Few people have seen tech policy from as many angles as Nick Clegg. He spent five years as the UK’s deputy prime minister, then seven inside Meta as president of global affairs, defending Silicon Valley to the regulators he used to sit alongside.

At Sifted Summit, Clegg sat down with Sifted founder and FT innovation editor John Thornhill to talk about where all of that leaves Europe.

As AI reshapes the global balance of power, can Europe build champions of its own, or is it destined to be the world’s regulator rather than its innovator? How do politicians and big tech really see each other behind closed doors? And what does someone who has worked on both sides think Europe gets wrong, and right, about the industry?

The pair also dig into Europe’s place in the AI race, the uneasy relationship between Brussels and Silicon Valley, and what it will take for the continent to stop playing catch-up.

Missed Summit this year? Get your ticket for 2027 here: https://sifted.eu/summit

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