Emigration of Russian programmers and entrepreneurs can stimulate US IT business

The English-language publication The Street talked about how the current economic difficulties in Russia can stimulate IT business in the United States. The Street writes that the “next Sergey Brin” is likely to be in the United States this year, if he has not moved in 2014.

As the newspaper notes, the main problem is not only in more than 40% of the devaluation of the ruble, but also in an unstable political situation, in particular, because of the situation in the east of Ukraine. Anton Gladkoborodov, one of the creators of the Coub service, told the publication that he could already name from five to eight companies that had relocated to the United States recently. This list includes not only the updated Hopes & Fears, but also the service of Luka restaurant recommendations, included in the Y-Combinator acceleration program.

Separately, Anton notes the fact that if only recently Russian young companies could somehow attract Western funding, now it is virtually impossible.

Many global companies headquartered in the United States last year recruited Russians as employees, helping them obtain a visa on the basis of a H1-B (working-professional visa) application. Among such companies are Google, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft, as well as Intel and Infosys. The publication cites the words of Scott Purcell, who works as a recruiting manager at Jobspring Partners, who said that "Russians are a valuable resource."
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Nina Zavrieva, the founder of Channelkit service, adds that "high-level Russian specialists receive comfortable offers in terms of conditions and level of remuneration, feeling good in Silicon Valley."

She also says that in a situation with a fast-growing business, Russian funds cannot satisfy their appetite by offering uninteresting investments in terms and amounts. This forces many entrepreneurs to look for ways to move to the US with their product.