Over the past 30 years, Germany has significantly lagged behind the US in economic growth. Since 1980, the US economy has expanded tenfold, while Germany's has only grown fivefold. While faster population growth in the US partly explains this gap, Germany's underperformance since the 1990s is not coincidental. The US has leveraged digitalization much more effectively, reaping substantial economic benefits, while Germany has been slower to adopt technological advancements. A prime example of this is Volkswagen, reflecting Germany's more cautious approach to modernization.