I've worked with a lot of Europeans and overwhelmingly they are not on H-1B visas.
Green cards, L-1, O-1 and spouse visas are the way to go.
Getting an O-1 visa in the software space is a lot easier than you think, especially with the way the software industry works in Europe (it's a much smaller pool with a higher average level of education and way more public speaking & publishing opportunities) in general the requirements are easier than if I were to have to try for it.
This is a non sequitur. There is no way to directly get a green card. That is a final outcome after proceeding through one of the few remaining immigration visa options.
Also O-1 is decidedly not easy. Look at Peter Roberts frequent legal posts here for comments about it.
I'm on a J2 and think I can progress onto another one if I decide to stay in a couple years (via a work sponsorship). Saying this, Green Cards are obviously crazy difficult to get without already living in the US for years and O-1 visas are also really difficult to get. L-1's work if you're at a large company but not if you're working for startups.
Green cards, L-1, O-1 and spouse visas are the way to go.
Getting an O-1 visa in the software space is a lot easier than you think, especially with the way the software industry works in Europe (it's a much smaller pool with a higher average level of education and way more public speaking & publishing opportunities) in general the requirements are easier than if I were to have to try for it.