Handelsblatt’s @RTyborski op-ed (summarized): Mediocrity at the Top: How German Auto Executives Failed the EV Revolution The German automotive industry faces an existential crisis driven by its failure to adapt to two critical technological shifts: battery cell production and software development. As Roman Tyborski explains, this crisis stems not from government policy but from executive mediocrity and hesitant decision-making over the past decade. German manufacturers failed to establish a European battery cell industry and attempted individual software development instead of collaborative approaches. The crisis accelerated in the early 2020s when global EV demand surged, particularly in China. German manufacturers were caught unprepared, lacking competitive battery supply chains, efficient EV production processes, and capable software systems. Former VW CEO Herbert Diess's creation of the software unit Cariad proved particularly costly, burning through over €12 billion with little to show for it. All major German automakers issued profit warnings last year, with Mercedes potentially missing its 14% revenue margin targets. The industry paradoxically suffers from an investment bottleneck despite billions in spending, primarily due to misallocation of resources. some quotes: "The German automotive industry suffers from the mediocrity of its board members." "Every cent could be invested in their own future instead of making the rich richer with dividends." "The battery is to electric mobility what the engine is to the world of combustion engines." "The strategy of financing the transformation without major pain and at a leisurely pace using profits from high-margin but technologically backward combustion engines and sales in the Chinese auto market has thus failed."