John Thornhill

John Thornhill is Sifted’s founder and innovation editor of the Financial Times. He tweets from @johnthornhillft

European AI has a power problem
Sifted View
January 19, 2026
European AI has a power problem
High energy prices will make it difficult for the region to compete long-term
John Thornhill
German growth investor DTCP raises €300m for new defence fund — which it hopes will be Europe’s largest
News
January 16, 2026
German growth investor DTCP raises €300m for new defence fund — which it hopes will be Europe’s largest
The firm is targeting a final close of €500m
Anne Sraders and John Thornhill
Europe has much to learn from Chinese tech
Sifted View
January 12, 2026
Europe has much to learn from Chinese tech
Europe still boasts some remarkable assets — can it mobilise them more effectively?
John Thornhill
Lessons in founder endurance and the ‘joy of stress’
Sifted View
December 22, 2025
Lessons in founder endurance and the ‘joy of stress’
The stamina required to run a startup is not always innate — but it can be acquired
John Thornhill
Europe must stop exporting ‘good people with good ideas’
Sifted View
December 15, 2025
Europe must stop exporting ‘good people with good ideas’
Sir Nick Clegg has a plan to build a stronger tech sector in the region
John Thornhill
The hidden opportunity of Europe’s AI limits
Sifted View
December 8, 2025
The hidden opportunity of Europe’s AI limits
The future is yet to be built and Europe can certainly play its part
John Thornhill
One and a half cheers for the UK's new economic approach
Sifted View
December 1, 2025
One and a half cheers for the UK's new economic approach
Britain has a shot at boosting productivity if both public and private sectors can deploy AI to good effect
John Thornhill
Quantum will be the next big thing (sooner than you think)
Sifted View
November 24, 2025
Quantum will be the next big thing (sooner than you think)
It would be tragic missed opportunity if the fruits of Europe's quantum industry were harvested abroad
John Thornhill
What to do when the AI bubble bursts?
Opinion
November 17, 2025
What to do when the AI bubble bursts?
Sticking limpet-like to your customers is invaluable advice in any market, but all the more so in a post-bubble world
John Thornhill
Make Britain rich again
Sifted View
November 10, 2025
Make Britain rich again
Labour should celebrate Britain's new golden age of entrepreneurship
John Thornhill
The results are in: AI is more than just chatbots
Sifted View
November 3, 2025
The results are in: AI is more than just chatbots
From robots to reworking atoms, Europe's AI industry shows great potential
John Thornhill
Can AI spark a second industrial revolution in Europe?
Sifted View
October 20, 2025
Can AI spark a second industrial revolution in Europe?
AI is enabling us to make more discoveries than ever before. The question is whether we can learn and profit from all of them
John Thornhill
Europe must create more demand for tech
Sifted View
October 13, 2025
Europe must create more demand for tech
It is no surprise so many homegrown startups look for better customers in the US and Asia
John Thornhill
Tech bubbles? Yes, please (so long as they’re productive)
Sifted View
October 6, 2025
Tech bubbles? Yes, please (so long as they’re productive)
Innovation occurs when investors ditch efficiency and spread their bets
John Thornhill
Welcome to the era of greenhushing: the perfect time to invest?
Sifted View
September 29, 2025
Welcome to the era of greenhushing: the perfect time to invest?
ESG investments could prove to be a canny contrarian play for steely-nerved investors
John Thornhill
Britain: tech powerhouse or vassal state?
Sifted View
September 22, 2025
Britain: tech powerhouse or vassal state?
The latest splurge of US tech investment in Britain has its critics
John Thornhill
The lessons of Klarna’s IPO
Sifted View
September 15, 2025
The lessons of Klarna’s IPO
European investors and pensioners continue to lose out from the success of its best startups
John Thornhill
Britain’s tech economy needs more rocket fuel
Sifted View
September 8, 2025
Britain’s tech economy needs more rocket fuel
Wanted: scaleup capital
John Thornhill
Mario’s right: Europe faces an existential crisis
Sifted View
September 1, 2025
Mario’s right: Europe faces an existential crisis
EU leaders should not ignore the difference Britain could make to the region's future
John Thornhill
Big Tech is eating the AI industry’s seedcorn
Sifted View
August 25, 2025
Big Tech is eating the AI industry’s seedcorn
Reverse acquihires often leave a startup’s investors — and junior employees — in the lurch
John Thornhill
Small may well be beautiful in the AI race
Sifted View
August 11, 2025
Small may well be beautiful in the AI race
Europe may need to rethink how it can compete in the AI race following the release of GPT-5
John Thornhill
European investors find purpose in purposeful tech
Sifted View
July 21, 2025
European investors find purpose in purposeful tech
Homegrown startups quietly winning in high-impact sectors like defence and biotech
John Thornhill
Stand aside unicorns. Here come the donkeycorns
Sifted View
July 14, 2025
Stand aside unicorns. Here come the donkeycorns
Rather than trying to hunt down rare and elusive unicorns, some VCs are targeting thousands of smaller AI-led startups
John Thornhill
The unlikely lessons of sword fighting for AI regulation
Sifted View
July 7, 2025
The unlikely lessons of sword fighting for AI regulation
Regulating the technology is rapidly emerging as one of the world’s biggest — and hardest — policy challenges.
John Thornhill

John Thornhill

European AI has a power problem

German growth investor DTCP raises €300m for new defence fund — which it hopes will be Europe’s largest

Europe has much to learn from Chinese tech

Lessons in founder endurance and the ‘joy of stress’

Europe must stop exporting ‘good people with good ideas’

The hidden opportunity of Europe’s AI limits

One and a half cheers for the UK's new economic approach

Quantum will be the next big thing (sooner than you think)

What to do when the AI bubble bursts?

Make Britain rich again

The results are in: AI is more than just chatbots

Can AI spark a second industrial revolution in Europe?

Europe must create more demand for tech

Tech bubbles? Yes, please (so long as they’re productive)

Welcome to the era of greenhushing: the perfect time to invest?

Britain: tech powerhouse or vassal state?

The lessons of Klarna’s IPO

Britain’s tech economy needs more rocket fuel

Mario’s right: Europe faces an existential crisis

Big Tech is eating the AI industry’s seedcorn

Small may well be beautiful in the AI race

European investors find purpose in purposeful tech

Stand aside unicorns. Here come the donkeycorns

The unlikely lessons of sword fighting for AI regulation