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> Or alternatively (and quite likely) we'll just hire that potential candidate up here in Canada; growing our tech industry further and competing with American

> Or alternatively (and quite likely) we'll just hire that potential candidate up here in Canada; growing our tech industry further and competing with American workers in the same time zones and language as you, with a just-as or better educated work force, and a for lower cost to the employer and in a culture that on the whole appreciates immigrants more. I'm virtually certain that Canada will not have a single tech company with the market cap as large as the tenth largest US tech company within in the next 25 years. If anything Canada is actively losing ground against the US tech industry. In the past it used to have RIM, Nortel, Bell North and Corel. Today the largest Canadian tech company is "Constellation Software". And the reason for the decline is simple. Canada's best and brightest don't go into tech. They go into real estate and property development to extract value out of the insanely overheated housing market. And ironically this ties back to the immigration discussion. One of the major contributing factors to the housing shortage is because of Canada's aggressive pursuit of wealthy emigres. The housing market in places like Vancouver has turned into a slush fund to launder the money of CCP party members and other third world kleptocrats.

cmrdporcupine 6y ago
Plenty of Canada's best and brightest go into tech. And then immediately move to the Bay Area. However I am confident that if the US keeps on the trajectory it's on this will change.
pm90 6y ago
There is so much false facts in your comment. Canada is not competing with the US on how many Canadian-started companies exist. All the FAANGs have offices in Canada, which they will probably expand more. Immigrants that used to head to the US will now go to Canada instead, enriching the labor market further. If the US immigration system remains broken, Canadian offices of US companies will just get bigger.
- cmrdporcupine 6y ago
  And this has already been the case and escalating for some time. Anecdotally, my wife worked for Apple Canada a decade ago in marketing, and at that point there was no engineering happened / allowed to happen in Canada, really. It was kept in Cupertino pretty strictly. But I've noticed in the last 5 years this is no longer the case and Apple -- who was probably most reluctant to do engineering outside of the valley -- is doing way more of it and a plenty of it in Canada it seems. I work at Google Waterloo, and though I can't get into specifics about office sizes etc, I can definitely say two things: lots of growth, plenty of it from new Canadians but also a lot from Canadian Googlers returning from the US back to Canada in many cases because they couldn't tolerate the situation there anymore.
  - 908B64B197 6y ago
    How does it works, compensation-wise, for returning Canadians? I was under the impression it almost never happened.
    - cmrdporcupine 6y ago
      Happens all the time. I personally work with 3 people on my team alone who have done it. I believe at Google a transfer between countries involves a new offer, based on local cost of living etc, and it is basically indexed against what you would be making with the same experience, perf, etc. in the new locale, and Google compensation is really good for the region. Only complications are with retirement funds (IRAs vs RRSPs), and tax filing. I believe Google provides the services of an accountant for a couple years after the transfer. Last couple of years it feels like every week I see an email from somebody asking for advice etc. for relocation. For two of my immediate coworkers/friends, both did it a bit after they had kids, and began to contemplate having kids in the American school system[s], and away from grandparents, etc. It certainly makes it easier transferring within the same company. I think many Canadian SWEs coming back to work after being in SV would find the job market to be rather frustrating/annoying if they had to hunt for a new job. Transferring within the same company takes the edge off.
      - 908B64B197 6y ago
        Ah, so there's that magic Col adjustment!

cmrdporcupine 6y ago

Plenty of Canada's best and brightest go into tech. And then immediately move to the Bay Area. However I am confident that if the US keeps on the trajectory it's on this will change.

pm90 6y ago

There is so much false facts in your comment. Canada is not competing with the US on how many Canadian-started companies exist. All the FAANGs have offices in Canada, which they will probably expand more. Immigrants that used to head to the US will now go to Canada instead, enriching the labor market further. If the US immigration system remains broken, Canadian offices of US companies will just get bigger.

cmrdporcupine 6y ago
And this has already been the case and escalating for some time. Anecdotally, my wife worked for Apple Canada a decade ago in marketing, and at that point there was no engineering happened / allowed to happen in Canada, really. It was kept in Cupertino pretty strictly. But I've noticed in the last 5 years this is no longer the case and Apple -- who was probably most reluctant to do engineering outside of the valley -- is doing way more of it and a plenty of it in Canada it seems. I work at Google Waterloo, and though I can't get into specifics about office sizes etc, I can definitely say two things: lots of growth, plenty of it from new Canadians but also a lot from Canadian Googlers returning from the US back to Canada in many cases because they couldn't tolerate the situation there anymore.
- 908B64B197 6y ago
  How does it works, compensation-wise, for returning Canadians? I was under the impression it almost never happened.
  - cmrdporcupine 6y ago
    Happens all the time. I personally work with 3 people on my team alone who have done it. I believe at Google a transfer between countries involves a new offer, based on local cost of living etc, and it is basically indexed against what you would be making with the same experience, perf, etc. in the new locale, and Google compensation is really good for the region. Only complications are with retirement funds (IRAs vs RRSPs), and tax filing. I believe Google provides the services of an accountant for a couple years after the transfer. Last couple of years it feels like every week I see an email from somebody asking for advice etc. for relocation. For two of my immediate coworkers/friends, both did it a bit after they had kids, and began to contemplate having kids in the American school system[s], and away from grandparents, etc. It certainly makes it easier transferring within the same company. I think many Canadian SWEs coming back to work after being in SV would find the job market to be rather frustrating/annoying if they had to hunt for a new job. Transferring within the same company takes the edge off.
    - 908B64B197 6y ago
      Ah, so there's that magic Col adjustment!