[fabienpenso]

Well there is a huge difference. As a Software Engineer you want to work in San Francisco because it's where your job happens.

In Paris, nothing happens on that level. If you do want to come to Paris it's because of the amazing food, lifestyle, public transportation system, and certainly not because of the amazing startups we should have.

[hnriot]

Not to mention working in Paris is like working part time here. 35 hour weeks!!! Mandated by law too. Of course this might also be why there isn't a vibrant startup culture.

[byroot]

Companies can easily workaround the 35 hours week with the "cadre" status that basically nullify the regulated hours constraint, and they do.

I don't know any developer in Paris that do a 35 hours week. Actually it's even the contrary, French managers have a strong culture of evaluating employees performance based on presence. So you see a lot of peoples doing 10-12 hours a day, or coming back to the office on saturday.

[plopper]

This. I don't know any french developer not being on a day rate instead of an hour rate. An awful lot of people on an hour rate have a number of extra hours factored in their salary by default.

It's still better than the US, "cadre" status (but not top management) is officially around 180-190 day of work per year (depending on the unions).

[danielharan]

I'd say that in Paris, a referral is necessary and often sufficient. Le "piston".

In SF, it's often necessary and hardly ever sufficient.

[fabienpenso]

> I'd say that in Paris, a referral is necessary and often sufficient. Le "piston".

+1.

I think it's a core deep cultural issue about France. The whole system is completely corrupted, people are used to get "passe-droit" (not sure about the translation) for anything, and even the top Political leaders are acting this way. Politician asking cops not to be fined for something illegal they just did, a friend of a friend asking the School President to let their kid attend their school, etc.

The whole French society is based on this. Many say it's a Monarchy, and not a Republic.

[natrius]

I think the English word you're looking for is "nepotism."

[vorador]

"Passe-droit" means "special favor" in french.