For anyone interested in digitalisation, attending re:publica is a must. Packed with keynotes, workshops, discussion panels and a vibrant offstage programme, the conference calls itself a ‘festival for the digital society’. It took place in Berlin from the 26th to the 28th of May, with many important topics related to the internet, its communities and the opportunities and challenges of digitalisation for society taking to the stage as part of its ‘Generation XYZ’ theme. RESET attended many talks and gained a lot of new insights. But fortunately for those who missed the conference, all main stage talks are now available on the re:publica YouTube channel.
Check out our highlights from re:publica 2025
Paris Marx — ‘Reject US Tech. Embrace Digital Sovereignty’
Even if we were shocked by the images of Trump gathering key figures from America’s Big Tech scene behind him, Big Tech has always been closely linked to politics in the US, as Paris Marx explains. And what comes across as their ‘we-want-to-make-the-world-a-better-place’ rhetoric is actually a hard-nosed business mindset and desire for maximum expansion of power. Paris Marx, known for his podcast ‘Tech Won’t Save Us’, sums up in his usual eloquent way why Europe must reduce its dependence on the tech bros. Watch the video.
Esther Mwema — ‘The Cosmology of Internet Infrastructure’
Did you know that Big Tech also dominates overseas cables? With her project Afrogrid, Esther Mwema is working at the intersection of art and community-oriented research to draw attention to large technology companies’ increasing ownership of internet infrastructure. A very inspiring lesson in digital colonialism! Watch the video.
Francesca Bria — ‘Europe’s Digital Future: How to Build the EuroStack!‘
The cloud services we use in Europe are mainly in the hands of three large US tech companies. 70 percent of our AI models were developed in the US, while 90 percent of the software we use in administrations, schools and as operating systems on our mobile phones is in the hands of a single US company. Oh yes, and China controls around 90 percent of the world’s rare earth refining capacity. Do we need any more arguments as to why we should push for more European sovereignty? Perhaps this one: “You cannot regulate what you don’t control and you cannot defend what you don’t build and own,” says Bria. She reports on how the EuroStack wants to tackle this. Watch the video.
Johan Rockström — ‘Decisive Decade: From Global Promises to Planetary Action’
Rockström gives a round-up of the catastrophic situation we’ve manoeuvred ourselves into. But please watch to the end—there’s hope! Watch the video.
