We did have alternatives to US tech, they just lost competition (fair or not) to US companies, and because tech is a winner takes it all industry, they ceased to exist. Should US companies leave EU though, we absolutely are in a position to have our own tech again.
They are either crushed my American monopolies and enforcing US laws abroad, or European companies are bought-out wholesale by American companies. Europe was too scared to enforce their own protectionist schemes because it always upset the US. Europe could be a superpower, if it wanted to.
