Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The last days of Silicon Roundabout

newstatesman.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 152 posts

Re: The last days of Silicon Roundabout

#21

Post by lostdog »

dkdbejwi383 wrote: post #18
lostdog wrote: post #17

Everything I read on the internet suggests that UK tech salaries are extremely low, and that the profession has a low level of respect overall. I have many many foreign or first generation immigrant coworkers, but almost no one British. I'm surprised, because there's no language barrier and a minimal cultural barrier, but still the vast majority of my coworkers are from places that are much harder to immigrate from.…

> If any UKites have made it to this thread, is be curious to hear why so few people leave for countries with a stronger and higher paying tech sector? Where do you suggest? I only speak English to any decent level, German to a barely conversational degree, and given brexit, the right to work in a German speaking country is not a given. I sure as hell am not ever going to live in the (no offence) right-wing dystopia…

I did mean the USA, but now see that it was implicit (sorry. I probably enforced a bunch of stereotypes right there).

I'm very curious if "it's a right-wing dystopia" is a common viewpoint, and whether it comes from direct experience, or just reading about the US. (Not disagreeing at all).

Re: The last days of Silicon Roundabout

#22

Post by als0 »

klelatti wrote: post #20
lostdog wrote: post #17

Everything I read on the internet suggests that UK tech salaries are extremely low, and that the profession has a low level of respect overall. I have many many foreign or first generation immigrant coworkers, but almost no one British. I'm surprised, because there's no language barrier and a minimal cultural barrier, but still the vast majority of my coworkers are from places that are much harder to immigrate from.…

Not sure about the ‘extremely low salaries’ bit but don’t forget that in London for example finance can pay very well indeed so I suspect that lots of potential tech emigrees end up working in banking.

On average tech workers are paid more in London because the rent prices are crippling.

Re: The last days of Silicon Roundabout

#24

Post by Computeiful »

lostdog wrote: post #17

Everything I read on the internet suggests that UK tech salaries are extremely low, and that the profession has a low level of respect overall. I have many many foreign or first generation immigrant coworkers, but almost no one British. I'm surprised, because there's no language barrier and a minimal cultural barrier, but still the vast majority of my coworkers are from places that are much harder to immigrate from.…

UKite here, active in the London fintech scene. Everything I say is based purely on my perception of the situation.

Anecdotally, I see more people in this sector moving to places such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand than to the USA. I think there is a perception here that while salaries might be higher in the USA, there are hidden costs both financially and socially (such as health insurance payments, getting to grips with the American "way of life" etc). The American "way of life" in particular is not seen as "glamorous" (again anecdotally) and I think most view it as a bit of a step down, while the other countries I mentioned are viewed as a step up.

Afaik, there are more UK citizens living in Australia than all the rest of Europe combined.

Re: The last days of Silicon Roundabout

#25

Post by walshemj »

KaiserPro wrote: post #10
walshemj wrote: post #3

Not surprised there are nicer bits of London to set up in - not surprised the Googles moved to Kings Cross now its gentrified. Before it was Silicon Roundabout BT had a couple of big offices that I used to go to occasionally and the area was a real dump back then. Ironically in 95 or so I was up for a board (promotion) at 207 old street and was extoling all the cool things I was doing with the www and internet - unfo…

> not surprised the Googles moved to Kings Cross now its gentrified. I really dont understand why people want to work there. Its a really expensive shithole still. Granted there are now lots of new offices full of tech workers, but thats not a selling point. Facebook and google moved out of soho for kings bloody cross. I suspect the real reason is that its the only site left big enough to put multi-thousand person of…

Better transport links you have two on the mainline stations next door and Euston is a 10 min walk.

Soho is cool but not many large modern office blocks.

Re: The last days of Silicon Roundabout

#26

Post by als0 »

KaiserPro wrote: post #10
walshemj wrote: post #3

Not surprised there are nicer bits of London to set up in - not surprised the Googles moved to Kings Cross now its gentrified. Before it was Silicon Roundabout BT had a couple of big offices that I used to go to occasionally and the area was a real dump back then. Ironically in 95 or so I was up for a board (promotion) at 207 old street and was extoling all the cool things I was doing with the www and internet - unfo…

> not surprised the Googles moved to Kings Cross now its gentrified. I really dont understand why people want to work there. Its a really expensive shithole still. Granted there are now lots of new offices full of tech workers, but thats not a selling point. Facebook and google moved out of soho for kings bloody cross. I suspect the real reason is that its the only site left big enough to put multi-thousand person of…

I would wager that their close proximity to King's Cross station is to bring in talent from Cambridge, which is only 45 minutes away.

Re: The last days of Silicon Roundabout

#27

Post by walshemj »

lostdog wrote: post #17

Everything I read on the internet suggests that UK tech salaries are extremely low, and that the profession has a low level of respect overall. I have many many foreign or first generation immigrant coworkers, but almost no one British. I'm surprised, because there's no language barrier and a minimal cultural barrier, but still the vast majority of my coworkers are from places that are much harder to immigrate from.…

Science and Tech professions have much lower status in the UK basically we are a source of cheap well trained English speaking Engineers.

Re: The last days of Silicon Roundabout

#28

Post by 45ure »

KaiserPro wrote: post #10
walshemj wrote: post #3

Not surprised there are nicer bits of London to set up in - not surprised the Googles moved to Kings Cross now its gentrified. Before it was Silicon Roundabout BT had a couple of big offices that I used to go to occasionally and the area was a real dump back then. Ironically in 95 or so I was up for a board (promotion) at 207 old street and was extoling all the cool things I was doing with the www and internet - unfo…

> not surprised the Googles moved to Kings Cross now its gentrified. I really dont understand why people want to work there. Its a really expensive shithole still. Granted there are now lots of new offices full of tech workers, but thats not a selling point. Facebook and google moved out of soho for kings bloody cross. I suspect the real reason is that its the only site left big enough to put multi-thousand person of…

You are labelling these locations as a 'shithole' without offering any real perspective. The urban regeneration, around the Google site and Kings X has changed the area considerably to shed its gritty image, even if it still lacks some soul. The transport links might be the key factor, but it is also situated in proximity to world leading universities and academic institutions (UCL/Birkbeck/SOAS/UoW/LSE), notwithstanding The British Library. You would be hard-pressed not to find exciting places, teeming with vibrant culture, within a mile radius.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/01/google-su...

Re: The last days of Silicon Roundabout

#29

Post by pydry »

lostdog wrote: post #17

Everything I read on the internet suggests that UK tech salaries are extremely low, and that the profession has a low level of respect overall. I have many many foreign or first generation immigrant coworkers, but almost no one British. I'm surprised, because there's no language barrier and a minimal cultural barrier, but still the vast majority of my coworkers are from places that are much harder to immigrate from.…

UK contractor rates can rival US salaries - not equivalent but close enough to be comfortable.

That said I know of a fair few people who emigrated.

Re: The last days of Silicon Roundabout

#30

Post by Computeiful »

lostdog wrote: post #21
dkdbejwi383 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If any UKites have made it to this thread, is be curious to hear why so few people leave for countries with a stronger and higher paying tech sector? Where do you suggest? I only speak English to any decent level, German to a barely conversational degree, and given brexit, the right to work in a German speaking country is not a given. I sure as hell am not ever going to live in the (no offence) right-wing dystopia…

I did mean the USA, but now see that it was implicit (sorry. I probably enforced a bunch of stereotypes right there). I'm very curious if "it's a right-wing dystopia" is a common viewpoint, and whether it comes from direct experience, or just reading about the US. (Not disagreeing at all).

I'd say "right-wing dystopia" is putting it too strongly. The USA is definitely further right than the UK, but the main perception I'd say is that the politics in the USA are toxic, highly polarised and all-consuming (very easy to get sucked into it and hard to get out).

But I don't think that's a surprising perception given that for the last 6 years, the news we get about the USA across the pond is almost exclusively politically-orientated.

Post reply on HN