Wouldn't TN visas be a workaround?

> Business types with none to little engineering experience should never, under any circumstances, manage engineers

In my experience as a developer at a bunch of different companies, the worst managers have actually been the opposite -- they were ex-engineers who knew nothing about management and decided to become managers for the wrong reasons (small raise, more power, etc), and had no passion for management. The longer one's career, the more one comes to respect managers, I think, and understand what a skill it is unto itself. Many young engineers have times when they feel hostile towards management or even the idea of having a "boss" at all, but that just makes the situation worse. One needs to have a more collaborative attitude to succeed. Again, it's the ex-engineers who think managements is just "common sense" are the ones you need to steer clear of.

Haven't used the service personally (though I have received a couple things from them), but the Cards Against Humanity people run a fulfillment company: https://www.blackbox.cool/

> How does his long-term success compare to other well-known businesses?

You mean, how does it compare to two cherry-picked extremely successful businesses (and one other one thrown in for "objectivity")?

Is it a better alternative to set it up on EC2 instances?

The move towards profit at all costs to the general public is seemingly global at this point. There's not much escaping it. We all know the trouble with the U.S. Harper's government in Canada has silenced scientists who would speak out about the negative impacts of government policies, the UK is seeing university tuitions triple and then some, with student loans becoming more and more normal, despite the huge flashing warning sign the U.S. is about student debt...

All over - stories about propping up the rich on the backs of anyone not rich. The thing is, the middle and lower classes are complicit in their own demise, voting in conservative governments or lackey liberals who don't even make attempts to keep their corporate connections secret anymore - let alone their desires to make life easier on those that already have it the easiest. Just toss a few "abortion" quotes around and the public will distract themselves with infighting while their standards of living are being destroyed, and for the first time in modern history, your kids won't be better off or live longer than you.

Used to be we could say that at least there were scientists and other altruistic professions out there fighting the good fight. But even they are being actively stifled in order to boost corporate profits (US, Canada, others.)

I don't even know. I hate being pessimistic.

Apologies. End rant.