It's also all coming together: it's about Germany, which a lot of Europeans don't have a positive opinion on (to put it mildly), then it's about East Germany which a lot of West Germans don't have a positive opinion on (to put it mildly), and finally it's also about the EU's / Germany's governing model which most startup-scene-hipsters on HN don't have a positive opinion on (to put it mildly).
There's hardly a topic like this where almost everybody finds something to complain about ;)
It varies. They have a bit of a rep and stereotypes, much like France, for example.
The thing is that germany has the history of racial genocide, along with a number of nasty features. The german economy has done well. Maybe too well. They refuse to buy non-german products to spread the prosperity with EU.
Germany as a country has some cultural feature that are not fun. It's riddled with busy-bodies. Germans have too many of the type of people that can be a pain to work with due to their relentless pursuit of... constant improvement? perfection? idk what it is.
Then you have the countries stance towards outsiders, the disabled, people that are different that isn't always the most welcoming. Germans can be sooo snooty and pretentious.
Example from trip to Berlin. I did not realize how hard the clubs were to get into. You have to do this whole song and dance where you prepare to look cool, somewhat edgy, but not too edgy! while simultaneous pretending not to care about any of it.
Everything must be just right! Don't come alone (no one wants weird loner), or in a large group (big groups can be too much). Don't be foreign (this is an unwritten rule they pretend doesn't exist). You pay for tickets too, even if they don't let you in. All this for a techno club, which is unheard of, even blasphemous where I'm from.
Also the genocide / Nazi thing. I'm really sick of people acting like germany should just be over it by now. It's the same people living there that did it basically. Some of those same ideas exists (see before mentioned policies that exclude foreigners and people with disabilities)
So yeah, I get the hate. Definitely, the French tend to feel this way, but it seems like the Italians get it too... and UK and Spain, lol. It's really hit or miss, and often just a mild dislike.
Who cares about positive opinions from other people who feel entitled? Obviously TSMC , Bosch, Infineon, NXP management does not. It makes sense. Put it in Germany because it's a stable country (unlike Hungary due to Orban and Poland, Romania or Bulgaria due to the war plus other political factors like right wing hardliners or corruption), put it in Dresden because of cheaper workforce, higher unemployment and also fund it with EU subsidies.
Just look around in the comments here, you'll find plenty of stereotyping. One thing is important though: Berlin is neither East nor West (never has been after WW2), it's entirely it's own thing culture wise. Your experience in Berlin won't really tell you anything about the rest of Germany.
