I worked in SF for 4 years and then founded a robotics startup in Denmark. (I'm originally Australian).
The biggest difference is where startups get their funding from.
I worked at 2 startups in the bay area, both raised low millions in seed and generally paid lowish market rates with decent equity.
In Europe, most financing comes from grants. Behind the scenes, it was likely your position was was subsidised over a fixed time period, and after six months the cost of firing you goes up significantly. My guess is that they got additional subsidies for the new person, and therefore let you go. It's easier to get subsidies for new positions, and there are rules on overlapping funding that make it difficult to keep someone under continuous subsidy during breaks between subsequent applications.
Having been on both sides of the Atlantic, if you have a choice, go to the US.
Comments
I worked in SF for 4 years and then founded a robotics startup in Denmark. (I'm originally Australian).
The biggest difference is where startups get their funding from.
I worked at 2 startups in the bay area, both raised low millions in seed and generally paid lowish market rates with decent equity.
In Europe, most financing comes from grants. Behind the scenes, it was likely your position was was subsidised over a fixed time period, and after six months the cost of firing you goes up significantly. My guess is that they got additional subsidies for the new person, and therefore let you go. It's easier to get subsidies for new positions, and there are rules on overlapping funding that make it difficult to keep someone under continuous subsidy during breaks between subsequent applications.
Having been on both sides of the Atlantic, if you have a choice, go to the US.
What were the pros and cons of starting up a company in Denmark?
Since you were doing robotics, did you choose to be based in Odense?