Scaling Laws An EU-perspective on America’s Approach to AI with Marietje Schaake
May 1, 2026
Marietje Schaake, International Policy Director at Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center and former Member of the European Parliament, outlines tech’s sway over democratic functions. She discusses private control of critical infrastructure like undersea cables. She explores tech CEOs as geopolitical actors. She weighs regulation versus nationalization and Europe’s push to build alternatives and enforce AI rules.
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Undersea Cables Sit In A Legal Gray Zone
- Undersea data cables are critical global infrastructure but exist in legal gray zones about responsibility for protection and repair.
- Schaake highlights growing targeting of cables in conflicts and the lack of clear international rules for accountability.
CEOs Acting As Geopolitical Actors
- Tech CEOs are acting as independent geopolitical actors by controlling infrastructure like Starlink and undersea cables.
- Schaake warns this creates asymmetric dependencies where a CEO's political choices can limit access for nations or populations.
State Kill Switches Limit Tech Escape Routes
- State power still matters: Iran's domestic shutdowns showed Starlink can't fully circumvent authoritarian control.
- Schaake uses Iran to show tech isn't a guaranteed escape from repression and states retain kill-switch capabilities.
