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Comment by vr46 | Hacker News Reader

cries in European monies

These are FAANG monies. The rest of the US normals (which is the vast majority) don't have these stock options and thus that kind of money.

Compared to what? I wasn't in FAANG and my first job out of college paid better than the highest average wage in any country in Europe, Switzerland [1], I paid very little in taxes (no state tax), got 20+1 days of vacation with half of those rolling over if I wanted, as well as sick leave, parental, etc, etc. I had the option of taking highly subsidized healthcare as well, but I was still on my parent's plan at that point.

[1] https://www.euronews.com/business/2024/07/08/european-averag...

Between 22 and 30 days paid vacation, healthcare, guaranteed payment on layoffs, free time outside official hour works, 35 to 40 hours work week, paid leaves due to illness, childcare, unions,....

All those things are given to a Microsoft software engineer. It's really only the low paying jobs that there's a directly benefit from the European model.

Even guaranteed payment on layoff?

Unemployment insurance is mostly guaranteed if you lost the job through no fault of your own (weren't fired, didn't quit), but the amount varies by state. Good luck with receiving it in a timely manner. Took months for my wife to receive it when she was let go in 2023. If we'd been counting on her income we would have been homeless by the time the first payment came in.

It's not guaranteed, but these big tech companies always give severance with layoffs. At Microsoft I believe it was 1 month pay + 1 week pay per 6 months employed. And that's not including any extra downtime where you're not working but technically employed(maybe, due to 60 day notice required by WARN act, for example)

Until they aren't and there is no US law to give them back.

Well, all these laws are applicable for privileged natives.

If you are an immigrant, even from the US or other first-world country, good luck — you’ll be given contractor arrangements and fixed-term positions, still with low compensations.

EU worklaws apply to everyone working in the countries, as long they are legal, and willing to fight for their rights.

Sure, this is why you won’t be offered a permanent position (say, in France). Too much hassle. Much easier for them to hire you as an unprotected contractor.

Sure. And the laws could change in any given European country and remove certain protections. Just because a possibility is there does not mean there is any real likelihood of that possibility happening.

I was only getting 2 weeks vacation

Last year MS went to discretionary time off, which basically is unlimited(potential) vacation days, based on negotiations with your manager.

I'd rather take the money and spend it as fit.

The joys of young, single and healthy.

I am 42 and married, living in Europe.

Since I am an immigrant and don’t have access to most of local safety nets anyway, I much prefer working for higher-paying US companies as a contractor.

Most of them apply to immigrants as well, learn your rights.

I studied my rights carefully. The country in question is Switzerland, which isn’t exactly pro-immigration.

And also not part of EU.

Yeah, that's the usual cope from europoors who yet again fail to qualify for a US work visa or FAANG interview.

EDIT: Based on the newly created 'eurocope' account that posted a sibling reply, I see that my view is not unique here

You mean those shitty interviews of how many golf balls fit into a plane, to then produce the mess of AOSP source code?

absolutely eyewatering in comparison to EU wages (outside of London etc). inb4 "but you have healthcare" (which is so good you'll go to jail if you don't pay up)

Cries in Canadian monies

My understanding is that Canadian FAANG offices are staffed mostly with those who cannot (and often will never get) a US visa, plus the odd local who doesn't want to move to the US for personal or family reasons.

Can confirm based on experience in Vancouver

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