I call this absolute bullshit. I'm working in the tech sector in Germany and I'm _far_ from not being able to afford a vacation in the US. As a matter of fact for the last 15 years I've spend at least one three week vacation in the US per year - a couple of times even a second one for a week or two. I've also heard similar statements from a couple of colleagues.
Are we being paid (a lot) less than our colleagues in the US? Oh yes and personally I wouldn't mind getting a US software engineering salary. But a good job in the tech sector still puts you very far towards the top in the salary pyramid in Europe.
I don't get this. Yes, the development seems faster _without_ a code review. But the issues that you miss, the quality that could be increased will bite you back tenfolds later on. So why is that "slow down" such a big issue?
Cost? Please explain why writing programs in assembly is supposed to be *cheaper* than writing programs in a higher level language? The same goes for convenience: Since when is writing an application in assemlby more convenient than writing an application in a modern language?