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Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by doombolt on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:34AM (#18308307)
Why not build in e.g. Leipzig or other beautiful but jobs-starved city?

Come to think of it, why no campuses in Italy or Spain? Those countries have kinda lowish expenses, good weather and people will pay a premium to be able to move there. Instead everybody is opening in London and Switzerland which are overpriced and kinda meh.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by pgeorgi on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:57AM (#18308424)
> Come to think of it, why no campuses in Italy or Spain?

already done: https://www.campus.co/madrid/en

The space in Berlin would have been part of the same setup, not a regular Google office - there's already Google in Munich and Hamburg for that.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by blablabla123 on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:57AM (#18308422)
True, some years ago I was seriously looking for jobs there. But the only options sounded very boring, very corporate and non-IT'ish at the same time. Something like Dynamics AX programming or Office 365 administration.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by icebraining on Friday October 26, 2018 @08:56AM (#18308738)
According to some reports, they're planning a large campus (500 jobs) in Lisbon, Portugal.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by ddebernardy on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:46AM (#18308363)
Google already has a campus in Madrid if the article is anything to go by.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by doombolt on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:49AM (#18308380)
Of all places in Spain Madrid is probably the "meh"est. Not wanting to be snark but the selection process seems strange indeed.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by ahartmetz on Friday October 26, 2018 @09:33AM (#18309004)
The selection process is strange indeed. Google's first German office was in Munich of all places. Extremely expensive, not very exciting (for people to move to), and very high competition for IT workforce. So they have one of Germany's best universities for IT, but the differences between universities actually aren't that large here.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by repolfx on Friday October 26, 2018 @10:02AM (#18309283)
I think that was because of an acquisition.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by hummel on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:51AM (#18308391)
It's the door to South America and more than 572 million potential customers.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by doombolt on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:52AM (#18308394)
For a software engineering campus this is relevant how?

E.g. in Poland software is more Krakow based than Warsaw. Because why would you be wasting on rent, being in a large city where you aren't that important?

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by icebraining on Friday October 26, 2018 @08:57AM (#18308740)
I think the question was about the city, not the country.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by raverbashing on Friday October 26, 2018 @08:19AM (#18308537)
Wrong guess

They develop for LATAM in other offices

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by meguest on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:40AM (#18308340)
Spain and Italy currently have weakened economies caused by large unemployment and government debt.

Italy in particular is at risk of defaulting on its debts (which are 131% of GDP compared to 87.7% for the U.K and 64.1% in Germany as of 2017) and the ECB and other lenders are going to be reluctant to lend to them. This is turn puts the banks and all kinds of public services at risk.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by hummel on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:49AM (#18308382)
Wrong. Weak economics, low employment, and large government debt (US anyone?) are not relevant when you bring talents, Quality of life is, and Spain or Italy are high above the mentioned countries. Also is much more cost-effective and secure. Ask yourself why many Europeans choose to retire to Spain.

But I do agree, we export talent to anywhere, where Spanish professionals, executives or researchers lead the way on many fields.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by hueving on Friday October 26, 2018 @09:06AM (#18308795)
>and large government debt (US anyone?)

The comparison to the US is not apt because the US has control over its own currency. This is critical for high debt scenarios because it leaves the option of essentially printing money via a program like quantitative easing to always ensure interest rates on fed bonds don't get out of control. This serves the purpose of providing favorable rates for the government as well as inflating away the value of the outstanding debt.

Countries bound to the Euro do not have this option so it usually means growth-killing austerity+taxes is the only way out.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by slededit on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:05PM (#18313339)
Canada solves this among its provinces with equalization payments. Unless you want economic deadzones its the only way to solve the problem.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by CapacitorSet on Friday October 26, 2018 @08:22AM (#18308553)
>low employment [is] not relevant when you bring talents

While I agree with the rest, I wouldn't be too sure about this. I suppose a tech talent doesn't plan on working at the same place their whole lives, so they would take into consideration the availability of tech jobs in the area.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by doombolt on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:45AM (#18308355)
I don't understand why it will be harder to attract software developers to Italy versus Poland. Weather and environment are much nicer and if this job ends you just move elsewhere.

I would easily move to a cheap locale even if tech scene there is not abundant. I'd not move to London or Switzerland since you will always be 2nd class citizen compared to e.g. bankers. Which is just non issue in southern europe.

Weak economic is a thing you leverage.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by meguest on Friday October 26, 2018 @08:53AM (#18308714)
The Italian government are in a debt crisis not too different from the Greek government debt crisis of 2007/2008.

Italy currently has a slow growing economy and needs a large number of younger economic migrants to increase Italy's competitiveness and pay taxes.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by erik_seaberg on Saturday October 27, 2018 @01:13AM (#18314446)
> would easily move to a cheap locale even if tech scene there is not abundant

I wouldn't. Being in high demand in Silicon Valley is amazing even compared to Seattle. I wouldn't move to a backwater for fear of having to move again every 3-5 years.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by travelbuffoon on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:53AM (#18308397)
> 2nd class citizen

Huh?

Also, those places are way more international than most places in Europe, which makes relocation more attractive. Good luck attracting non-Italians to Italy, or non-Polish to Poland.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by alkonaut on Friday October 26, 2018 @08:11AM (#18308484)
I (as a neither Polish or Italian person) wouldn't mind moving to either, but given the current political climate in Poland I'd rather move to Italy tbh.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by doombolt on Friday October 26, 2018 @07:56AM (#18308415)
Is not it obvious? When you tell you do software in Perugia you sound important, when you tell the same in London you basically say you're a nobody.

I would gladly move to Italy with its amazing culture. I would not move to a place so diverse and full of recent immigrants that it no longer has any specific culture. Am I unique here?

And yes, people relocate to Poland a lot, from ex-USSR countries for example.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by pjc50 on Friday October 26, 2018 @08:05AM (#18308455)
You don't want to immigrate to London because there are too many immigrants?
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by doombolt on Friday October 26, 2018 @12:13PM (#18310572)
Yep! It's so crowded, nobody goes there anymore.
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by travelbuffoon on Friday October 26, 2018 @08:09AM (#18308475)
Needing that kind of recognition seems unhealthy.

I'm pretty sure both London and Switzerland have cultures (OK, UK culture is mostly just drinking but still...).

Large software hubs generally need to pull in people from around the world, not just USSR. And that's the crux of the problem. London, Berlin, Paris, Zurich are all major international cities - it's easier for people from all around the world to settle down there than in places like Warsaw or Perugia.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by fjsolwmv on Friday October 26, 2018 @08:12AM (#18308497)
Do people move to Poland, or do employers hire local underemployed (and Soviet era educated) talent?
Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by LeonidasXIV on Friday October 26, 2018 @09:01AM (#18308766)
> hire local underemployed (and Soviet era educated) talent

You are aware that the Soviet era is long ago and the youngest people educated under a Soviet system are mid-30 by now? There is plenty of universities in Poland teaching among other things also Computer Science.

Re:Google drops plans for Berlin campus after protests by jxub on Friday October 26, 2018 @09:31AM (#18308988)
Well, to be honest both jobs and salaries are booming there right now.