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I've run a tech business on three continents, and nothing comes close to the Kafkaesque labyrinth of the German world. Everything is unbelievably complicated a
by nish1500 3mo ago
I've run a tech business on three continents, and nothing comes close to the Kafkaesque labyrinth of the German world.
Everything is unbelievably complicated and over-engineered, and every layer is immune to change. Every rule was rational when it was added, and now everyone has a financial stake in continued complexity. The German notary is the highest-paid notary in the world, and the highest-earning professional in the country.
That said, I think a lot of the frustration comes from a mismatch of expectations. Germany wasn't designed for randos to start companies and thrust change on society. All the bureaucracy is a filter, and what it filters out is change itself.
You were never supposed to incorporate a company. You were supposed to get a job at Volkswagen.
- earcar 3mo agoCan't agree with you more.
- artemonster 3mo agoand just read these awful comments defending this nonsense and shifting the blame. so much arrogance its nauseating
- TulliusCicero 3mo agoGermans will say they're not very patriotic, but really the way German patriotism manifests is a resistance to outside criticism paired with a stubborn insistence that things ought not change.
- lazyasciiart 3mo agoI haven’t seen it manifest any differently elsewhere?
- TulliusCicero 3mo agoAmericans on the Internet will often heartily agree with foreigners about all kinds of things that are shit in America and need to be changed: public transit, walkability, health care costs, university costs, money in politics, lack of basic geographic knowledge, etc. Of course there are some more conservative folks who may be more resistant to those critiques, but the average American will just nod along. If you mention on this website that healthcare in the US can be insanely expensive, you'll mostly see agreement from Americans.
- lazyasciiart 3mo agoAmericans on the internet don't have confederate flags up and vote for Trump either. If you wanted to talk about how patriotism manifests on the internet, say so.
- TulliusCicero 3mo agoAmericans IRL only rarely have Confederate flags these days. If you want to discuss the extreme right, say so.
- lazyasciiart 3mo agoI see them IRL in Washington state, which makes them unthinkably common IMO. But it is hilarious to see you respond so defensively to my comment saying Americans dislike criticism of their country.
- TulliusCicero 3mo agoAh, so pointing out the truth is "so defensive". Amazing! Yes, there are members of the extreme right even in WA state. There's more of them in red states, but there's certainly some in blue states as well.
- mlrtime 3mo ago"confederate flags up and vote for Trump " lumping these two together clearly shows your bias and lack of knowledge on who actually voted for Trump in the last election. He won every demographic except one.
- DiscourseFan 3mo agoYeah but those guys are also complaining about shit and agree with people from outside who make those same complaints. Its just that they are wackos.
- mlrtime 3mo ago>f you mention on this website that healthcare in the US can be insanely expensive, you'll mostly see agreement from Americans. Because conservatives/progressives agree on this. What they disagree on is how to fix it.
- selfmodruntime 3mo agoMore like a stubborn insistence that their way is right and ultimately, the only way.
- selfmodruntime 3mo agoThere's a German proverb I enjoy. "Am deutschen Wesen soll die Welt genesen", which roughly means "The world shall be healed through the German spirit/nature." It implies German cultural and/or moral superiority and was used in earnest during the 19th century by nationalists. It's use often has a more ironic character now, but it's proponents are alive and well.
- 1718627440 3mo agoYeah that is the idea which materialized in getting colonies at the turn of the previous century and in the actions of the third empire. I don't think that sentiment is shared by a sizable population anymore.
- selfmodruntime 3mo agoGerman arrogance, namely that we‘re doing it best and that our way is the only way, is still alive and kicking.
- 1718627440 3mo agoMaybe, but also every past government has started with the promise of cutting bureaucracy down. One of the point is to improve the situation for startups. So this is a well-known issue and the idea that this is already the optimum is not believed in the general population.
- ghusto 3mo ago> You were never supposed to incorporate a company. You were supposed to get a job at Volkswagen. This is it. They can't fathom a world in which people do their own thing. What gives me pause for thought though, is the fact that the German economy does comparitively well within the EU.
- selfmodruntime 3mo agoGermany is generally averse to any kind of social mobility.
- roncesvalles 3mo agoI would say Europe in general. And I get the sense they don't aspire to social mobility either, the way Americans do.
- 1718627440 3mo agoHonestly why should I? As long as I have anything I want.
- roncesvalles 3mo agoThe causality might not be what you think. You're happy with what you have because you don't see a path to getting substantially more.
- mlrtime 3mo agoBecause other people aren't you, and it creates a ceiling of opportunity to the people that aspire to be more than average.
- ivankra 3mo ago> German economy does comparitively well within the EU. That's well in the past. It's at the bottom in the EU by GDP growth now, and little hope for a come back.
- m_fayer 3mo agoHit the nail on the head. These bureaucratic obstacles are also a manifestation of a culture. A culture that will, in a subconscious and subtle manner, sneer bristle and balk at you, who dared to start a company. What’s wrong with you and who do you think you are, comes the message. Why isn’t what we all do good enough for you, comes the demand.
- selfmodruntime 3mo agoIf in the slim chance of you making it big, the people around you will sneer and balk, calling you a rich tick who should be paying more into a failing system
- selfmodruntime 3mo agoGerman notaries, unlike anywhere in the world, get a percantage of a done deal. That is just insane.
- markvdb 3mo agoSame here.
- SapporoChris 3mo agoWhy is this insane? "The notary serves as a neutral party ensuring both buyer and seller understand their obligations. In 2026, combined notary and land registry fees typically range from 1.5% to 2% of the property price." This is actually lower than the real estate agent percentage in USA which can be 5 to 6% split between two agents. Also, the GP "The German notary is the highest-paid notary in the world, and the highest-earning professional in the country." I thought for sure pilots, aviation specialists, medical fields would earn more. I'm dubious of the claims that a notary is the highest earning profession. Perhaps some cherry picking is being done.
- ondra 3mo agoI do not know about this being the case in Germany only; I am in a nearby country and the system is very similar. I also do think it is insane, as the fee is on top of the real estate agent fees, it is specified by the law and unavoidable, and I get a service I do not really need or want and it costs a lot of money.
- nish1500 3mo ago"...notaries, historically the highest-paid freelancers in the country. On average, they earn €356,000 per year. Or, put another way: the equivalent of 37.4 years' salary for a childcare worker." https://www.wiwo.de/erfolg/beruf/grosse-einkommensunterschiede-richtig-viel-geld-verdienen-in-deutschland-fast-nur-selbststaendige/24976050.html https://www.wiwo.de/erfolg/beruf/grosse-einkommensunterschie... A German notary handling a €1 million residential purchase typically earns 3 to 6 times as much in fees as a Dutch notary handling an equivalent transaction and assuming the same legal responsibility.