Asking why the Swiss don't invest in same industries like Californians do would be like asking Morrocans why they don't fund an Alpine ski jumping team.
It's a fundamentally different focus - is that so hard to understand to people living in the Valley? That not all economies see the value in javascript webpages?
Ski jumping is a Nordic event not Alpine. There are a fair number of Morrocan Alpine ski racers.
Some of the largest companies have emerged in Switzerland.
Forget about doing Bonsais of quality following the latest trends of every software conference, what matters is the physical product that gets out of the assembly line.
And have you worked for them? I have for some. For those who develop software it is an essential tool and the software developers closely work with natural scientists and are as appreciated as any other team member. On the other hand you won't have problems finding an American software company where developers are held in cubicles with no daylight.
https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort/oukaimeden/
They could, and maybe they should :)
This is simply not true. I'm Swiss and working as a developer and consultant in Switzerland since the nineties. I - as many others - was able to do several studies at a world-class university right on my doorstep without getting into debt. People are fair, hardworking, innovative and responsible. Switzerland has ideal conditions for companies and people looking for work. And it's a great place to live. Why do you think Google and others have large development departments in Switzerland? And it's also good for start-ups. Have a look at e.g. https://www.organisator.ch/die-100-besten-startups-der-schwe... and https://www.top100startups.swiss/index.cfm?page=136340&cfid=....
Also see e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Swiss_companies_by_rev....
The ranking on page xxxiv says:
1. Switzerland 2. Sweden 3. United States of America 4. Netherlands 5. United Kingdom 6. Finland 7. Denmark 8. Singapore 9. Germany
... so not too bad after all.
This "is an annual ranking of countries by their capacity for, and success in, innovation. It is published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, in partnership with other organisations and institutions,[1]:333 and is based on both subjective and objective data derived from several sources, including the International Telecommunication Union, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum" (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Innovation_Index).
"Switzerland – Europe's Silicon Valley for Developers..."
> Maybe you know that life science is one of the big computer, software and internet users and contributors; a lot of ground breaking machine learning developments happens in life science today.
Great. That's tech moving into life sciences, like tech is moving into every aspect of society. But that doesn't make life sciences a "tech field". The news industry is bringing in tech too. Doesn't make the news industry a tech field.
But whatever I'm happy that tech is making inroads in switzerland.
It then refers to the article "Here’s why Switzerland is a world innovation leader" (https://www.wearedevelopers.com/blog/heres-why-switzerland-i...).
> that doesn't make life sciences a "tech field"
Where does all this wisdom come from?
The high innovation ranking of Switzerland is most certainly not due to its computer/IT-related innovation. That's the point.
So you're just assuming.
When I visited Google in Silicon Valley (from Australia), I didn’t get the impression that the work was that more exciting or cutting edge.
But that said, I did notice how run down Silicon Valley and much of the US cities/suburbs are. It did not strike me as a nice place to live.
Sometimes I wonder whether one of the factors that makes US the mecca of technology is the lack of safety net there (compared to Europe).
Not really. My bet is on the abundance of capital (hello global reserve currency) combined with excellent universities and a cultural willingness to take risks and do bold things. People who need a safety net, such as food stamps or housing assistance, are rarely the people who start big companies. They're usually too caught up in just trying to survive day-to-day.
Despite that quote being mostly wrong [0][1], a safety net might account for some idleness. But there's more. You might find a local variation of the Law of Jante [2], for example.
0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_mercenaries
1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuckoo_clock#First_modern_cuck...
Hey, the Swiss evolved the cuckoo clock into a wristwatch... nope, even this innovation was by two Polish and Czech immigrants.
After years of working in various parts of Europe, I think it distills down to this. Sufficient talent, desire, and capital exists in Europe -- it is missing no ingredients -- but society there pervasively and subtly undermines anyone who dreams of attempting something really bold. It is a shame.
My interviews with Swiss companies when discussing the employment form usually turn to "you can live in France and commute daily to Switzerland". Yeah, thanks no thanks.
In bad weather taking the bus, which was always on time and never delayed in traffic.
The issue with Geneva is that there's no more physical space to build - but living in France with Swiss Geneva canton minimum wage will boost your quality of live way beyond most San Francisco dwellers.
To make Geneva as awesome as Silicon Valley, you'd have to prolong the jams and time spend on the road by about 2-3x and remove all the busses and trams.
Taxation doesn't look very good neither on the personal level (income tax / dividend tax / tax on deemed rental value of your property if you own a house!!!) nor the company one (corporate rate tax, high cost of personnel). They do have some good deductions and a lump sum income tax for foreigners relocating to Switzerland but it seems like you won't benefit from it unless your income is 7 times higher than your yearly rent (or deemed property rental value if you own).
Is there maybe some possible legal fiscal loophole with foreign entities?
I speak fluently French, Italian, German and can manage plenty of Swiss German common expressions as well.
Yet, the rules, oh boy, not sure how you will take this, but from my point of view Swiss world of rules makes the northern Germany feel as flexible as a South American country.
When something must be done like A, it is A, not A- or A+, zero deviations.
There are plus and minus to both approaches, the rules approach favours more the society overall as everyone gets the same, while the flexible approach kind of favours the individual.
And as mentioned in other answers I enjoyed my time in Switzerland, and come back every time I manage to, so trying to make my point of view without attacking anyone.
That is quite unworldly. I worked on large projects both in Switzerland and in Germany. These are totally different cultures. The number of laws and the degree of bureaucracy in Germany is many times greater than in Switzerland (only surpassed by Italy). In Germany everything is forbidden that is not explicitly allowed, in Switzerland it is the other way round. In Switzerland everything can be negotiated; try negotiating with a German official. Good luck with that.
I lived in Geneva from 26 to 28 years old, as mentioned in other replies, come back to Switzerland every time I manage to, and have several good Swiss friends.
I also had to help a friend of mine newly moved into Baden in 2018 to settle in, so I know what bureaucracy she had to face until she was 100% done with everything and could carry on with her life having a proper bank account, address, mobile phone, internet, new car registration, the whole package.
Can you please expand on those two points?
Are high profile investors in Swizterland interested only in retail investments?
Switzerland is like this, turned to eleven, plus a lot of nationalism and need to be separate from the bigger neighbours. You won't get money from a bank or investor down there unless you are solidly local, doing something they understand and looks like all the other medium family businesses making machines or parts down there.
Caveat: Of course this is full of personal impressions, stereotypes and things like that. And it is strictly a collection of more negative aspects, there is of course a positive side.
1. BW is governed by the greens. You know what counties get the highest CDU vote in elections? It's not in the south, it's in Niedersachsen (Cloppenburg etc.).
2. Switzerland has different cantons which are very different. I live in the French part where the average person speaks three languages and 40% are foreigners.
3. I can totally understand swiss' people wish to be separate, this has resulted in them having by FAR higher living standards than other Europeans. Salaries are TWICE as high while taxes are TWICE as low. I'm underestimating that by the way. In the meantime Europe has fucked themselves with the Euro and massive migration which has depressed wages, good luck dealing with that.
4. There is HUGE amounts of funding compared to Germany. I'm in the process of that right now and it's kind of insane how many different options are for getting 5-6 digit sums. Got approved for 100k last week and applying for more.
2. Yes, the French and Italian speaking parts are quite different. But thats less than half of Switzerland, and the big spot everyone seems to be drawn to seems to be Zürich.
3. Yes, but that is just a reason, not a counterargument. Also, costs are TWICE as high in certain areas, i.e. personell and stuff that is not imported from the EU.
4. I don't know what you are doing, and of course I do wish you all the best. But beware and remember that the costs will be high. Switzerland is much more automated than the neighbours, because noone can afford hiring people.