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Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

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Re: Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

#21

Post by JohnWhigham »

Oddskar wrote: post #10
bwb wrote: post #3

I find this a bit far fetched, with as many problems as the USA has it still has a solid reputation as a place you can come and make a new life with low corruption, a justice system, free speech, affordability, and on the local/state level a government/bureaucracy that still works. Same goes for Germany and countries that provide a high quality of life for their people. I understand the idea, but there is a reason pe…

I think you overestimate the reputation of the US and underestimate how much it has rapidly declined the last decades. I also think you underestimate how much effort it takes to really start over and become properly integrated in a new country. It is a very enticing prospect for many to side-step this issue entirely and still get an almost unfathomable salary for some countries.

And I think you overestimate how much things have rapidly declined. Is the US's heyday in the past? Of course. It is on a decline. But if your entire lens of what is happening in the country is news channels and the Internet, you need a reality check. As Dave Chappelle said, Twitter is not a real place.

Re: Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

#22

Post by bwb »

bamboozled wrote: post #5
bwb wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Especially around development (on time zones), you have to actively factor in teams and makeup as well as what they are working on to get it working right...

I’m struggling with American “superiors” who won’t have a meeting in any time that isn’t perfect for them. If it’s not between 9:00-17:00, sorry, bad luck for everyone else.

Ya, poor leadership if they are not willing to use global teams and then lead them through example.

Re: Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

#23

Post by FirstLvR »

polycaster wrote: post #19

From my personal experience I think that the most challenging factor with outsourcing is in fact the time zone. Being situated in Germany I see many webdev jobs being outsourced about 1 hour to the east and about all the way down to South Africa and Mauritius („Cyber Island”). This are the projects that work like normal. Then of course the vast majority is outsourced to contractors in India or China – but frankly com…

you're right about the time zone and the language barrier... am from Chile and working for foreign projects is always a headache

Re: Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

#24

Post by bwb »

0xy wrote: post #7

I don't buy it, US tech salaries continue to skyrocket and we're nearly two years into pandemic conditions. Just over the last 6-9 months, salaries have markedly jumped. There's still a huge thirst for talent that isn't being quenched, and global pools don't help either. Facebook, Google and others have satellite offices all over to soak up talent elsewhere, but they're still ultra competitive in the US. They can pay…

Why do you think developers are getting screwed in those places?

I've worked with tons of developers in South America and they were very happy with their life, their benefits, their pay...

Confused on why they are getting "screwed".

Re: Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

#25

Post by da39a3ee »

0xy wrote: post #7

I don't buy it, US tech salaries continue to skyrocket and we're nearly two years into pandemic conditions. Just over the last 6-9 months, salaries have markedly jumped. There's still a huge thirst for talent that isn't being quenched, and global pools don't help either. Facebook, Google and others have satellite offices all over to soak up talent elsewhere, but they're still ultra competitive in the US. They can pay…

> They can pay a senior engineer $350k in the US, or an equivalent experience senior engineer $100k in Europe.

Why can they do this?

Re: Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

#26

Post by Oddskar »

bwb wrote: post #12
Oddskar wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you overestimate the reputation of the US and underestimate how much it has rapidly declined the last decades. I also think you underestimate how much effort it takes to really start over and become properly integrated in a new country. It is a very enticing prospect for many to side-step this issue entirely and still get an almost unfathomable salary for some countries.

I've personally been remote since 1999 and run teams from around the world since then. The largest was a company I grew to ~130+ people over 18 countries. I know you are underestimating the rep of the USA outside of politics and the dysfunction :) Remote is a great opportunity and one I've used at every company I've built. But, the thing that draws global talent is money, and American companies have all the money. If…

> I know you are underestimating the rep of the USA outside of politics and the dysfunction

I don’t really understand. Why would I disregard “the dysfunction”? That’s very much at the core of what shapes the rest of the worlds perception of the US.

Agree on the second point though. It does (potentially) globalise the job market quite a bit.

Re: Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

#27

Post by da39a3ee »

bwb wrote: post #24
0xy wrote: post #7

I don't buy it, US tech salaries continue to skyrocket and we're nearly two years into pandemic conditions. Just over the last 6-9 months, salaries have markedly jumped. There's still a huge thirst for talent that isn't being quenched, and global pools don't help either. Facebook, Google and others have satellite offices all over to soak up talent elsewhere, but they're still ultra competitive in the US. They can pay…

Why do you think developers are getting screwed in those places? I've worked with tons of developers in South America and they were very happy with their life, their benefits, their pay... Confused on why they are getting "screwed".

Because they're not receiving the same CoL adjusted compensation as Americans. Your attitude sounds a little patronizing.

Re: Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

#28

Post by KptMarchewa »

drstewart wrote: post #8
bamboozled wrote: post #2

Except a lot of places are “going back to work” and let’s be honest, timezones aren’t and probably will never be an easy problem to solve.

Not to mention navigation employment laws and regulations. One country is hard enough, let alone doing it worldwide

There are startups aiming at solving this problem, like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deel_(company)

Re: Remote work will break the US monopoly on global talent

#29

Post by brianmcc »

I am sceptical. Reminds me of the predictions 20 years ago that outsourcing/offshoring would eliminate hands-on developer jobs in US/UK and other "expensive" countries.

Timezones, language factors, cultural factors, retention and exclusivity challenges plus basic logistics stuff like payroll and taxes all matter a lot. None of that's insurmountable but it takes a level of effort that can be very high.

And I say this as someone who quite likes working remotely.

I just don't see it disrupting the world in the extreme way it is sometimes portrayed.

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