[ttarabula]

I both agree with the general sentiment of this piece and the backlash in the comments against its overly optimistic view. My gut sense as a newcomer to Toronto is that the _trajectory_ looks amazing, but there's simply no doubt that any comparison to the tech super clusters like Bay Area and NYC is totally disingenuous right now.

I'd love to get some advice from fellow tech migrants like myself that have moved from one of those places (NYC in my case) to a less vibrant but still honestly quite exciting environment like Toronto. Accepting a giant pay cut while still tying myself to a corporate 9-5 here is a depressing thought, and I'm not yet convinced that I feel right simply working remotely for US based companies, even if compensation opportunity is on average 1.5-2x better. Has anyone found a good balance between those worlds? Something that gives back to the local tech ecosystem but also taps in to the the better market potential to the south? I suppose building a business here and selling to the US, but trying to stay headquartered in Toronto is one way to do that, but any other thoughts?

[adubz]

I am in a similar situation, and settled on start-up life. AI here is strong, and there are a fair number interesting companies built around it. Get into one, and you’ll have a lot of freedom to guide the tech environment. Compensation is still limited, but a decent exit can at least reduce the bleed. It’s suboptimal, but I do appreciate how teachable my coworkers are.

[ttarabula]

That makes me feel better. Joining an AI startup is exactly what I ended up doing, so it's good to have someone in a similar situation to end up with the same answer!