> In my (very naive) mental model, US salaries are higher, have a lot less "overhead" for the employer, but leave more responsibility (healthcare, retirement) to the employee.

Unfortunately this time, AI does not have vacations, healthcare, retirement or bills to pay and is available 24/7, 365 days on demand.

Many companies only see this as an opportunity to cut down on employees in 2026 and Session will do the same.

So that is why to answer your question:

> ...Germany is one of the most expensive countries for employing white collar jobs?

The main reason why the downsizing will continue until "AGI" is achieved internally.