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Ask HN: What Stops You from Switching Remote US Only to Remote Same Time Zone?

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Ask HN: What Stops You from Switching Remote US Only to Remote Same Time Zone?

#1

Post by andreshb »

If your company is Remote US Only, what would it take for your company to start employing people at the same skill level, with the same culture, language, same time zone, same experience, just not residents of the U.S.

Is it distance to fly into your HQ?

Guadalajara is closer to Bay Area than New York. Medellin is just as far as Bay Area from New York.

Is it payroll and compliance? Deel, Pilot, etc., are like Zenefits/Trinet for Global Payroll.

Is it experience? There are engineers residing outside of the U.S. in Canada and Latin America that work or have worked for Automattic, Auth0, Gitlab, AI Fund, NodeSource, Ooyala, WolframAlpha, Auth0, etc., They are all on linkedin.

I want to understand the variables that if changed would make it so your remote U.S. only company has employees that reside outside of the U.S.

Re: Ask HN: What Stops You from Switching Remote US Only to Remote Same Time Zone?

#2

Post by AnimalMuppet »

For some, "US only" means they are working on government contracts, especially defense. Nothing's going to overcome that one.

Others may be because, even if the flight time is shorter, international travel is still messier than domestic travel.

Re: Ask HN: What Stops You from Switching Remote US Only to Remote Same Time Zone?

#5

Post by therm0 »

muzani wrote: post #4
therm0 wrote: post #3

Why is it so bad for American companies to hire American workers?

I think it's just more cost effective to hire anyone in any other country, thanks to living costs and lack of opportunity in some countries.

But why should I have to compete with developers of the same skill level who can afford to take a much, much lower salary than I can? Especially when I took out American debt to attend an American university so I can live in America and work an American software job.

Re: Ask HN: What Stops You from Switching Remote US Only to Remote Same Time Zone?

#6

Post by scarface74 »

therm0 wrote: post #3

Why is it so bad for American companies to hire American workers?

Big Tech companies are only nominally “American”. They all have more revenue outside of America than in America. We want other countries to buy our stuff to so our pensions/401Ks can keep rising. So we shouldn’t be upset if they also hire overseas.

Yes so realize that most people don’t get pensions. But if there is a public pension shortfall, taxpayers are on the hook.

Re: Ask HN: What Stops You from Switching Remote US Only to Remote Same Time Zone?

#7

Post by scarface74 »

therm0 wrote: post #5
muzani wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's just more cost effective to hire anyone in any other country, thanks to living costs and lack of opportunity in some countries.

But why should I have to compete with developers of the same skill level who can afford to take a much, much lower salary than I can? Especially when I took out American debt to attend an American university so I can live in America and work an American software job.

Why should foreigners keep supporting American companies that keep our RSUs and 401Ks afloat? Why should they keep buying our debt that allows us to borrow trillions?

Re: Ask HN: What Stops You from Switching Remote US Only to Remote Same Time Zone?

#8

Post by therm0 »

scarface74 wrote: post #6
therm0 wrote: post #3

Why is it so bad for American companies to hire American workers?

Big Tech companies are only nominally “American”. They all have more revenue outside of America than in America. We want other countries to buy our stuff to so our pensions/401Ks can keep rising. So we shouldn’t be upset if they also hire overseas. Yes so realize that most people don’t get pensions. But if there is a public pension shortfall, taxpayers are on the hook.

Only a couple companies listed by OP are Big Tech though. There are many American companies that do not operate outside the country, but do outsource work.

Re: Ask HN: What Stops You from Switching Remote US Only to Remote Same Time Zone?

#9

Post by sg47 »

therm0 wrote: post #5
muzani wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's just more cost effective to hire anyone in any other country, thanks to living costs and lack of opportunity in some countries.

But why should I have to compete with developers of the same skill level who can afford to take a much, much lower salary than I can? Especially when I took out American debt to attend an American university so I can live in America and work an American software job.

Why should daily wage workers make Nike shoes in Bangladesh for peanuts when they can be manufactured in America for 10x more?

Re: Ask HN: What Stops You from Switching Remote US Only to Remote Same Time Zone?

#10

Post by sg47 »

therm0 wrote: post #8
scarface74 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Big Tech companies are only nominally “American”. They all have more revenue outside of America than in America. We want other countries to buy our stuff to so our pensions/401Ks can keep rising. So we shouldn’t be upset if they also hire overseas. Yes so realize that most people don’t get pensions. But if there is a public pension shortfall, taxpayers are on the hook.

Only a couple companies listed by OP are Big Tech though. There are many American companies that do not operate outside the country, but do outsource work.

So you think there should be protectionism? Because the profits from outsourcing are either going to executives or shareholders. Unless you fix that problem, you are not going to get American jobs back. I actually agree that outsourced jobs should be going to rural America rather than to India but CEOs don't have any incentive to do so.
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