<p><pre><code> > The main reason I think Asia/Australia/NZ etc are an important missing link for the global startup ecosystem is that there's a big gap from 5pm to 2am SF time where no one is working. That's a 9 hour gap where bugs can be fixed, support can be given, and features can be shipped.
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This requires a very mature org that has a really strong culture of clear, written communication. Not very common, IME.
> My gut feeling is that US-founded startups consider Australia, NZ, SE Asia as too hard-basket to set up offices for, and don't want to deal with the potentially complex company structure, tax and payroll issues that hiring employees in these countries might require.<p>That's pretty much it. There is a significant cost to doing this, and the talent pool in Australia just isn't deep enough to necessarily make it worthwhile.