I didn't realize how different the European patent system was from the US:

"In Europe? If an innovator even talks about their invention publicly before filing, they risk losing all patent rights forever. And if they want to file a patent? It’s €2,000–€6,000 upfront, no flexibility, no grace period, no second chances. [...] The single most important factor is where the invention is physically created. There are no workarounds besides physically moving to a different jurisdiction to innovate. This hard geographic rule forces innovators to make difficult choices, often leading them to leave Europe."