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I think OP is living in a bubble. Sure we aren't #1 in Japan, but what is the size of business in Japan compared to the US? And Putin doesn't want to buy our so

I think OP is living in a bubble. Sure we aren't #1 in Japan, but what is the size of business in Japan compared to the US? And Putin doesn't want to buy our software.. and you call our society fucked? seriously you're run by a dictator. I could go on and on but I think OP is too invested in his own little world and wants the rest of us to know he exists.

guelo 11y ago
> what is the size of business in Japan compared to the US? It's about a third the size of the US economy.
kainolophobia 11y ago
Japan has the 3rd highest GDP with a population that is roughly 40% to that of the US. With that said, business in Japan is quite difficult if you're not Japanese, though that's starting to change in recent years. Some say their startup ecosystem is 10 years behind that of the US.
- grillvogel 11y ago
  it isn't 10 years behind. the whole idea of startups is kinda at odds with japanese culture, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
  - doktrin 11y ago
    > this is not necessarily a bad thing Can you elaborate on how it's a good, or neutral, thing? Startups may be imperfect creatures, but I perceive them to have a net-positive influence on the economy (and, to be clear, I don't work for one). How is their absence from the Japanese economy a good thing?
  - kainolophobia 11y ago
    You're not wrong, and I agree that there is more cultural opposition to startups. The 10 year comment was from a discussion I had with a Japanese investor/entrepreneur while in Tokyo last fall. He built his other businesses in the US, and related the current state of Japan's startup scene (funding, opportunities, etc) as being similar to that of the US about 10 years ago.
SuddsMcDuff 11y ago
Most of Europe doesn't see Putin as a dictator - that's just some hysterical nonsense the US mainstream media likes to peddle.. Americans gotta have an enemy figure to fixate on!
- omginternets 11y ago
  Define "most of Europe". Eastern or Western?
  - calgoo 11y ago
    Yeah, I'm from Europe and definitely see him as a dictator who has stolen the country elections and is about as corrupt as Berlusconi or or our Spanish counterparts.
    - SuddsMcDuff 11y ago
      I'm not saying he's an angel, he's as corrupt as the next politician, maybe even worse than the average. But no other bent politicians seem to get as much bad press as Putin, given the fact that he's no more guilty of crimes than say, Hilary Clinton. I've never understood why Putin is singled out by the media for such vicious treatment when, as you yourself pointed out, there is absolutely no shortage of political corruption stories they could run with. Still, it's a lot easier for the American public to swallow that a man half a world away, from a traditional enemy figure, could be evil and corrupt, rather than examine the fact that some of their own representatives might be the same. No no, that would throw into question their belief that American is the worlds shining bastion of freedom and democracy, a notion that they've been spoon-fed since childhood.
      - DanBC 11y ago
        How many journalists has Clinton had murdered? How many political opponents has Clinton had murdered?
        11y ago
tetromino_ 11y ago
> Putin doesn't want to buy our software.. and you call our society fucked? You completely misunderstood OP's argument, IMHO. A dispute between Obama and Putin over a peninsula where your company has maybe 1.5 users suddenly results in you being locked out of a market with millions of potential users. And the conclusion is that when selling abroad, you need to be aware that vagaries of international politics can drastically affect your business, and that an American software company will be seen - by policymakers in both countries - as a tool of American foreign policy.
- doktrin 11y ago
  > A dispute between Obama and Putin over a peninsula where your company has maybe 1.5 users suddenly results in you being locked out of a market with millions of potential users. Doesn't this cut both ways? If US based companies are locked out of the Russian market, don't Russian based companies run the risk of being locked out of the larger and more influential US market? If forced to choose, I know which of the two I'd pick.
  - tetromino_ 11y ago
    > don't Russian based companies run the risk of being locked out of the larger and more influential US market? Of course, and in fact it has happened a few times, e.g. see [1]. But Russian based companies tend to be aware of the possibility and plan accordingly. OP's audience is Silicon Valley startups trying to enter foreign markets for the first time, and for them the idea might be rather unfamiliar. [1] http://insidehpc.com/2014/01/us-lifts-trade-ban-russian-supercomputer-vendor-t-platforms/ http://insidehpc.com/2014/01/us-lifts-trade-ban-russian-supe...
    - doktrin 11y ago
      > OP's audience is Silicon Valley startups trying to enter foreign markets for the first time, and for them the idea might be rather unfamiliar. Why do you assume that to be the case? Just because US companies don't need to rely on foreign markets doesn't mean they're somehow unaware of basic geopolitics.

guelo 11y ago

> what is the size of business in Japan compared to the US? It's about a third the size of the US economy.

kainolophobia 11y ago

Japan has the 3rd highest GDP with a population that is roughly 40% to that of the US. With that said, business in Japan is quite difficult if you're not Japanese, though that's starting to change in recent years. Some say their startup ecosystem is 10 years behind that of the US.

grillvogel 11y ago
it isn't 10 years behind. the whole idea of startups is kinda at odds with japanese culture, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
- doktrin 11y ago
  > this is not necessarily a bad thing Can you elaborate on how it's a good, or neutral, thing? Startups may be imperfect creatures, but I perceive them to have a net-positive influence on the economy (and, to be clear, I don't work for one). How is their absence from the Japanese economy a good thing?
- kainolophobia 11y ago
  You're not wrong, and I agree that there is more cultural opposition to startups. The 10 year comment was from a discussion I had with a Japanese investor/entrepreneur while in Tokyo last fall. He built his other businesses in the US, and related the current state of Japan's startup scene (funding, opportunities, etc) as being similar to that of the US about 10 years ago.

SuddsMcDuff 11y ago

Most of Europe doesn't see Putin as a dictator - that's just some hysterical nonsense the US mainstream media likes to peddle.. Americans gotta have an enemy figure to fixate on!

omginternets 11y ago
Define "most of Europe". Eastern or Western?
- calgoo 11y ago
  Yeah, I'm from Europe and definitely see him as a dictator who has stolen the country elections and is about as corrupt as Berlusconi or or our Spanish counterparts.
  - SuddsMcDuff 11y ago
    I'm not saying he's an angel, he's as corrupt as the next politician, maybe even worse than the average. But no other bent politicians seem to get as much bad press as Putin, given the fact that he's no more guilty of crimes than say, Hilary Clinton. I've never understood why Putin is singled out by the media for such vicious treatment when, as you yourself pointed out, there is absolutely no shortage of political corruption stories they could run with. Still, it's a lot easier for the American public to swallow that a man half a world away, from a traditional enemy figure, could be evil and corrupt, rather than examine the fact that some of their own representatives might be the same. No no, that would throw into question their belief that American is the worlds shining bastion of freedom and democracy, a notion that they've been spoon-fed since childhood.
    - DanBC 11y ago
      How many journalists has Clinton had murdered? How many political opponents has Clinton had murdered?
      - 11y ago

tetromino_ 11y ago

> Putin doesn't want to buy our software.. and you call our society fucked? You completely misunderstood OP's argument, IMHO. A dispute between Obama and Putin over a peninsula where your company has maybe 1.5 users suddenly results in you being locked out of a market with millions of potential users. And the conclusion is that when selling abroad, you need to be aware that vagaries of international politics can drastically affect your business, and that an American software company will be seen - by policymakers in both countries - as a tool of American foreign policy.

doktrin 11y ago
> A dispute between Obama and Putin over a peninsula where your company has maybe 1.5 users suddenly results in you being locked out of a market with millions of potential users. Doesn't this cut both ways? If US based companies are locked out of the Russian market, don't Russian based companies run the risk of being locked out of the larger and more influential US market? If forced to choose, I know which of the two I'd pick.
- tetromino_ 11y ago
  > don't Russian based companies run the risk of being locked out of the larger and more influential US market? Of course, and in fact it has happened a few times, e.g. see [1]. But Russian based companies tend to be aware of the possibility and plan accordingly. OP's audience is Silicon Valley startups trying to enter foreign markets for the first time, and for them the idea might be rather unfamiliar. [1] http://insidehpc.com/2014/01/us-lifts-trade-ban-russian-supercomputer-vendor-t-platforms/ http://insidehpc.com/2014/01/us-lifts-trade-ban-russian-supe...
  - doktrin 11y ago
    > OP's audience is Silicon Valley startups trying to enter foreign markets for the first time, and for them the idea might be rather unfamiliar. Why do you assume that to be the case? Just because US companies don't need to rely on foreign markets doesn't mean they're somehow unaware of basic geopolitics.