Hell, I'm more interested in how this guy consistently takes 2-4 weeks of vacation per year. Maybe it really is typical in Europe.

It is.

Not sure for other European countries, but in Italy most collectives bargain agreements (negotiated by unions and covering like 98% of workers) state that every worker has a right to ask for at least 14 uninterrupted days of vacation. Plus more days depending on the employment level and tenure in the company.

When i was a kit my father used to take three weeks in the summer, every summer.

So yes, it really is typical in Europe.

It’s just an American thing that 3-4 weeks of vacation per year is luxury.

Typical in Australia to. Mandatory to be provided by the employer, but you don't have to take it. In that case the hours accrue and you get the paid out if you leave the company.

The culture is pretty good for it though so people do tend to take it, and it is expected that the company is responsible for making it possible for you to take it uninterrupted (experiences vary).

It's kind of good for software because it implores a company get it's bus factor above 1, so when "the guy that does that" is gone for 2-4 weeks they have a backup plan.

The minimum legal for a standard contract is 5 weeks per year in France. It can skyrock to 10 in some position like rail worker, or university staff.

It really is typical in Europe. BUT, there are employers / teams in the US that don't treat people like crap. I promise. Now is a difficult time to switch jobs, but please do consider it in the future! No reason to settle, life is too short to be chained to a computer every day.

I work as a SWE at FAANG-adjacent company in the US, according to workday I'm scheduled to use up 250 hours of time off this year (that's about 6 work-weeks), and we get 10 paid holidays. I take time off in 1-2 week increments, hard to take off 6 weeks all at once. Most of my team takes a similar amount of time off, it's part of the "culture" if you will.

It would be nice if the US had more favorable employee laws (sick time + time off + maternity/paternity leave). Maybe one day...

Like somebody else said, typical in Australia too. Companies tend to be pretty accomodating about when you take it within reason, and those who don't wish to take it, or who work somewhere where the work culture is the exception, i.e., people are expected to always be on deck, can look forward to having it paid out when they leave.

Just a word of caution for those who do this though, if the company goes bust, your payout will be via bankruptcy handling, and so you may not receive everything if you accrue a LOT.

Perhaps I'm just too used to the system, but... I have 6 weeks of paid vacation per year and on top of that I take 1-4 weeks of unpaid.

I truly cannot understand how people in cerebral professions can function at all for more than a year without taking vacations all the time. Perhaps they cannot and just think they are productive?

The fact that even 2 weeks of vacation per year(!) seems like a lot to you is pretty telling for the state of employment in the US.

1 month per year is mandatory in Brazil.