5 ms·

Word is that most employees are being offered full relocation (generally to Zurich) which I have to think will be well received. This goes for both Moscow and

by robk 12y ago

Word is that most employees are being offered full relocation (generally to Zurich) which I have to think will be well received. This goes for both Moscow and St Petersburg.

caio1982 12y ago
They did the same thing when they first closed the engineering office in São Paulo (Brazil) years ago. If I remember correctly.
riffraff 12y ago
> which I have to think will be well received. sorry I can't read the english here, do you expect it to be well received (why? seems like it would be a though choice for many people even with a relocation package) or are you expressing hope it will be?
- _wmd 12y ago
  The value of the rouble has collapsed over the past year, I think he means tech workers would only be too happy to leave.
  - dchichkov 12y ago
    I think he means that most tech workers there wouldn't be just fired. They would be offered relocation packages. It is better than being just fired, thus it would be well received. (Don't forget that although you think that Moscow is in the middle of Siberia and the city is a one big communist radioactive dump that you saw in the movies, actually, the reality is far from it. People there are surprisingly happy, good looking and the city is quite beautiful, especially in the summer. Europe is just 3 hours on an airplane from there. And to be a tech worker there at Google, with middle-class salary is quite nice. On the other hand, the long-term outlook is a bit gloomy, so...)
    - voidlogic 12y ago
      >Europe is just 3 hours on an airplane from there. I thought everything west of the Ural mountains/river (including Moscow) was considered Europe? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe#Definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe#Definition
      - dchichkov 12y ago
        I might be wrong, but I think in the context of discussing Russia it is pretty standard to use the word Europe, assuming 'Europe, excluding Russia/USSR'. Specifically I was talking about a typical flight to a EU country for business/tourism.
        notjackma 12y ago
        It's interesting to note that that the Eurovision song contest includes Russia, Israel and central Asian states, including even Azerbaijan. Perhaps this is an example of soft power projection from the EU "project" of a political union and the creation of a supra-national state...
        guard-of-terra 12y ago
        Azerbaijan is not in Central Asia, it's on Caucasus.
        notjackma 12y ago
        You may be right. It's often described as being at the cross roads of east and west. It's north of both Iraq and Iran which for most people would not be Europe.
- tonfa 12y ago
  At least in term of compensation, Zurich is hard to beat.
  - at-fates-hands 12y ago
    You can also throw in: - One of the best health care systems in the world - Incredible educational system - Technology and innovation - Compact, well run government - Some of the lowest crime rates in the world - Ski much? Some of the best ski resorts in the world are in the Swiss Alps. If you don't, then you still have some breath taking scenery to look at. Not sure you could find a better place to live than Switzerland. For the Google employees in Russia, this must be a dream come true. Switzerland by all accounts, is the exact opposite of Russia.
    - _random_ 12y ago
      Better check how long/difficult is the settlement/citizenship process. Is it even achievable? There are fairer places to go, it should be a strategic decision not an opportunistic one.
      - at-fates-hands 12y ago
        I've done some checking and if you're going to settle there on a perm basis, I think it would be worth it. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/becoming-a-citizen/29288376 http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/becoming-a-citizen/29288376 Foreigners with no direct blood ties to Switzerland through either birth or marriage must live in the country for at least 10 years (reduced from 12 years by a new law passed in June 2014) before they can apply for citizenship. (Years spent in the country between age ten and 20 count double). The person must be well integrated, familiar with customs and traditions, law abiding, and pose no threat to internal or external security. The Federal Migration Office will then “green light” an applicant’s request to begin the naturalisation process but that does not mean citizenship is certain. Rather, cantons and municipalities have their own requirements that must be met. One canton, for example, might require applicants to live for two years in the region while another might require a decade. For more on the process, please visit the Federal Migration Office. The other interesting thing is being born in the country doesn't mean you're granted citizenship.
- duaneb 12y ago
  > do you expect it to be well received (why? seems like it would be a though choice for many people even with a relocation package) I think he was saying it would be preferable to move than to be fired.
- robk 12y ago
  Sorry for the colloquial English. I meant that employees will likely take advantage of this as a good alternative to leaving Google. It is financially beneficial to earn in CHF versus RUB if you don't mind Zurich.
- raquo 12y ago
  Disregarding the job/compensation aspects, I'm sure many Russian Googlers would love a chance to live in a real functioning country, even if temporarily.
  - chappi42 12y ago
    They'll soon find out that Zürich has become a quite boring overpopulated (in comparision to the finit 'nice hidden corners') place...
    - guard-of-terra 12y ago
      Compared to Moscow/SPb they won't possibly note that.
piquadrat 12y ago
I guess it's not a coincidence then that Google announced the opening of new offices in Zurich today. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nzz.ch%2Fzuerich%2Fgoogle-baut-standort-zuerich-aus-1.18443555 https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u... Couldn't find an English source
- delroth 12y ago
  http://www.europaallee.ch/content/dam/PDF/Ueber_Europaallee/Medien_und_Publikationen/Medienmitteilungen/141212_MM_Europaallee_e.pdf http://www.europaallee.ch/content/dam/PDF/Ueber_Europaallee/... for an english source.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
sschueller 12y ago
Zürich is going to be difficult with the new ruling from Parliament to reduce the permits for people outside of the EU. (1) Yet Google announced opening another office today. (1)http://mobile2.tagesanzeiger.ch/articles/29666497 http://mobile2.tagesanzeiger.ch/articles/29666497
- tonfa 12y ago
  Though 1) everyone in switzerland is still wondering how they are going to implement it without breaking bilateral relations with EU and 2) it doesn't mean reducing permit, it means having a limit (vs. free flow with Schengen), and before Schengen Google did not seem to have much issue getting permits for its workforce

by robk 12y ago

Word is that most employees are being offered full relocation (generally to Zurich) which I have to think will be well received. This goes for both Moscow and St Petersburg.

caio1982 12y ago

They did the same thing when they first closed the engineering office in São Paulo (Brazil) years ago. If I remember correctly.

riffraff 12y ago

> which I have to think will be well received. sorry I can't read the english here, do you expect it to be well received (why? seems like it would be a though choice for many people even with a relocation package) or are you expressing hope it will be?

_wmd 12y ago
The value of the rouble has collapsed over the past year, I think he means tech workers would only be too happy to leave.
- dchichkov 12y ago
  I think he means that most tech workers there wouldn't be just fired. They would be offered relocation packages. It is better than being just fired, thus it would be well received. (Don't forget that although you think that Moscow is in the middle of Siberia and the city is a one big communist radioactive dump that you saw in the movies, actually, the reality is far from it. People there are surprisingly happy, good looking and the city is quite beautiful, especially in the summer. Europe is just 3 hours on an airplane from there. And to be a tech worker there at Google, with middle-class salary is quite nice. On the other hand, the long-term outlook is a bit gloomy, so...)
  - voidlogic 12y ago
    >Europe is just 3 hours on an airplane from there. I thought everything west of the Ural mountains/river (including Moscow) was considered Europe? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe#Definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe#Definition
    - dchichkov 12y ago
      I might be wrong, but I think in the context of discussing Russia it is pretty standard to use the word Europe, assuming 'Europe, excluding Russia/USSR'. Specifically I was talking about a typical flight to a EU country for business/tourism.
      - notjackma 12y ago
        It's interesting to note that that the Eurovision song contest includes Russia, Israel and central Asian states, including even Azerbaijan. Perhaps this is an example of soft power projection from the EU "project" of a political union and the creation of a supra-national state...
        guard-of-terra 12y ago
        Azerbaijan is not in Central Asia, it's on Caucasus.
        notjackma 12y ago
        You may be right. It's often described as being at the cross roads of east and west. It's north of both Iraq and Iran which for most people would not be Europe.
tonfa 12y ago
At least in term of compensation, Zurich is hard to beat.
- at-fates-hands 12y ago
  You can also throw in: - One of the best health care systems in the world - Incredible educational system - Technology and innovation - Compact, well run government - Some of the lowest crime rates in the world - Ski much? Some of the best ski resorts in the world are in the Swiss Alps. If you don't, then you still have some breath taking scenery to look at. Not sure you could find a better place to live than Switzerland. For the Google employees in Russia, this must be a dream come true. Switzerland by all accounts, is the exact opposite of Russia.
  - _random_ 12y ago
    Better check how long/difficult is the settlement/citizenship process. Is it even achievable? There are fairer places to go, it should be a strategic decision not an opportunistic one.
    - at-fates-hands 12y ago
      I've done some checking and if you're going to settle there on a perm basis, I think it would be worth it. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/becoming-a-citizen/29288376 http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/becoming-a-citizen/29288376 Foreigners with no direct blood ties to Switzerland through either birth or marriage must live in the country for at least 10 years (reduced from 12 years by a new law passed in June 2014) before they can apply for citizenship. (Years spent in the country between age ten and 20 count double). The person must be well integrated, familiar with customs and traditions, law abiding, and pose no threat to internal or external security. The Federal Migration Office will then “green light” an applicant’s request to begin the naturalisation process but that does not mean citizenship is certain. Rather, cantons and municipalities have their own requirements that must be met. One canton, for example, might require applicants to live for two years in the region while another might require a decade. For more on the process, please visit the Federal Migration Office. The other interesting thing is being born in the country doesn't mean you're granted citizenship.
duaneb 12y ago
> do you expect it to be well received (why? seems like it would be a though choice for many people even with a relocation package) I think he was saying it would be preferable to move than to be fired.
robk 12y ago
Sorry for the colloquial English. I meant that employees will likely take advantage of this as a good alternative to leaving Google. It is financially beneficial to earn in CHF versus RUB if you don't mind Zurich.
raquo 12y ago
Disregarding the job/compensation aspects, I'm sure many Russian Googlers would love a chance to live in a real functioning country, even if temporarily.
- chappi42 12y ago
  They'll soon find out that Zürich has become a quite boring overpopulated (in comparision to the finit 'nice hidden corners') place...
  - guard-of-terra 12y ago
    Compared to Moscow/SPb they won't possibly note that.

piquadrat 12y ago

I guess it's not a coincidence then that Google announced the opening of new offices in Zurich today. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nzz.ch%2Fzuerich%2Fgoogle-baut-standort-zuerich-aus-1.18443555 https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u... Couldn't find an English source

delroth 12y ago
http://www.europaallee.ch/content/dam/PDF/Ueber_Europaallee/Medien_und_Publikationen/Medienmitteilungen/141212_MM_Europaallee_e.pdf http://www.europaallee.ch/content/dam/PDF/Ueber_Europaallee/... for an english source.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

sschueller 12y ago

Zürich is going to be difficult with the new ruling from Parliament to reduce the permits for people outside of the EU. (1) Yet Google announced opening another office today. (1)http://mobile2.tagesanzeiger.ch/articles/29666497 http://mobile2.tagesanzeiger.ch/articles/29666497

tonfa 12y ago
Though 1) everyone in switzerland is still wondering how they are going to implement it without breaking bilateral relations with EU and 2) it doesn't mean reducing permit, it means having a limit (vs. free flow with Schengen), and before Schengen Google did not seem to have much issue getting permits for its workforce