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Employee loyalty isn’t a good thing. One of the best things about Silicon Valley is that people can swiftly change companies when they get higher offers. Non-co

Employee loyalty isn’t a good thing. One of the best things about Silicon Valley is that people can swiftly change companies when they get higher offers. Non-competes are void in California. There’s a reason US salaries for software devs are 2-5x EU salaries for similar roles.

snowpid 2y ago
What if I told you that non - competes aren't a thing in Germany. (And a big part in other parts of US)
- storyinmemo 2y ago
  Well I'd tell you that they aren't a thing in California.
  - talldayo 2y ago
    ...as of six months ago.
    - Alupis 2y ago
      Anyone could ask you to sign a non-compete. But in California, they have been legally unenforceable for as long as I have been alive. What was changed is they now cannot make condition of employment based on signing this unenforceable contract.
- zombiwoof 2y ago
  As someone who has been stuck in Silicon Valley for 20 years I can say hands down the German and European teams I’ve worked with far outshine the hacker ego Hollywood hipster techbros of San Francisco. Yet the latter make 2-5x the income.
  - snowpid 2y ago
    Thanks :) ( But I guess there are also very capable American teams and narcissistic European CS. (I guess it is a very good question why this difference exist and how to change economic policy)
rangestransform 2y ago
employee loyalty is a good thing if it's bought and not expected
p_j_w 2y ago
>There’s a reason US salaries for software devs are 2-5x EU salaries for similar roles. When you account for medical costs, rent (especially compared to the localities in the USA that provide these huge salaries), extra vacation time, and for those with children, education and child care, this gap narrows considerably. Rent alone... one can find a reasonable spot in Berlin for ~$1300/mo. Good luck finding more than a shared box in the Tenderloin for that much in the Bay Area.
- blackhawkC17 2y ago
  > When you account for medical costs, rent (especially compared to the localities in the USA that provide these huge salaries), extra vacation time, and for those with children, education and child care, this gap narrows considerably. That's what Europeans generally say to justify or cope with their low salaries, but it's not true. After accounting for all these, an SV, NYC, Seattle, etc., engineer ends up with far more disposable income than their EU counterpart. The US has the highest average disposable income worldwide; the rest almost don't come close [1]. That's why it has much more entrepreneurial activity. Yes, the US isn't perfect, but the EU doesn't come close to the US in terms of money for highly skilled professional workers. 1- https://www.statista.com/statistics/725764/oecd-household-disposable-income-per-capita/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/725764/oecd-household-di...
  - p_j_w 2y ago
    >After accounting for all these, an SV, NYC, Seattle, etc., engineer ends up with far more disposable income than their EU counterpart. I said it narrows the gap, not closes it. >https://www.statista.com/statistics/725764/oecd-household-di https://www.statista.com/statistics/725764/oecd-household-di... Your link is behind a paywall, I can't view that data.
    - blackhawkC17 2y ago
      Point noted, Wikipedia breaks down the data better - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable_household_and_per_capita_income https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable_household_and_per_c....

snowpid 2y ago

What if I told you that non - competes aren't a thing in Germany. (And a big part in other parts of US)

storyinmemo 2y ago
Well I'd tell you that they aren't a thing in California.
- talldayo 2y ago
  ...as of six months ago.
  - Alupis 2y ago
    Anyone could ask you to sign a non-compete. But in California, they have been legally unenforceable for as long as I have been alive. What was changed is they now cannot make condition of employment based on signing this unenforceable contract.
zombiwoof 2y ago
As someone who has been stuck in Silicon Valley for 20 years I can say hands down the German and European teams I’ve worked with far outshine the hacker ego Hollywood hipster techbros of San Francisco. Yet the latter make 2-5x the income.
- snowpid 2y ago
  Thanks :) ( But I guess there are also very capable American teams and narcissistic European CS. (I guess it is a very good question why this difference exist and how to change economic policy)

rangestransform 2y ago

employee loyalty is a good thing if it's bought and not expected

p_j_w 2y ago

>There’s a reason US salaries for software devs are 2-5x EU salaries for similar roles. When you account for medical costs, rent (especially compared to the localities in the USA that provide these huge salaries), extra vacation time, and for those with children, education and child care, this gap narrows considerably. Rent alone... one can find a reasonable spot in Berlin for ~$1300/mo. Good luck finding more than a shared box in the Tenderloin for that much in the Bay Area.

blackhawkC17 2y ago
> When you account for medical costs, rent (especially compared to the localities in the USA that provide these huge salaries), extra vacation time, and for those with children, education and child care, this gap narrows considerably. That's what Europeans generally say to justify or cope with their low salaries, but it's not true. After accounting for all these, an SV, NYC, Seattle, etc., engineer ends up with far more disposable income than their EU counterpart. The US has the highest average disposable income worldwide; the rest almost don't come close [1]. That's why it has much more entrepreneurial activity. Yes, the US isn't perfect, but the EU doesn't come close to the US in terms of money for highly skilled professional workers. 1- https://www.statista.com/statistics/725764/oecd-household-disposable-income-per-capita/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/725764/oecd-household-di...
- p_j_w 2y ago
  >After accounting for all these, an SV, NYC, Seattle, etc., engineer ends up with far more disposable income than their EU counterpart. I said it narrows the gap, not closes it. >https://www.statista.com/statistics/725764/oecd-household-di https://www.statista.com/statistics/725764/oecd-household-di... Your link is behind a paywall, I can't view that data.
  - blackhawkC17 2y ago
    Point noted, Wikipedia breaks down the data better - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable_household_and_per_capita_income https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposable_household_and_per_c....