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Dear Europe, please wake up

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Re: Dear Europe, please wake up

#31

Post by duxup »

danielvaughn wrote: post #2

I have no idea whether Europeans work harder than Americans, but I do want to say that you can't extrapolate the overall work ethic of America by looking at the SF tech world. It's a very, very small (and very privileged) microcosm of the country.

Heck you can't even generalize about American tech industry and only talk about SF tech world. Granted that generalization is done in America too.

It's always a bit of a frustration running into constant comparisons, managers who want to emulate processes, and such when "Hey, you know what, we're not them... and we're doing well being ourselves." Not that you immediately dismiss new ideas because they seem to be from there, but don't just adopt them arbitrarily or operate like them too.

I have a sneaky suspicion that "most" of the American tech industry is NOT at all like SF / valley tech world.

Re: Dear Europe, please wake up

#32

Post by skybrian »

Evidence is lacking and the question is so vague that it isn’t worth arguing about. Both “Europe” and “the US” are too large and amorphous to usefully compare in an online discussion.

Re: Dear Europe, please wake up

#33

Post by lookitsnicholas »

danielvaughn wrote: post #2

I have no idea whether Europeans work harder than Americans, but I do want to say that you can't extrapolate the overall work ethic of America by looking at the SF tech world. It's a very, very small (and very privileged) microcosm of the country.

am pretty sure that the post also acknowledged that w/ "I don’t disagree. SF is a unique place. We currently don’t try to get on the level of SF. We are trying not to fall behind China, India and random second- and third-degree hubs in the US."

Re: Dear Europe, please wake up

#35

Post by [deleted] »

sjm wrote: post #5

These e/acc types are insufferable and if anything "SF" has been ruined by them. I know I'll get downvoted or flagged given this is HN, but there's more to life than startups and private equity[0]. Let's leave Europe alone, huh? [0]: https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2023/world-happiness-trust-...

[deleted]

Re: Dear Europe, please wake up

#36

Post by wskinner »

There is a big difference between Europeans in Europe and Europeans in the US - Europeans in the US readily point this out. The idea that Europeans are somehow genetically less suited to building tech companies is an obvious strawman. The reality is that Europeans in America are, like all immigrants, heavily self-selected.

The article also does not mention the huge difference in compensation for technology talent between the US and Europe. As long as that gap exists, top European talent will continue leaking across the Atlantic.

Re: Dear Europe, please wake up

#37

Post by TooKool4This »

alephnerd wrote: post #25
marcinzm wrote: post #22

This misses the big one: California bans non-competes, bans anti-moonlighting clauses and lets you quit with no notice. If you’re at an EU company and need to give 3+ months notice to quit that will discourage starting your own company on the side.

> If you’re at an EU company and need to give 3+ months notice to quit that will discourage starting your own company on the side. India has similar non-competes to Western Europe, but is able to maintain an innovation ecosystem.

India is very different than Europe. It would be difficult to attribute outcomes between the 2 countries to just this single difference without considering the many other differences.

Re: Dear Europe, please wake up

#39

Post by sandworm101 »

>> If every day is 1% harder for you than your competitor who will win? Your competitor. And in global markets where frequently 1-2 companies become the dominant player in a market this means you will not be a bit smaller. You will fight for scraps.

Abandon all hope. The race to the bottom is over. Any country not bowing at the feet of ever tech founder will be relegated to third-world status by the end of the decade. Canada, Finland, Australia, the US east coast ... all are doomed unless they drop taxes and abandon all hope of regulating anything. But that just isn't how the world functions. All those countries that are "hard" on new tech surprisingly keep ticking along year after year despite the ire of tech founders. Think London/Paris/Berlin/Vancouver are too hard on business? Ok. Leave. Make room for all the people that are ready and happy to do business in those cities.

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