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Writing from a German startup right now, I can't quite follow the author here. Granted - German copycats and especially the Samwer Brothers have brought some ba

Writing from a German startup right now, I can't quite follow the author here. Granted - German copycats and especially the Samwer Brothers have brought some bad feelings into the community... but Berlin is getting better and bolder every day. It's basically almost all the goodness from Silicon Valley, but without the hype and craze. It's a friendly, crazy and green city with great work ethics - you don't live for working, you work for a living. Contrary to the article, accelerators, VC funding and the war for talent have long arrived here for sure - but it's all still pretty calm and well-thought out. Maybe there's still a little less innovation here, but on the other side, it's much harder to get funding without a business model that makes sense. Color definitely wouldn't happen here. We got all the cool things and conferences, but I'm pretty glad we're doing it the German way: No hire and fire, health insurance for everyone and the income disparity feels just so much more just compared to the states. I once thought of moving over to Silicon Valley, but by now I'm pretty glad that everything I want has moved over here without bringing the TSA, mass surveillance, corporate politics, discussion about the validity of evolution, a deadlocked two-party system and a growing helplessness over the unstoppable and unlimited capitalism that's ruining society already over there. All the best from Berlin - and if you feel the same, maybe it's time to come over? Dom

zalew 15y ago
Berlin is awesome. I know is a question with a very flexible answer but what are the monthly net rates a Py/Django/DB expat developer can expect in an average size company (not boring bigcorp) in 2012?
- endymi0n 15y ago
  Very flexible indeed. Anywhere from 30k€/y (entry level, junior dev) till 60-70k€/y (top talent with work experience and some management duties) is possible for a regular full time job - sometimes more, but extreme rates are still pretty uncommon here. (Note though that you've got around the same standard of living here than for double the amount in dollars in the valley.)
  - zalew 15y ago
    Tx. Yeah, I quite know the standard of living, I'm from Warsaw, not the valley thought, and been there a few times ;)
davidw 15y ago
There are no corporate politics in Germany? That's pretty awesome. In all seriousness though, you're cherry picking some of the bad stuff about the US. I'm sure if you wanted, you could do the same thing about Germany or anywhere else. For instance: the weather, the lack of anything remotely resembling a mountain near Berlin, and, most importantly, the lack of good Mexican food.
- zalew 15y ago
  > the lack of anything remotely resembling a mountain near Berlin Bavaria and Switzerland are not that far. Polish Sudety even closer and much cheaper. > most importantly, the lack of good Mexican food. Tex-mex is an American obsession. In Europe we have mediterranean. A doner-kebab is for us what a taco is to you, and say what you want, but kebab is a snack there's no shortage of in Berlin.
  - davidw 15y ago
    Perhaps I've been conditioned by living in Europe, but my definition of "not far" means I can ride my bike to it! Kebabs are great (we have them here too in Italy), but sorry, I'll take good Mexican food any day:-)
    - zalew 15y ago
      > but my definition of "not far" means I can ride my bike to it haha, well... I thought of going for a weekend, not after work. There are a few nice Mexican restaurants in Warsaw, so I know the deal, still sadly mex didn't somehow fall into the 'grab a taco and walk' category as I see on American movies, this space is totally occoupied by kebabs. (btw, HN could display a country next to the nickname, so there's no "oh, you're not from the US too".)
    - derrida 15y ago
      The kebabs are something else in Berlin. Much more like a Taco than those greasy things you see elsewhere in the world.

zalew 15y ago

Berlin is awesome. I know is a question with a very flexible answer but what are the monthly net rates a Py/Django/DB expat developer can expect in an average size company (not boring bigcorp) in 2012?

endymi0n 15y ago
Very flexible indeed. Anywhere from 30k€/y (entry level, junior dev) till 60-70k€/y (top talent with work experience and some management duties) is possible for a regular full time job - sometimes more, but extreme rates are still pretty uncommon here. (Note though that you've got around the same standard of living here than for double the amount in dollars in the valley.)
- zalew 15y ago
  Tx. Yeah, I quite know the standard of living, I'm from Warsaw, not the valley thought, and been there a few times ;)

davidw 15y ago

There are no corporate politics in Germany? That's pretty awesome. In all seriousness though, you're cherry picking some of the bad stuff about the US. I'm sure if you wanted, you could do the same thing about Germany or anywhere else. For instance: the weather, the lack of anything remotely resembling a mountain near Berlin, and, most importantly, the lack of good Mexican food.

zalew 15y ago
> the lack of anything remotely resembling a mountain near Berlin Bavaria and Switzerland are not that far. Polish Sudety even closer and much cheaper. > most importantly, the lack of good Mexican food. Tex-mex is an American obsession. In Europe we have mediterranean. A doner-kebab is for us what a taco is to you, and say what you want, but kebab is a snack there's no shortage of in Berlin.
- davidw 15y ago
  Perhaps I've been conditioned by living in Europe, but my definition of "not far" means I can ride my bike to it! Kebabs are great (we have them here too in Italy), but sorry, I'll take good Mexican food any day:-)
  - zalew 15y ago
    > but my definition of "not far" means I can ride my bike to it haha, well... I thought of going for a weekend, not after work. There are a few nice Mexican restaurants in Warsaw, so I know the deal, still sadly mex didn't somehow fall into the 'grab a taco and walk' category as I see on American movies, this space is totally occoupied by kebabs. (btw, HN could display a country next to the nickname, so there's no "oh, you're not from the US too".)
  - derrida 15y ago
    The kebabs are something else in Berlin. Much more like a Taco than those greasy things you see elsewhere in the world.