
EuroFroth - State of startups in Europe - nickb
http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/06/27/vc-europe-internet-tech_cz_eb_0627everythingventured.html?partner=rss
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nickb
This is quite telling:

"I think Silicon Valley will never happen in Europe. People here care too much
about their family and friends. People give up their family and friends to
move to Silicon Valley, and it would mean people here would have to move to
Paris or Stockholm or London. Instead of one Silicon Valley, Europe will have
pockets of excellence in different cities."

~~~
lupin_sansei
Europe's heavily regulated labour market means that it's significantly more
expensive and risky to hire people in your startup. A "work 18 hours a day"
Microsoft/Apple would be almost impossible in those countries.

It's not easy to start companies in France and Germany, compared to the US,
UK, Ireland and other English speaking countries:
<http://www.heritage.org/index/countries.cfm>

Compare France:

 _The labor market operates under regulated employment rules that could be
improved to enhance employment and productivity growth. The non-salary cost of
employing a worker is very high, and dismissing a redundant employee can be
costly. There are rigid restrictions on increasing or expanding the number of
working hours. Due partly to complicated and pervasive labor regulations, the
unemployment rate is high. A recent effort to reform the regulated labor
market met fierce resistance._

.. and Germany:

 _The labor market operates under restrictive employment regulations that
seriously hinder employment and productivity growth. The non-salary cost of
employing a worker is high, and dismissing a redundant employee is costly.
Reforms implemented in recent years focus on reducing welfare benefits for the
unemployed. However, Germany's wages and fringe benefits remain among the
world's highest, and the ability of businesses to fire workers is subject to
rigid conditions, all of which serves as a disincentive to invest and create
jobs._

to the US:

 _The labor market operates under highly flexible employment regulations that
enhance overall productivity growth. The non-salary cost of employing a worker
is low, and dismissing a redundant employee is costless._

~~~
ralph
You have to be careful when saying "Europe".

Yes, some countries do have bizarre rules. When I worked in France, we
couldn't go into the office at the weekend because the whole site was shut
down with only security present. We used to hire a hotel conference room
instead and work there.

In England it's completely different. Other EU countries may be the same.
Typically, whenever some backing EU treaty gets created, sane countries
negotiate an "opt out" and ignore it.

~~~
lupin_sansei
Notice how I excluded England and Ireland above.

~~~
ralph
I thought you meant that only applied to what came after the exclusion, and
not to the first paragraph.

