I'm also a dev from NZ, and I worked in the US a few years ago. Honestly it's not all it's cracked up to be, and I wouldn't choose to go back there. Trump didn't factor into that decision, but now it's even less enticing.

Aussie dev here with a similar story. I lived and worked in the bay area for a couple of years a few years ago. I wouldn't choose to go back there either, especially now.

And I have Australian friends in the bay area now who are reconsidering which country they want their tax dollars to go to.

How come?

Here's what I wrote about it when I left:

https://josephg.com/blog/goodbye-sf/

Sydney and Melbourne have had massive increases in homelessness since you wrote this unfortunately.

How have you found London? And where would you recommend a Perthian turned Melbourian dev head to if we have to go overseas to find ourselves?

Homelessness in Sydney/Melbourne is extremely tame compared to SF. Especially areas like The Mission. I was floored on a recent visit at how bad the problem was.

In what city did you work?

I was in San Francisco. Admittedly, that's a very unique situation. But I was shocked to see so many homeless people, and that the streets were so dirty. I was shocked to hear so many reports of gun violence coming from Oakland. There is just so much hopelessness in America.

I had a really bad experience with health care. In New Zealand, I never had to think twice about visiting the ER or hospital, where it's free, very high quality, and there's no long waits. In the US, a few trips to the ER including x-rays cost me something like ten thousand dollars, even after health insurance. My startup's plan might have not been great, but I understand why so many Americans go bankrupt from medical debt. I have a friend who went through cancer, which ended up costing millions of dollars. His family would have literally lost their home without the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits lifetime limits.

Having said that, I do like most things about San Francisco. There's some great food, great people, and so many things to do. It's a great place to live if you are wealthy. I wouldn't go back there as an employee or a startup founder, but maybe one day as an investor.

I would love to give New Zealand a try! Sign me up!

New Zealand is pretty awesome if you're wealthy, enjoy nature, can work remotely, go to bed early, and enjoy driving everywhere. I think it's also an ideal place to raise a family.

Yeah, the U.S. is a diverse place. Even the American people don't understand their own diversity, as you can see from the shock about the results of this election.