As a well qualified software Dev, I left the UK ten years ago. One of the many experiences that led to that decision was being ‘in the front row seats’ shall we say, of a software startup that tried everything to get some support from the government.
All it did was earn us extra, inconvenient attention from tax auditors - who naturally found us completely clean. Great demonstration of how much UK Gov cared about innovation to me, at that time.
UK Gov appear obsessed with two things: Their financial sector - which produces nothing of material worth, and strutting on the world stage. Both great hobbies of the hard core elite who look down on the lower (+middle) classes with contempt.
Consequent decades of domestic policy failure due to this high level corruption, and the medias deflection of those onto Europe, are what led to Brexit: Moreso than any real racism - an easy charge that unjustly deflected the elite’s brief flash of geopolitical shame onto ‘gammons’.
Tragic: UK could have become a progressive beacon of academic excellence in Europe had it not been for greed of a few (sale of ARM as another bellwether, anyone?).
Ever thus, I suppose.
Until Nigel Farage becomes PM and brings the same trumpery to the UK.
He already is. Reform is running Lancashire and will be defunding shit tons of stuff DOGE style.
Luckily the writer of the article understands that there is more to it than attracting ‘the best’ workers:
This week alone, US companies have taken over two UK tech businesses, and Mr Kassai doesn’t seem surprised.
“Shareholders, investors, board members are going to find the highest bidder and the US tends to pay more,” he said.
“There’s four times as much capital invested into startup companies than there is in the whole of Europe, so naturally when it comes through a sale, the US is often able to pay a higher price.”
