"Salary can't and shouldn't be compared accross the globe."
I disagree. If the hiring company is looking for the best candidates in the world, then they must be prepared to shell out comparable 'global' salaries.
At a "unique/very few in the world", yes, location only makes your (high) salary goes higher. But then you have 6 digits in your salary regardless if it's in $/€/£
At a "specialized position" (I guess several people on HN are here), you absolutely don't need to offer the same salary regardless of geographical position, but it has to be competitive.
The talent war is continental rather than global. There are plenty of VISA issues and legal troubles that make it impossible for a lot of people to work in a lot of countries [and for those who do, it's preventing them to get the top end of local salaries].
there is no global salary. But if a company in say, New York City, needed a special skill, you can bet they would pay NYC prices to get it regardless of location. For the rest of us saps, your comment rings true (this coming from a guy who makes less due to his location)
A top notch engineer might not want to move from Poland to the US, even if she gets paid 5-7 times as much there. She would give up all her family life and friends, and that's not for everybody. Hence, a Polish company won't have to offer 170k, or even 100k. They only have to get the upper hand of, say, German companies that are reachable via a daily commute, or require only one day per week in the office. I think 60k would do in that case? (Naive guess)
At a "unique/very few in the world", yes, location only makes your (high) salary goes higher. But then you have 6 digits in your salary regardless if it's in $/€/£
At a "specialized position" (I guess several people on HN are here), you absolutely don't need to offer the same salary regardless of geographical position, but it has to be competitive.