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I think this is probably useless information considering that legal restrictions largely limit the ability of people to move from one to the other. Speaking as

I think this is probably useless information considering that legal restrictions largely limit the ability of people to move from one to the other. Speaking as an American that “accidentally” moved to the EU a decade ago, my impression is still that ambitious EU citizens, particularly those in tech or finance, would move to the US in a second if it was possible to. That said, I don’t personally plan on moving back anytime soon, although I do miss certain aspects of the American identity and experience constantly.

schnitzelstoat 6mo ago
Yeah, given that it's much easier to get a visa to work in the EU (albeit still not easy) than in the US, the default position ceteris paribus would be that more people would move from the US to Europe than vice versa. The fact that wasn't the case before just goes to show how big an impact the economic disparity has.
DougN7 6mo ago
What aspects and experiences do you miss? Which country did you move to? I know I romanticize moving to Europe so would love to hear some balance.
- JKCalhoun 6mo ago
  For myself (American), I think I would miss the natural wonders and open road. But I really enjoy roadtripping.
- keiferski 6mo ago
  Too many things to fit in a HN comment, but basically I miss the optimism and can-do attitude of Americans, as well as the general future-orientation of the culture. Europeans generally situate themselves in terms of the past and aim at a comfortable, quality life. America on the other hand is more of a wildcard with space for crazy ideas. Being an entrepreneur with a dream or a freelancer, for example, is infinitely more socially acceptable in America than in Europe. This is a nerdy reference to make, but I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of the Sprawl in William Gibson’s trilogy. There is something very American about it (and it’s situated in America) but that kind of chaotic dynamic culture-mixing space could never really happen in Europe. I moved to Central Europe btw, but I’ve spent a lot of time in France and Germany as well.
Gud 6mo ago
Define “ambitious”. I consider myself extremely ambitious, and what you are saying may have been true 20 years ago, I doubt it’s the case today. FWIW I’m from Sweden but live in Switzerland. I work all over the world(currently in Rotterdam). There is no way I would move to the dysfunction across the Atlantic.
- keiferski 6mo ago
  Like I said, working in tech or finance, especially company founders. The amount of capital available and the size of the American market dwarfs anywhere in the EU.

schnitzelstoat 6mo ago

Yeah, given that it's much easier to get a visa to work in the EU (albeit still not easy) than in the US, the default position ceteris paribus would be that more people would move from the US to Europe than vice versa. The fact that wasn't the case before just goes to show how big an impact the economic disparity has.

DougN7 6mo ago

What aspects and experiences do you miss? Which country did you move to? I know I romanticize moving to Europe so would love to hear some balance.

JKCalhoun 6mo ago
For myself (American), I think I would miss the natural wonders and open road. But I really enjoy roadtripping.
keiferski 6mo ago
Too many things to fit in a HN comment, but basically I miss the optimism and can-do attitude of Americans, as well as the general future-orientation of the culture. Europeans generally situate themselves in terms of the past and aim at a comfortable, quality life. America on the other hand is more of a wildcard with space for crazy ideas. Being an entrepreneur with a dream or a freelancer, for example, is infinitely more socially acceptable in America than in Europe. This is a nerdy reference to make, but I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of the Sprawl in William Gibson’s trilogy. There is something very American about it (and it’s situated in America) but that kind of chaotic dynamic culture-mixing space could never really happen in Europe. I moved to Central Europe btw, but I’ve spent a lot of time in France and Germany as well.

Gud 6mo ago

Define “ambitious”. I consider myself extremely ambitious, and what you are saying may have been true 20 years ago, I doubt it’s the case today. FWIW I’m from Sweden but live in Switzerland. I work all over the world(currently in Rotterdam). There is no way I would move to the dysfunction across the Atlantic.

keiferski 6mo ago
Like I said, working in tech or finance, especially company founders. The amount of capital available and the size of the American market dwarfs anywhere in the EU.