[toberoni]

I agree the US provide a very high materialistic living standard if you are well-educated or rich - but as you said, focusing on the tech sectors is a very narrow view on societies as a whole.

As an European working in tech I really don't care about those millions of dollars. My income - very low on the SV-scale - is more than enough to live a comfortable life.

Compared to the Anglosphere this also means that there is a lot less pressure in regard to getting priced-out with a median salary. Public transport & infastructure is great, university education is cheap and housing is affordable (not just for me, but also my friends in other industries).

Personally, this feels more egalitarian and I prefer it to a society with higher GDP that comes with more inequality.