Hello everyone, 👋 I've been following the job postings and I've noticed a recurring trend that's left me intrigued. As someone deeply involved in Platform/SRE roles with a track record spanning both the USA and EU, particularly with Series A+ startups, I've had the privilege of enabling some of the fastest-growing tech ventures to operate reliably and scale efficiently through platform design and management. My approach is grounded in a commitment to excellence, prioritizing the needs of clients without taking shortcuts. One of the most significant challenges faced by startup founders and VPs is sourcing skilled engineers who are not only technically proficient but also reliable and communicative. Given this, I find myself pondering a question: why isn't a team of highly skilled EU engineers like ours more attractive to potential employers? Could it be that there's a perceived necessity for engineering teams to be based in the US to gain trust from clients? Are there legal preferences or guarantees that clients seek when engaging in business relationships, driving this inclination towards US-based teams? Moreover, I'm curious if there are avenues through which we can bridge this gap and offer our services to US clients, leveraging our expertise while mitigating costs. Are there strategies or best practices that we might employ to reassure potential clients of the quality of our services? Additionally, if anyone has recommendations for mentors or experts who could guide us in our efforts to expand our reach into the US market, I would greatly appreciate it. I believe that by exploring these questions and seeking out solutions collaboratively, we can not only address the challenges faced by startup founders and VPs but also create opportunities for skilled engineers like us to contribute meaningfully on a global scale. Looking forward to your insights and suggestions.

Could it be a timezone thing?

I hope it is, because it's easily remedied. I already work for USA based startups and I didn't had issues with being in the different time zone. We overlap for several hours and during the days when they need more of my direct involvment (release days, debugging, downtime) I can reschedule to be fully available during clients office hours.

I think there are a number of complicating factors. My company has many clients that have clauses in their contracts that their data cannot be accessed (including even just "viewed") by anyone outside of the US. We do have some employees located internationally and this has made things challenging and may impact our hiring options in the future. I'm sure pay is another thing that's complicated and definitely tax is an issue. Companies can't even just hire anyone from any state in the US without handling tax implications.

@Erin Doyle Do you think one possible solution to that would be to start a company in the US? The clients would then make a contract with a legal body within the US, while we would work as a contractors for our US based company.

I honestly don't know. That's not really my area of expertise. I just know that especially for startups that need to run lean and keep things simple it's just easier to focus on the talent pool in the US and not have to address the additional challenges introduced with employees located outside the US.

Deel might be worth a look for hiring globally but not having to worry about the tax implications, compliance, etc.

@Admir Hadzic

Do you think one possible solution to that would be to start a company in the US? The clients would then make a contract with a legal body within the US, while we would work as a contractors for our US based company.

I know of a European company that works that way with an employee in the US, who uses and LLC. It was the same when I worked for them out of Israel. The implication for you is that you have the headache of being both an employee and an employer (of yourself).

Following on what Erin posted, if the company deals with US tax returns, it is illegal (not just a company clause) for a US tax return to go outside the US even viewing only without the taxpayer’s consent. Also, HIPAA laws have tons of stuff like that. There may be others, but those are 2 off the top of my head.