Microsoft Canada opening software dev center in Vancouver (commentary)
So, my phone was ringing off the hook this morning with people wanting feedback on the announcement that Microsoft Canada is opening a software development center here in Vancouver.
What's my reaction? It's great! Microsoft Canada has been taking some interesting steps lately, like hiring David Crow, who kick started the Toronto tech scene over the past few years. It was great to catch up with him at the Microsoft Expression launch event I attended a couple of weeks back.
Yahoo missed the chance to have an engineering team here when they moved the entire Flickr team down to San Francisco (the last big tech acquisition here in town, rumoured to be around $40M). Google has spoken with some local universities, but they tend to be computer science snobs, so they went for the more well known Waterloo (also to keep an eye on RIM, which being in the mobile space is going to become increasingly important).
I see the Microsoft lab here in Vancouver as an increasing acknowledgment that "stuff is happening" here. We've got a unique mix of creative and tech people, big companies and start ups, and world events like the 2010 Olympics that are going to put us at center stage.
So...Yahoo and Google...when are the labs coming to town? And, unlike Microsoft who are rumoured to be going to boring Burnaby or Richmond -- stick a center downtown somewhere. Gastown and Yaletown still have lots of room for you!
If you tune to Global TV for the noon show, I may be on there. I've also briefly talked to Business News Network, so we'll see if that's a go for the evening slot. Busy day....
Update: I got a small clip on Global TV in the noon show, which re-aired at 5pm and 6pm. I didn't manage to get the digital version of that clip, I'll update again if I can get a copy. I did end up getting interviewed by Howard Green from BNN (was formally Report on Business TV). It was myself and Bernie Magnan, Chief Economist for the Vancouver Board of Trade. The clip was up about an hour after the show, and I managed to find this direct link to the episode. I'm about 5 - 7 minutes in, and unfortunately it will only play on Windows as far as I can see.
Oh, and don't forget: we're talking everything from co-housing to tech tonight at DemoCampVancouver02.
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Comments
Excellent Interview
Well done on the interview Boris - you certainly sounded like you knew what you were talking about. ;)
Place to put international hires
Yep, I have the sense this is another biggie. I know several European techies who basically refuse to travel to the US at all now, never mind move and work there.
Cheap labor
So Microsoft didn't get the immigration bill passed. So they can't import an unlimited number of cheap software developers. So they can't kick hard working Americans out the back door while bring h1b's in the front.
Too frigging bad Microsoft.
As far as I'm concerned you can take it all to another country. Get the hell on Microsoft. I moved to Linux four years ago and never looked back.
Chuck,
Or Not
Chuck,
I am tired of people like you accusing Microsoft of paying H1B's cheaper wages.
I am one of the developers hired by Microsoft, who cant work in the US due to H1B restrictions. Let me tell you that I had internships at Intel, Sun and Microsoft and had more than three offers when I accepted the Microsoft offer. The average starting salary for a person with a bachelors and 0-1 years experience in my major is 50k. All three offers I got were 30-60% above that, with MS being the highest.
Most of the people that are being sent to Canada are fresh graduates, with a similar pay, experience, knowledge and talent who couldnt get H1B's in the US, because the US has reached a stage where talent is not appreciated anymore.
I love this country, and wanted to make it my home. I have tried o excel in everything I do, and have done for the most part. But it seems like the US does not need people like me anymore.
I'm not opposed to migration
I'm not opposed to immigration If you want to immigrate to America through the proper channels, I welcome you. I'm opposed to greedy corporations depressing wages and forcing the older generation in this country from high tech jobs not because their less talented than you, but because they were forced out by cheaper wages thought the H1B program. I have three friends that could probably code circles around you that are over forty and out of work. Microsoft, the banks, etc.. are all hurting Americans Not just a little, I mean alot. Jobs aren't growing in this country. Their leaving for other countries in search of cheaper labor. When a H1B takes a job in the US, they take it from a hard working American.
The H1 program was sold to as a temporary fix for the biggest corporate lie ever. America has a labor shortage. It was never ment to be a immigration program. Yet, millions of people just like you seem to think it is. Immigrate to America the proper way instead of jumping to the head of the line as a H1 worker. Your just helping to make this country just as corrupt and inhospitable as the one you seem so desperate to leave.
Corporations in this country though lies, lobbies, and just plain bully tactics have pushed Americans to the breaking point and we're fed up.
Chuck,
God lord.
What you should be worried about is the uneven distribution of wealth, so that only the very richest has gained from the recent economic boom, not the fact that people smarter than you are getting a job you want.
Seriously, you're such a textbook labour protectionist! It's only a couple of more steps (maybe the Chinese are trying to kill our children with lead paint on purpose!?!) before you veer into xenophobia. Dangerous ground.
Oh, and out of interest, what's the "proper channels" to immigrate? No you don't know, do you??
Don't need to know. U stay
Don't need to know. U stay home and I'll stay home. I'll be happy.
About time...
Why didn't they do this 15 years ago?
Vancouver is a natural place to expand to from Seattle, if they wanted to address the Canadian and international markets. We have a really good university system, and a lot of talent comes out of here.
Unfortunately, it has historically been just simpler for them, and most other U.S. companies to drain the talent to the U.S.
I think the core reason for why Microsoft is making this move at this time is to hedge their bets - the politics around immigration in the U.S. are getting intensely xenophobic, and there's a good chance that things could get really nasty in terms of getting talent in that they need to make their international product, which would impact Microsoft's bottom line. They can probably lobby their way out of any problems, but it's good to have some bargaining chips.
Also, I believe that there is probably a massive BC/Federal government incentive package in place to encourage them to make this move -- we just haven't heard about it yet. I'm hoping it isn't in the form of the EA incentive, where they took away my right (as a tech worker) to overtime. We can't compete with Bangalore in the offshoring/nearshoring game.
I think it's unfortunate that the tech industry in Canada hasn't been able to grow organically, and instead is largely dependent on government largess. Most of it has been misplaced, and it's largely been destructive.
There just isn't the "hunger" in the tech industry here that you see in the U.S. Companies here are unwilling to pay to retain top talent, as they don't see the upside to doing so. But a developer in the top 1% brings in 100x the return of an average developer. In Silicon Valley, the tech billionaires understand that, and the compensation reflects that.
At least with a good sized campus here, we will retain a few developers that we'd otherwise lose to the U.S.
Apple Dev Lab In Yaletown - Microsoft Copies Apple Again ;-)
Great news. As seems to be the case Microsoft always follows Apple in the footsteps. Apple opened up a dev center in - suprise, suprise - Yaletwon right here in Vancouver about two years ago. I guess it's a little secret but it sure exists because I worked there! Cheers.