New York's Hustle Culture vs. Milan's Slow Pace: A Tale of Two Cities

Ed Stocker, Monocle's Europe editor at large, contrasts the work cultures of New York and Milan in a personal essay. Having lived in New York for six years as Monocle's US editor, Stocker recently returned from his new home in Milan and observed stark differences. While Milan was shutting down for the summer, with residents heading to Sardinia, Liguria, or Valle d'Aosta, New Yorkers seemed not to be on holiday at all. He notes that waiters in New York shared their acting gigs, and PRs followed up queries by email, illustrating the city's hustle culture where many live to work. In contrast, Italy is decidedly 'work to live,' as Stocker experienced while refurbishing an apartment in Milan, where he had to chase workers for quotes. He also recalls a tech summit in a northern Italian city where an organizer mentioned that Italian start-ups are more risk-averse. Stocker suggests that this aversion to risk might explain the lack of raw work ethic compared to New York, or perhaps Italians are simply content with their lot. He concludes that there's room for these two tribes to meet in the middle, but there's no need for a 'desk-side' meeting anywhere in the world. The essay reflects on the transactional nature of middle-tier friendships in New York, where relationships are part of a network promising future career potential, and the only question at social gatherings is 'What do you do?'