[adventured]

> Cheaper tech teams with less competition. Australia has a lot of talent in the software space, but without the eye watering wage bills.

Since you're referring to all of Australia - those advantages are all neutralized by choosing any of two dozen other US cities to start in. You get the advantages of the vast US market, other cities have far lower real estate costs than you see in most of Australia, you can choose states like Texas and Florida which have no income tax and large local talent pools, you can choose various cities based on their unique value propositions such as eg Pittsburgh due to Carnegie Mellon, or perhaps Denver Colorado due to lifestyle. You can also still choose Seattle, Los Angeles, NYC, Boston if you want to just step down one notch in cost on engineering salaries, while still being at a world-class level of talent (with each of those having their own distinct value propositions).

The US has 280 million people living outside of California and an economy 16 times the size of Australia that is now growing far faster than Australia.

[danieltillett]

You do gain something keeping the tech team in Australia which is Australians are much more “team” orientated than Americans. “Mateship” really is a thing here that means something. A tight team with focus will beat a group of talented individuals every time.

[abrak]

According to Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory, the USA and Australia have very similar cultures, although 'mateship' is not a dimension considered I will admit. :D

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofstede%27s_cultural_dimensio... https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/austral...

I would suggest that all national cultures value loyal friendship and working as a team. That said, 'mateship' has a sense of egalitarianism to it, and while Australia and the USA are egalitarian cultures, that is lacking in other nations, e.g., China.

https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/austral...

[danieltillett]

Australia and the USA have deceptively similar cultures. On the surface we are very similiar, but there are a lot of important differences that can bite you on the backside when you least expect it. Group dynamics are probably one of the more important differences.

[jacques_chester]

I think the real strength of Australians is our cheerful cynicism and laconic humour; these allow for honest appraisal. We are optimistic ("she'll be right"), but it is a different species from American optimism ("I'm going to build the impossible").

I work in NYC and my office has, at any time, between 5 and 10 Australians working there, out of ~100. It is a tremendous comfort to have that common sense of humour at hand. If I had my way we'd have a few more.

[danieltillett]

Australians tend to lack confidence on their own in the greater world, but when put together as a team they think they can beat everyone (and often do).

One thing we don't make is good managers of Americans - cynicism and laconic humour does not come across well with American employees.

[peatmoss]

I’d work for an Aussie, but my auxiliary national affiliation in New Zealand would mandate I give them some good natured grief :-)

I’d say it takes all kinds. I work with one Aussie who is a great manager, and she enjoys good rapport with everyone above and below as far as I can tell.

Kiwis and Aussies that I’ve known have had a tendency to project a feeling place inferiority which I think is rubbish. Everyone has imposter syndrome, but being from Aussie or NZ is no reason to feel inferior. Stand tall!

[danieltillett]

Yes there are good Aussie (and Kiwi) managers of Americans, just as a rule they tend to run into problems - the approaches that work with Australian employees can fail spectacularly with US employees.

Yes the Australian cultural cringe (the Kiwi version is even worse) is pretty terrible. The way to overcome it is work as a team. In a team Aussies/Kiwis really beleive they can beat the world. It is a very intersting cultural trait.

[eli_gottlieb]

>One thing we don't make is good managers of Americans - cynicism and laconic humour does not come across well with American employees.

So how does cynicism come across to Americans? As a New Yorker by birth/upbringing/family, I often wonder if this is part of the gap between my family and "Americans".