Location-Independence Isn't Just For The West

The last short email as I wrap up vacation.

The location independent workstyle isn't just a "western" experience. It's becoming common around the world. Case in point, travel through India and you can clearly see the signs.

Many Indian remote workers are relocating around the country to places that better align with their "vibe" and/or to gain wealth multiplier effects.

For example, many workers are now splitting their time between two places. Traveling to places like Goa for several months out of the year to enjoy beach side comfort and party atmospheres and then returning "home". There's something about working from a bar 10 feet from the ocean that resonates with people no matter what culture they come from.

In other cases, some workers are earning big city incomes (from Mumbai and Delhi-based companies) and choosing to move "home" where their costs are drastically reduced. The equivalent of moving from a big city to the countryside allows many individuals to better support their extended but close-knit families.

The point: it's easy to assume that remote work is a "western" privilege but the reality is much more complex. There are people all over the world taking advantage of remote incomes to improve their lives. And as more do so, it reinforces the global demand and competitive forces for remote incomes.

Rapid Fire

• Alberta’s ‘World Class’ University Risks Collapse, Says Expert | The Tyee - This is interesting for several reasons: the influence of remote work on communities, it's impact on schooling, and the intersection of government officials trying to fight off the negative changes brought about by location-independent lifestyles. This particular story may seem niche but it's happening in communities across the world.

• Minimum Viable State: Building a Nomad Internet Country · Lauren Razavi (lraz.io) - "The nation-state model is outdated. It's time to create the infrastructure for a borderless world." Perspectives and insights from a remote work/digital nomad thought leader on location-independent lifestyles and the need for new "nomad" infrastructure.

• Out Of Office Is In Demand — Chartr: Data Storytelling - "as reported by The Washington Post, 50% of job applications on LinkedIn last month were for remote work positions, despite the fact that from-home postings made up just 15% of the listings on the site."

• All of the World's Money and Markets in One Visualization (2022) (visualcapitalist.com) - "in just five years, Apple nearly quadrupled in size (it peaked at $3 trillion in January 2022), and crypto also expanded into a multi-trillion dollar market until it was brough back to Earth through the 2022 crash and subsequent FTX implosion. Meanwhile, global debt continues to accumulate--growing by $85 trillion in the five-year period. With interest rates expected to continue to rise, companies making cost cuts, and policymakers reining in spending and borrowing, today is another unique snapshot in time."

• School erases our natural relationship with work (substack.com) - On the realities of modern education and how it warps our children's sense of how to become successful in a world of makers and takers.

Extras

All People on 1 Page (worldometers.info)