Hacker News Reader

Comment by simongray | Hacker News Reader

> Unless this changes, majority of top tech talent will always be in the US.

I think that the focus on take-home salary is very American and it doesn't necessarily transfer to other cultures. Europeans generally prefer getting home earlier from work, taking longer holidays, having maternity/paternity leave, and so on. Money is one thing, but as long as you make enough, the other things become more important. If you live in Denmark surely you have noticed this, even in the tech sector.

View on HN

I'm a German who had a green card in the USA. I gave it up and moved back home to Germany. I value the European lifestyle over the American. I make less but I'm happier with being treated well.

I did not communicate clear enough. I'm NOT saying life in the US is abstractly better than Europe. It is a personal choice, and I quite decided otherwise(moving to Europe from the US). It still does not change the fact that Europe generally pays less than US, and that it would be better for European companies to pay better to attract /retain top talent from the US.

You are saying that USA will always be perceived as a superior place to live because of the better pay; the guy is saying that it's not always true because some people value other things (family time, housing affordability, social security network etc), so some talent will prefer to remain/move to europe/canada etc. While I generally tend to agree with you more (unfortunately people go for the money), he has a good point. The U.S isn't for everyone.

But I do agree the pay should rise about 20% . by "should" I mean a lot of companies in Germany or Netherlands(where I'm currently at) will lose employees to Dublin/London where salaries are much higher.

I know some Eastern Europeans that told me they were treated like garbage in Germany, but as rockstars in the US. YMMV

> treated like garbage in Germany, but as rockstars in the US. YMMV

I think the discussion is about society in general (healthcare, education, safety, work hours, leave from work, etc. ), not about how a person is treated in their individual workplace.

People make choices based on multiple aspects, not just the political aspects you'd like to focus on.

Europeans tend to be nationalist and if you're from the "wrong" nation you feel that. In America you won't be treated with more respect if you're from Denmark and not Poland. So that's an aspect.

Such broad generalizations, its quite lacking in awareness for you to be from a country where Trump is president and still be condescending to Europeans about their nationalism/racism.

Yup, the very fabric of America changed on that awful awful day in November.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com