John Thornhill

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

Why Peter Thiel is both right and wrong about Europe
Sifted View
September 28, 2026
Why Peter Thiel is both right and wrong about Europe
As the likes of Revolut show, some younger European companies can still aspire to being world class
John Thornhill
Europe’s advantage: moving AI from the screen to the real world
Pro
Sifted View
September 21, 2026
Europe’s advantage: moving AI from the screen to the real world
The continent has already grown some highly promising startups in vertical AI
John Thornhill
Hugging Face’s $12.9bn sale is both inspiring and dispiriting for Europe
Pro
Sifted View
September 7, 2026
Hugging Face’s $12.9bn sale is both inspiring and dispiriting for Europe
Nvidia has snapped up the French startup
John Thornhill
Urgent: maximise the positive uses of AI
Pro
Sifted View
August 31, 2026
Urgent: maximise the positive uses of AI
Bill Gates's latest essay has particular resonance in Europe
John Thornhill
Do you bet on the startup jockey or horse? Try the third option
Pro
Sifted View
August 24, 2026
Do you bet on the startup jockey or horse? Try the third option
New research suggests a third factor deserves far more attention
John Thornhill
Domyn CEO Uljan Sharka: ‘We're a few quarters away from $1bn ARR’
Podcast
August 19, 2026
Domyn CEO Uljan Sharka: ‘We're a few quarters away from $1bn ARR’
The Milan-based company is leading the EU's Europa frontier model consortium
Maya Dharampal-Hornby and John Thornhill
Does it make sense for Revolut to get physical?
Pro
Sifted View
August 17, 2026
Does it make sense for Revolut to get physical?
Europe's most valuable private tech company plans to open airport lounges
John Thornhill
DeepMind’s future has become all the more critical for the UK
Pro
Sifted View
August 10, 2026
DeepMind’s future has become all the more critical for the UK
It remains unclear what this reshuffle means for London as an AI centre
John Thornhill
How Daniel Ek is building his ‘new European dream’
Pro
Sifted View
July 20, 2026
How Daniel Ek is building his ‘new European dream’
Neko Health and Helsing have raised rounds at higher valuations than most of their US competitors
John Thornhill
Europe’s entrepreneurs are pushing. When will the capital markets pull?
Pro
Opinion
July 13, 2026
Europe’s entrepreneurs are pushing. When will the capital markets pull?
There's a new-found sense of urgency among European leaders, but words must now be matched by deeds
John Thornhill
Liz Kendall: ‘I’d love to stay as UK tech secretary’
Podcast
July 7, 2026
Liz Kendall: ‘I’d love to stay as UK tech secretary’
Liz Kendall sits down with John Thornhill on the latest episode of the Sifted podcast
John Thornhill and Maya Dharampal-Hornby
Can AI really cure all diseases?
Pro
Sifted View
July 6, 2026
Can AI really cure all diseases?
In an era of 'AI dread', Basecamp’s work is a great reminder of the benefits the technology could yet bring about
John Thornhill
One simple and radical idea to transform Britain’s tech sector
Pro
Sifted View
June 29, 2026
One simple and radical idea to transform Britain’s tech sector
A popular, effective policy that would help boost Britain’s innovation economy and cost the Treasury nothing
John Thornhill
Want to build European AI muscles? Scrap non-compete clauses
Pro
Sifted View
June 22, 2026
Want to build European AI muscles? Scrap non-compete clauses
With so many promising AI startups in Europe, governments should do everything they can to enable growth
John Thornhill
European tech has discovered some swagger
Pro
Sifted View
June 15, 2026
European tech has discovered some swagger
A string of mega deals has brought a new sense of mission and ambition to the continent's tech sector
John Thornhill
Europe cannot remain the last herbivore in a carnivorous world
Pro
Sifted View
June 8, 2026
Europe cannot remain the last herbivore in a carnivorous world
The AI revolution may well have created a fresh opportunity for Europe. As ever, the question is whether it can seize it
John Thornhill
The US and Europe: A tale of two AIs
Pro
Sifted View
June 1, 2026
The US and Europe: A tale of two AIs
While US AI labs sell the future, European startups are helping companies build it themselves
John Thornhill
European sovereignty doesn't mean corporate welfare
Pro
Sifted View
May 25, 2026
European sovereignty doesn't mean corporate welfare
Some fear a protectionist mindset could lead to worse products for European businesses and consumers
John Thornhill
Exclusive: EQT wants to back UK startups with EU’s €5bn superfund
Pro
Exclusive
May 22, 2026
Exclusive: EQT wants to back UK startups with EU’s €5bn superfund
The fund currently does not have the mandate to invest in the UK
Maya Dharampal-Hornby, Freya Pratty and John Thornhill
The results are in: Europe really must scale up
Pro
Sifted View
May 19, 2026
The results are in: Europe really must scale up
The VC industry’s funding model is coming under increasing strain
John Thornhill
Legal AI? Apparently, it’s over. Hello, 'Agentic Law'
Pro
Sifted View
May 11, 2026
Legal AI? Apparently, it’s over. Hello, 'Agentic Law'
It will be hard for specialist AI companies to be as fast, or cheap, as Anthropic — but that won't stop them trying
John Thornhill
Silo founder raises €25m for 'Palantir of quantum computing'
News
May 6, 2026
Silo founder raises €25m for 'Palantir of quantum computing'
Legora chief Max Junestrand and Hugging Face cofounder Thomas Wolf among AI quantum startup's backers.
John Thornhill
Europe is zagging on AI while Silicon Valley zigs
Pro
Sifted View
May 4, 2026
Europe is zagging on AI while Silicon Valley zigs
Silicon Valley is doubling down on scale and speed while Europe bets on rules, trust and real-world use — and the gap is widening
John Thornhill
The VC industry needs to reinvent itself
Pro
Sifted View
April 27, 2026
The VC industry needs to reinvent itself
Expect mayhem if a handful of AI market leaders fail to deliver blockbuster IPOs
John Thornhill

John Thornhill

Why Peter Thiel is both right and wrong about Europe

Europe’s advantage: moving AI from the screen to the real world

Hugging Face’s $12.9bn sale is both inspiring and dispiriting for Europe

Urgent: maximise the positive uses of AI

Do you bet on the startup jockey or horse? Try the third option

Domyn CEO Uljan Sharka: ‘We're a few quarters away from $1bn ARR’

Does it make sense for Revolut to get physical?

DeepMind’s future has become all the more critical for the UK

How Daniel Ek is building his ‘new European dream’

Europe’s entrepreneurs are pushing. When will the capital markets pull?

Liz Kendall: ‘I’d love to stay as UK tech secretary’

Can AI really cure all diseases?

One simple and radical idea to transform Britain’s tech sector

Want to build European AI muscles? Scrap non-compete clauses

European tech has discovered some swagger

Europe cannot remain the last herbivore in a carnivorous world

The US and Europe: A tale of two AIs

European sovereignty doesn't mean corporate welfare

Exclusive: EQT wants to back UK startups with EU’s €5bn superfund

The results are in: Europe really must scale up

Legal AI? Apparently, it’s over. Hello, 'Agentic Law'

Silo founder raises €25m for 'Palantir of quantum computing'

Europe is zagging on AI while Silicon Valley zigs

The VC industry needs to reinvent itself