> Working in the right conditions (e.g. Bay Area, Big Tech, right team) can greatly accelerate your growth
This is the answer. I have grown more in ~7 years* of random SFBA startups than I did in the previous 13 years of career in Europe. Just because the kind of startup that's a dime a dozen over here is a once in a lifetime opportunity back home.
To put this contrast into numbers: In 2021, during the pandemic while "SFBA is dying" was the mem, the Bay Area raised as much startup investment as all of Europe.
*I wasn't as career aggressive as I could've been, mostly for visa-related reasons.
This is the answer. I have grown more in ~7 years* of random SFBA startups than I did in the previous 13 years of career in Europe. Just because the kind of startup that's a dime a dozen over here is a once in a lifetime opportunity back home.
To put this contrast into numbers: In 2021, during the pandemic while "SFBA is dying" was the mem, the Bay Area raised as much startup investment as all of Europe.
*I wasn't as career aggressive as I could've been, mostly for visa-related reasons.