Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
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Re: Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
#2This is just one anecdote. I don't see a broader trend of entrepreneurs fleeing the U.S. It's true, entrepreneurs are outside-the-box thinkers, so they may do unexpected things. Though the U.S. has plenty of troubles, I don't believe it's any better anywhere else.
(Except maybe Canada :-) I'm not from there, though, so I wouldn't know.)
Re: Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
#3Yeah, it's worrisome to see immigrants or (especially) naturalized or native-born citizens with strong ties overseas leave the US to start companies. But not necessarily a bad thing.
If they are leaving because the US has become an unfriendly place to new businesses, especially in high tech, that's bad.
If they are leaving because opportunities overseas are exceptional, and it's easier to capitalize on those opportunities for people with strong cultural or linguistic ties to a particular region, that's not necessarily bad. Having grown up in SF, I see the tech boom as a mixed bag. It's of course phenomenal to have so much wealth here. But I've also seen a lot of displacement. It's hardly a crisis that we can't cram every single tech startup in to this small peninsula, and I don't think it's a bad thing that people might actually want to live somewhere else either, in the US (Austin, Seattle, Boulder...) or overseas (Seoul, Bangalore, Copenhagen...).
That said, I do think these sort of stories do underscore why it's so important for the US to have a steady and reliable stream of STEM graduates come up through our own educational system. It's great to be open to talent from the rest of the world, but becoming excessively reliant on it long-term seems like folly to me.
Re: Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
#4There may be a few stories like this but this is the exception, not the rule. As much as we have problems here in the states, it's still one of the easiest places to start and run a business (#4 in the world).
I didn't quite get why the guy in the story left for Korea though. It was just a story of an entrepreneur who left the states and is now S. Korea's Zuckerberg. So? I mean, it's impressive but so what if he left? Maybe his particular business would fair better there but again this the exception and not the rule.
There are other countries like China and India that have exploding GDP but the great thing about the U.S. is that while we are decently regulated those regulations don't do much to Hirt the founding of a business and allow businesses to expand easily. For example, India until recently has been chock full of mom and pop shops but not many larger, expanding businesses. This is because they didn't allow you to open a store in more than 2 location until just recently. That means no corporate franchises and the like. Over here you can pretty much do what you please within reason. Not sure why I got off track with the India anecdote but I just learned about it and thought it was very intriguing.
Re: Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
#5I'm really interested in what compels entrepreneurs to leave a country or area that was formerly a hub for startups.
I posted before in the context of SOPA: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3265961
What would it take for you to leave the place you are based now and try your luck somewhere else?
Re: Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
#6I'm really interested in what compels entrepreneurs to leave a country or area that was formerly a hub for startups. I posted before in the context of SOPA: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3265961 What would it take for you to leave the place you are based now and try your luck somewhere else?
Along with the answer to your question that someone may provide you, perhaps also change, adventure, and rocking the boat? Mixing a little bit of life experience in with entrepreneurial endeavors? I'm only 23, but those reasons compel me.
Re: Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
#7Anecdotal evidence and a lot of narrative. What a poor article. Reminds me the also poorly researched bashing piece on Argentina a few months ago. They missed the point completely as business is booming here. A recent startup conference registered hundreds of projects. INC is junk reporting.
Edit: Same reporter! This is hilarious.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/201106/doing-business-in-argenti...
Re: Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
#8I'm really interested in what compels entrepreneurs to leave a country or area that was formerly a hub for startups. I posted before in the context of SOPA: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3265961 What would it take for you to leave the place you are based now and try your luck somewhere else?
Along with the answer to your question that someone may provide you, perhaps also change, adventure, and rocking the boat? Mixing a little bit of life experience in with entrepreneurial endeavors? I'm only 23, but those reasons compel me.
Very true.
Would it compel to leave permanently though? I left my country of birth for the reasons you stated but I guess somewhere in the back of my head I see myself returning one day.
Re: Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
#9This is just one anecdote. I don't see a broader trend of entrepreneurs fleeing the U.S. It's true, entrepreneurs are outside-the-box thinkers, so they may do unexpected things. Though the U.S. has plenty of troubles, I don't believe it's any better anywhere else. (Except maybe Canada :-) I'm not from there, though, so I wouldn't know.)
> Except maybe Canada
Canada is generally regarded as a terrible place for startups, unfortunately. The laws are pretty restrictive towards "disruptive" technologies and the government always bends in favour of the existing players.
Re: Why are entrepreneurs leaving the U.S.?
#10I'm really interested in what compels entrepreneurs to leave a country or area that was formerly a hub for startups. I posted before in the context of SOPA: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3265961 What would it take for you to leave the place you are based now and try your luck somewhere else?
I can think of a number of reasons.
-If you make hard-goods, being closer to your manufacturing may be helpful
-Cheaper staffing/skilled labor in non-US countries
-Cheaper cost of living elsewhere
-More corporation-friendly tax regulations