3 ms·

I'm a Russian (well, Ukrainian, but who cares) expat. I'm not a "big name", but I did gain a lot of valuable experience in the thirteen years I've lived in the

I'm a Russian (well, Ukrainian, but who cares) expat. I'm not a "big name", but I did gain a lot of valuable experience in the thirteen years I've lived in the U.S. No amount of financial incentives would convince me to start a business in Russia, even if they hand me a pile of no strings attached cash in the airport. You see, I like being able to start a business, rent an office, pay bills, pass inspections (car, fire safety, whatever), file my taxes, get through the airport security, get a driver's license, go to a university, and send kids to school (if I had kids) without having to bribe a single soul. I like knowing that nobody else around me has the opportunity to drive drunk without fear of repercussions because they can give a cop $50 and drive on. I like walking on the street, getting on a bus, and riding a subway without fear of being beaten or killed because someone doesn't like my ethnicity. Ok, so I'm a white male, but I also like that other people around me have the opportunity to do the same. I'm not even talking about being treated decently, I'm talking about basic safety. Black people in Russia are doomed to standing by tanning salons with a sign "I got my tan here" (yeah, this is real). I'm not even talking about making any significant amount money. Heaven forbid you make money in Russia. Well, first of all, without having connections in the government, you can't. But even if you do establish such connections, good luck dealing with their IRS, the KGB that wants a piece of the pie (ok, so they renamed it, but it's all the same people), and the corrupt-beyond-belief court system. I like grabbing coffee with rich people who want to meet me purely because they're happy to give advice, who didn't start out their career in organized crime, and who don't need three body guards and an armored SUV just to get around. Boy, does this article touch a nerve. I know a ton of smart, driven, capable Russians who love their country and who want to change the world while living there. But they're all here, in the U.S., because back there they're doomed to a life of corruption they refuse to deal with. The idea of offering them financial incentive to go back is frankly insulting. They don't need financial incentive. They just need an opportunity to make an honest living. The rest, they'll do on their own.

deleted 17y ago
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1gor 17y ago
Well, as a Canadian living in Russia for the past 13 years I have the following to say about the US... Seriously, the parent post is so full of old clichés, it's not even funny. I lived outside of Russia for the past 20 years and I've moved back half a year ago, and I'm not even located in Moscow now. I live in a large industrial city in Ural region. Russia has changed a lot in past 10 years and 90% of what I see in my daily private and business life is not much different from what I'm accustomed to in the UK. Some things are positively better (for example communal services are great though I can judge by my apartment block only). Let me say something about bribes and corruption. I never gave a single bribe in my life in Russia then or now, with a possible exception of a small fine to a traffic cop paid on the spot in cash (to save myself time going to a nearby bank). I know there are people who pay bribes, but plenty of businesspeople don't. Those businesspeople who don't pay bribes CAN be successful and quite often are. And those who do quite often get caught together with corrupt officials. The key point is -- today corruption is much less than it was in the 90s and it's falling year by year. The image of organised crime driving around with armed body guards in SUVs is total bullshit nowadays. Most of SUVs you see on the streets in my city is driven by beautiful blond girls with artificial sun tan on their way to a gym. I am walking the streets at night (admittedly, not in the depressed areas) without fear of being mugged, since the last fight I saw in this city was when bouncers kicked some rich guy out of a club for being too drunk. The key is to look at the dynamics. Russia is getting better, cleaner, wealthier. Lawlessness that happened in the 90s is quickly being replaced by the rule of law. It's not perfect, but the progress is amazing. When author of the parent post implies that somebody (like me) cannot make an honest living in Russia today, I take it quite personally. The irony is -- he is not Russian, he has not lived in Russia for years, his friends are emigrant Russians -- but he has a long list of clichés that earn upvotes on HN.
- DenisM 17y ago
  So did you live outside of Russia for last 20 years or inside Russia for last 13 years?

deleted 17y ago

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1gor 17y ago

Well, as a Canadian living in Russia for the past 13 years I have the following to say about the US... Seriously, the parent post is so full of old clichés, it's not even funny. I lived outside of Russia for the past 20 years and I've moved back half a year ago, and I'm not even located in Moscow now. I live in a large industrial city in Ural region. Russia has changed a lot in past 10 years and 90% of what I see in my daily private and business life is not much different from what I'm accustomed to in the UK. Some things are positively better (for example communal services are great though I can judge by my apartment block only). Let me say something about bribes and corruption. I never gave a single bribe in my life in Russia then or now, with a possible exception of a small fine to a traffic cop paid on the spot in cash (to save myself time going to a nearby bank). I know there are people who pay bribes, but plenty of businesspeople don't. Those businesspeople who don't pay bribes CAN be successful and quite often are. And those who do quite often get caught together with corrupt officials. The key point is -- today corruption is much less than it was in the 90s and it's falling year by year. The image of organised crime driving around with armed body guards in SUVs is total bullshit nowadays. Most of SUVs you see on the streets in my city is driven by beautiful blond girls with artificial sun tan on their way to a gym. I am walking the streets at night (admittedly, not in the depressed areas) without fear of being mugged, since the last fight I saw in this city was when bouncers kicked some rich guy out of a club for being too drunk. The key is to look at the dynamics. Russia is getting better, cleaner, wealthier. Lawlessness that happened in the 90s is quickly being replaced by the rule of law. It's not perfect, but the progress is amazing. When author of the parent post implies that somebody (like me) cannot make an honest living in Russia today, I take it quite personally. The irony is -- he is not Russian, he has not lived in Russia for years, his friends are emigrant Russians -- but he has a long list of clichés that earn upvotes on HN.

DenisM 17y ago
So did you live outside of Russia for last 20 years or inside Russia for last 13 years?