We know that conflict has been programmed into the algorithms at Facebook, at Twitter (x), and other places. The difference here, I think, argues for the continental way of thinking, but it is certainly less profitable in the short term.
Overall, it was really interesting to hear your thoughts and suggestions. I hope you enjoy my points of view, as they should be seen as appreciations for your views. And have a nice day!
I think you are a little off regaarding busyness friendly. Here top 5 list from USNEWS :
Luxembourg: Known for its favorable tax environment and transparent government practices.
Switzerland: Offers a stable economy, low corruption, and efficient bureaucracy.
Sweden: Praised for its transparent government and supportive business policies.
Singapore: Renowned for its ease of doing business, low taxes, and strategic location.
Denmark: Offers a supportive business environment with low corruption and high transparency.
These countries are often highlighted for their conducive environments for businesses to thrive.
Yes both Americans and Danes are amazing and they can learn from each other! I'm American and visited Denmark last year and LOVED it!! But, I was quite surprised (alarmed) how many Danes don't even give eye contact or simple greetings to each other or visitors. I wasn't looking for someone to have lunch with or searching for new friends (I have my good friends in Denmark already) but I'm used to simple, friendly courtesy. Dear Danes, eye contact or a slight smile will not kill anyone! ❤
Thank you guys! ❤
watercooler talk is not valued in Denmark... the smiling, greeting and eye contact thing, to people that we dont talk to or know, dont get those, but the ones we know or talk to, even just a little, like saying hello to the person scanning your stuff when shopping, they get that, but not random people, as there's no reason to, and as we're most all Danes in this country, and most of us think like that, that's just how we are... it might look different to outsiders, but we know what it really is, just like stuff in USA are some ways, that will look different to people NOT from USA...
The lack of eyecontact is a cultural thing. Personally I would feel it deeply uncomfortable having to have eyecontact the way you suggest. Being an introvert that might actually kill me.
I live in jyland and if you make eye contact and smile at people they smile you back almost all the time, I am not danish by the way.
@@kmjkmjkmj ❤️
if you smile at someone they will always smile back, but you can´t expect people you don´t know who are doing their own thing to stop and chat with everyone. I´m guessing you only went to Copenhagen but it´s different everywhere and most towns people are pretty friendly but in a big city people aren´t gonna be able to smile and look at every person they see.
Hmm... my guess is that you live in is very mono-coloured neighbourhood.
The suburb to Copenhagen I currently live in is quite colourful, the full scale from potato to red beet to chocolate. We see each others colours, but we stick together.
Kids, even in kindergarten, are taught that we don't all look the same, and sometimes don't even want to eat the same.
The kindergarten that my son attends always offer an alternative to the meal of the day... it's vegetarian to be honest.
That means that if you're brought up to avoid pork or beef... you can still have food when chicken isn't on the menu.
And by my experience with the US each culture/colour/race tend to gather around each their table.
I was once asked by a polite African American man if we were french, simply because my Chinese ex and I was eating by the same table... guess where... in the heart of NYC.. McD at times square.
Tell me again who's more "racist" in general... here it's not odd for kids of different cultures to eat next to each other.
In other words, I strongly but respectfully disagree with you on that point.
Aarhus is kinda the Silicon Valley in Denmark if you're willing to include all the areas going down to Skanderborg...
Janteloven is the limiter... we're all afraid to fail. Denmark has one of the most lenient legislations available in the world for startups...
We're just not good at teaching ourselves to be entrepreneurs.
I do however agree that Danes could be easier to talk to.
5:51 as a Danish high schooler, you can learn coding in Danish high school, and I think they’re also trying to integrate it in lower levels of education. It’s just that, since we have many different types of high schools, I can’t guarantee everyone is learning how to code nowadays.
As far as I know, kids are taught to program a robot at grade 4 (10-11 years old)
I really do think your topics were chosen with a bit of ignorance. I am not trying to be rude, this is just the Danish directness. As long as a Dane don't hit you, he is polite. 😉
One thing we definitely could learn from the US, is how to get the tobacco smoking down. Look at the US in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Lots of smoking. Now very little, I wish we could learn that from the US.
I pretty much agree with you. The two guys live in Copenhagen and have almost no knowledge of the rest of Denmark, but something that what they say is straight up nonsense. Besides, you can't compare the USA and Denmark in that way - a huge difference in both history, mentality, social conditions and especially in size. The two "professors" should try to make a comparison between the smallest state in the USA and the entire USA - it makes the same stupid sense. When they talk about "lacking" both ways, I think it's strange that they can't speak Danish after so many years in Denmark - they expect everyone to adapt to their needs instead of the other way around - they don't contribute anything especially for this country. Why does Denmark even have to be like the USA? - that would be pure disaster!
1) I normally think you're quite spot-on with your observations of Danish culture and spirit, but the first point isn't correct. There's a huge entrepreneurial spirit in Denmark, and it's extremely easy to start and run a business. Probably one of the easiest places in the world, and definitely easier than in the US. You can literally go online right now, spend 10 minutes filling out a form, and get your VAT number within 24 hours - and you're ready to go with your business. There will be virtually no administrative requirements, for instance you can avoid submitting annual reports as long as you earn below a set amount. And setting up a limited liability (ApS = LLC) is almost as easy, and the required capital investment is one of the lowest in the world.
2) Absolutely correct. Customer service in Denmark is shite compared to US.
3) Your point stands, but not under the label "diversity and inclusion", as that's generally indicative of a progressive attitude towards people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, etc. where Denmark is far ahead of the USA. However, under the term "cultural diversity" your point absolutely stands. And I absolutely agree that integration is a two-way street.
4) Agree on this one. I think the point you tried to make in (1) came across much better here.
5) Haha, yes, this one is true. But we do like it this way ;)
You two look really good here!
Life must be agreeing with the both of you.
I’ve lived in the States for 4 years, and this is my experience as well.
We’re a very homogeneous culture, and that has it’s perks, but on the flip side of that is we’re not as good embracing other cultures.
Something I’ve learned in US is to engage in conversations with random people, and I’ve been able to adapt it to Danes.. and I’ve actually met multiple people saying, they wish us Danes would just engage in each other a bit more than what we currently do.
I will also say, there’s a difference between countryside vs city.
Overall, the topics you guys are saying are my experiences as well, and the same things I’ve pondered over.
Well, about not being ignorant, I don't know man.
The number of times I have been asked by Americans what language Danes speak ("Dutch?"), and if it's close to Amsterdam, I think the Geography classes here could use a little emphasis.
Oh, and now we have politicians in the Congress claiming that government can control the weather!! So clearly the battle against ignorance has been lost for a couple of generations... ( I blame homeschooling..)
It's going to hell in the US with common knowledge of common people - they know nothing about the rest of the world and they don't speak other languages.
"Day drinking is never wrong!" 🤣🤣 As two Sconnies living in Denmark, the idea of "Friday bar" has kind of blown our minds a bit. And J-Day is on a Friday this year!
You guys really need to visit Ribe some time i wuold enjoy a video were you just walk around and explore Denmark oldest city
Small talk. Is perhaps not as widespread in the larger cities. But is very common in the smaller communities. I myself live in a smaller town. The local grocery store is the meeting point. And gossip central. Better than facebook. I know all my neighbors. A few years ago we had new people move in. They are already part of our circle of neighbors. I would not have done without them. They stood up when years ago I was close to becoming a widow with 2 small children. And got all the help I needed during those difficult days. There is a big difference between City and Country. But otherwise you are right in your observations.
That is so true, supermarkets are not only supermarkets 😅
To be honest most customer service in the Copenhagen area is not performed by Danes.
You have a point about tech. This is not a specific Danish problem, but a problem mostly created by the largely failed governments of Germany the last 25 years.
Drik MORE... Amen to that Derek !!!
Costumer service is a lot better in Jutland.
We do have people with entrepreneurial ambitions just the size of the country and the problem growing and expanding the business is difficult. Also some incentives like shares and options are not as good as in the USA...capital is really a problem. Also creating a business is not your way to social climbing.
And we could be more extrovert, yes
it was danes that invented some of the leading coding languages...
I think all points are valid and reasonable, i will agree a 100% with you haha!
I love when the old lady at the bus stop, asks me a question and then we start a little conversation from there, or when i say thank you to the cashier and they give me a big smile, and i love more then anything to learn about other peoples cultures!
I wish people would be a bit more open minded but unfortunately I feel like the media and the politicians are painting a grim picture of many ethnicity's that aren't a 100% white, and that is just fuel on that bonfire we have going on..
Entrepreneurship is often stimulated by projects with friends. Yes, Danes must learn to embrace strangers. The citizens who are not involved in IT are lost. Yes, just like embrace, small talk is a difficult thing for the "Dane"💗👍🤟
US citizen are the specialists about small talk though
And so much of it is so superficial and seems fake…..to a Dane
I think you should go out to the smaller cities in the country side we socialize more with each other everyone nows everyone in the small cities
👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽💖 Diversity, multiculturalism and integration!!! Absolutely necessary!!! Socializing!!! Living in South Jutland I would like to add: healthcare!!! You definitely don't want to end up in the hospital of Aabenraa!!! ;)
Zealand and Jutland are very different when it comes to entrepeneurial spirit. When a Jutish plumber, joiner or similar hires a journeyman just out of vocational school, it goes without saying that he will only stay until he is ready to start his own business. That is not so on Zealand.
One problem is the banks. I have no experience in this, but this is what I have heard. If you go to an American bank with a business plan to get a loan to start your business, and say: "I have previosuly gone bankrupt with a similar project," the banker is counting this as a plus. You have experience. You know where the problems are. You are not likely to make the same mistakes again. If you say this to a Danish banker, he stops listening. You are not going toget that loan whatever you say or how ever good your business plan is.
For diversity and inclusion i dont think Denmark nor USA should be any type of model for how to do it. Both countries have people that are open to other cultures and diversity (including myself), but both also have (a lot of) people that are against it. And not to make Denmark better than USA, but from what i have seen Danes are basing more of their opinions on various views and usually come up with their opinions after seeing more than one viewpoint, whereas America is better at advertising and convince people to convert to the same views
Denmark do like foreigners, if they pay their tax here.
Our Foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen was in India and two other countries, this spring. He was there begging for immigrants, yes the word "begging" was used. Furthermore, our embassy in Teheran has issued 2000 visas to Iranian nurses, which some of them already have started.
If we learned what you ask we wouldn't be Danes.
We value privacy.
We are willing to include all who accept our values and why should we desire those who do not? I have no desire to live in a multicultural society.
And I suspect a lot of US "entrepreneurship" is more motivated by desparation than desire/drive.
You sound lovely 🥰
100% agree that integration is a 2 way street👍🏻
I think compared to how small our country is it’s doing great in the startup business but maybe it’s more the way Dane’s think about startup businesses that are different from the American way. But I think you’ll see more of that in the future.
Costumes service in Denmark certainly could be better especially the young generation are extremely rude and arrogant. It’s like I’m too good to sit here and give you MY service and I do not get paid enough for MY service. I certainly have not seen many young people smile and seemed like they enjoyed their work.
In restaurants I find it annoying if someone comes over more than one to make sure everything is okay and I’ll tell them that I’ll call them if I need anything. It’s so annoying when you sit there and in a great conversation and someone keeps interrupting you. The restaurant should know their food is great enough for them not to come around all the time.
I think small talk is something that all Scandinavian are really bad at but you might see it more in smaller cities and especially in supermarkets or shops if this is the place you always go to. If it’s a new store you rarely see anyone small talk until you have come to this store several times.
I myself are definitely an introvert but for some reason people always comes up to me to talk even when I moved to London I could sit and drink my coffee and suddenly BAM someone would sit across me and start a conversation. I just need to get over that shyness and it’s really nice and fun to hear about people’s life. Even now that I live in Spain tourists comes over to talk to me as they can see I’m definitely not Spanish ( I’m quite blond) I’m getting better at relaxing when that happens but I would never go and talk to someone myself.
I love random small talk :)
The one thing that I think is something America does way better is the concept of going from basically a nobody to a millionaire . Saw this documentary about some Indian or Pakistani guy turning up on New York in the late 70s or early 80s, and he got a job as a dishwasher at some hotel i think. And this program was telling us way later that he was now a millionaire that owned a lot of hotels and restaurants and so on around New York. And it took some time, but not too long. Maybe 20 years or so... And that thing was fascinating, and i dont think you could do that anywhere but in America. Thats ine thing you got.. dont know what you do that's different or if the drive is different, but i love that you can go from bum to king in the same town.
The whole... American customer service is really not something i want... Its too let me kick your arse out for Scandinavian people. We dont like fake stuff and all that stuff is fake... US people dont love customers more than we do, they hate them just as much. So why pretend to want to marry somebody just for turning up.. and don't be around me like some deranged vulture all the time.. and we're not leaving this table for the next 2 hours so dont try and flip this table before we're good and ready 😊 scandi service is just as good as Amazon trust me ive dealt with head office several times.. no help whatsoever.. 😎
So you want me to get drunk more?
Np, i am on it.
I 2022 var der 34544 iværksættere i DK, hvilket godt nok er 2227 færre end i 2922 men der er dog en slat.
Wow har du en krystalkugle siden du ved - hvor mange iværksættere der viil vær i år 2922???
Great advise.
Silicon Aarhus 💯
5 minute friendship 💯
I think service is very polite 80% of the time. And those people are also allowed to have a bad day and be grumpy. Dont fake it for me.
Sounds almost like you suggest socializing without drinking???!!! How would that work?
Americans are known to slur words-but how does oø = overhovedet?
LOL it's true, our customer service can truly be crap 😂
We had an Elon Musk in Denmark, his name was Stein Bagger.
Very brave episode to make, and I do agree in most of your points, sadly I don’t think much is gonna happen, but I do love your insights 🤗
Ven er den som ser manglernede, Friend is the one who sees the lack
I do not agree, it clearly is a sjælland point of view. Come to Esbjerg and see the innovation, inclusion etc. I am dutch by origin, also on the road of changing my gender, and I have no problems with it. All very inclusive. Esbjerg is working hard on innovation on recycling, energy, and a lot of other things. Århus university is also working on other ways of generating power for example. I do not agree with your points at all.
Denmark, in my opinion, has the worst customer service in any country I've ever visited.
As a dane, you guys are spot on.
All of the things you mention, i would love to see implemented in our culture.
There's a kind of cynicism in everyday life, unless we drink (and we are, bc we hate being like that).
I would love if danes learned from the US on theese ones.
I have a feeling things like these are less of because of the gloom and doomy life is portrayed and how this cynicism has been programmed into us.
😂😂😂😂😂
The Nordic cultures are really not good at socializing ...a pity because you can expand your horizon a lot by talking to people.
I am so glad to hear the negative feedback from Danes. It makes me hopeful that after moving to Copenhagen because of her boyfriends job, she will learn that Denmark is not the magical place she thinks it will be. Thank you.
Gotta disagree. I dont want to make way for other cultures, or make it a part of my life at all. Im danish, and i dont want anything to do with other cultures other than learning about them. i especially dont want anything to do with the destructive ones.
you are still great guys ;o)
are you unhappy to be in our country so just go home our country is not perfect But it is better than USA. although there are many politicians who would like to turn Denmark into Little America.
You must save so much time by not listening or thinking critically.
🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 you must be a Brian. Thank god there’s only you giving such a stupid answer 🤡
I am actually native Danish, and I honestly think your comment is stupid. So because one can't just accept feedback regarding how one's country is doing, one should go home? If we all thought the same, the world would be a boring place!!
@@RobeTrotting LOL
They don't seem unhappy to me. You on the other hand...
1) Yes.
2) No.
3) No no no no no. Keep that to your self.
4) Yes.
5) No.