Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch) • Hacker News Board

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#111

Post by pjc50 » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 1:58 PM UTC

fakedang wrote: post #92

Levitz wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Whether China is immigration friendly or not is debatable. Compared to the US or Europe? No it's not debatable. No dual citizenship at all, most probably no citizenship. Harder residency. Good luck bringing family there. Not going to even mention the obscene difference in racism OR the language barrier, both of which are enormous factors.

I doubt many of the researchers migrating even want Chinese citizenship and the chains that come along with it, so why do most people (presumably Americans) keep harping on and on about it? Once you're invited by the CCP for your exceptional research background, you're literally given an open chequebook for both your personal compensation and your future research endeavors. You're allowed to take your family along wi…

If you don't have citizenship, you're just an expensive guest worker who can get kicked out at any time.

(This is also true of Europeans in Dubai..)

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#112

Post by ecshafer » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 1:58 PM UTC

dataflow wrote: post #104

wolvoleo wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The finger-pointing by the US about lack of aircon in europe is just a stupid republican talking point. As everything that comes out of republicans these days it's misdirected and purely politically motivated. And it's none of their business anyway. They're just trying to stir up extreme-right sentiment here. Yes many houses don't have AC. We didn't need it so much until climate change (of which the US is one of the…

...what are you talking about? This was from my personal experience being in Europe many times, including in the middle of this very last heat wave. This one thing made it miserable. I couldn't even sleep and had to move to other buildings more than once. On more than one occasion locals themselves told me there were legal reasons certain buildings couldn't have A/C, despite them wanting to install it. And it from pe…

Republicans aren't talking about it, people are making fun of Europe on X for their lack of AC, and how regulations are whats keeping them from having AC. This is coming from right wing Europeans. I think the parent is tilting at windmills.

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#113

Post by hgoel » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 1:59 PM UTC

dataflow wrote: post #54

John23832 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, total immigration matters. Human progress is always subject to the law large numbers. Skilled polish engineers don't want to be the only polish person in the entire country. They want food, culture, community that reminds them of home. Even as they assimilate. That's why the American melting pot works well. It encourages enclaves that touch one another. China is the opposite of that. You are hard hammered into th…

> Even as they assimilate. That's why the American melting pot works well. I feel like a lot of Americans disagree on these nowadays though, no? Source: just look at recent campaigns and elections.

In America there's a very sharp geographical distinction between which people oppose the melting pot and which see it as a core part of the American experience.

People from the big immigrant cities like NYC, SF, LA are more likely to hold the latter position.

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#114

Post by flexagoon » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 1:59 PM UTC

drstewart wrote: post #65

bergen wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US once was proud of its scientific achievements, now parts of it replaced that with being very proud of their ignorance

I thought Europe was proud and independent and completely decoupled from the US, why do you need US scientists suddenly? Hmm...

Independence from a country doesn't require excommunication of all citizens of that country

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#115

Post by vrganj » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 2:01 PM UTC

drstewart wrote: post #108

vrganj wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's part of the decoupling. Onshoring as much knowledge as possible.

Europe needs Americans to decouple from America. Got it.

Everybody is welcome to contribute to the free world, be they American or not.

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#116

Post by dataflow » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 2:01 PM UTC

ecshafer wrote: post #112

dataflow wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...what are you talking about? This was from my personal experience being in Europe many times, including in the middle of this very last heat wave. This one thing made it miserable. I couldn't even sleep and had to move to other buildings more than once. On more than one occasion locals themselves told me there were legal reasons certain buildings couldn't have A/C, despite them wanting to install it. And it from pe…

Republicans aren't talking about it, people are making fun of Europe on X for their lack of AC, and how regulations are whats keeping them from having AC. This is coming from right wing Europeans . I think the parent is tilting at windmills.

That's literally what I heard from locals. I have no idea what 'wing' they were; they were just random locals I was asking about A/C. What I do know is everything I observed was consistent. Are you saying I should discredit all that based on an HN comment smearing them as "right-wing"?

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#117

Post by sajithdilshan » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 2:02 PM UTC

est31 wrote: post #18

goldenarm wrote: post #2

The US is accidentally conducting Operation Paperclip but in reverse. Who will benefit the most from it, China or Europe ?

China is not very immigration friendly to non-han folks, but I guess chinese researchers won't make it to the US and this already will have a great effect on the chinese economy. Europe is in its own set of problems and it is not in the same situation that US used to be after WW2 (only major economy not affected by bombing). Europe's problems: * active major war in Ukraine (lasting longer than Axis/Soviet war in WW2)…

Europe is not immigration friendly as well if you don't speak the native language, of course one could live in an English speaking bubble, but I'm not sure how feasible it would be in Academia.

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#118

Post by est31 » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 2:02 PM UTC

karagenit wrote: post #93

est31 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never been to China either. It's a huge country and it probably depends on where you are (hong kong probably friendlier than a random place in the mainland), but from what I heard/read: * language issues. Many chinese don't speak english. Also a problem in many european countries (esp latin and slavic speaking ones), but at least the european languages are easier to learn. Compare this to Amsterdam, Goteborg, Be…

Tangent, but I’m really curious what country you’re from that uses the endonym for Göteborg but then also spells the capital of Denmark like Kopenhagen?

I'm born and raised German, and above I mostly used the German ways of writing the town names (stripping the umlaut). Which as it turns out are not the same way you'd write it in english, interesting!

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#119

Post by drstewart » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 2:02 PM UTC

drstewart wrote: post #108

vrganj wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's part of the decoupling. Onshoring as much knowledge as possible.

Europe needs Americans to decouple from America. Got it.

Bit of a difference between welcoming and begging to come over.

Re: Top researchers leave USA for the Netherlands (in Dutch)

#120

Post by wolvoleo » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 2:02 PM UTC

ecshafer wrote: post #112

dataflow wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...what are you talking about? This was from my personal experience being in Europe many times, including in the middle of this very last heat wave. This one thing made it miserable. I couldn't even sleep and had to move to other buildings more than once. On more than one occasion locals themselves told me there were legal reasons certain buildings couldn't have A/C, despite them wanting to install it. And it from pe…

Republicans aren't talking about it, people are making fun of Europe on X for their lack of AC, and how regulations are whats keeping them from having AC. This is coming from right wing Europeans . I think the parent is tilting at windmills.

Well I am very anti-right-wing yes but I saw one of the top dogs in the US administration complain about this recently, I think it was Vance or Hegseth.