In theory I’m sure we would but we are a small company and clearly state that it would be a non starter for us so anyone with that preference would not bother applying.
We leverage remote workers for specialized consulting (such as legacy IE browser debugging) but we not for full time hires.
Isn't NYC in the top 10 most expensive places to live? If you're a small company, wouldn't you want to downsize expenses and not pay for excessive salaries, commercial rent, taxes, etc?
Of course I would (in theory)! The reality is different though.
New Yorkers are reasonable people that would agree that the quality of our lives (as measured by our habitat, access to air, nature etc) living almost ANYWHERE outside of NYC in the continental US would be higher. Everyone who has lived in New York for years knows this.
You live in NYC because of the people and opportunities. The incredible amount of intellectual fire power that is crossing the street at the same time as you, or having a beer at the end of your block, is unbelievable and incredibly motivating. They come from all walks of life, doing all manner of jobs, and many of them perform those jobs at the highest level of their industries globally. I grew up in Georgia, and the odds of coming across people of that caliber casually on the way to the grocery store or whatever, are almost zero.
If I could get this while living in Santa Barbara, believe me I would. The math just doesn't support it. Of course, this may not be what everyone at any particular point in time values. I appreciate that, NYC is not for them.
What would you propose as an alternative strategy?
The billing rates tend to be high to compensate based on my experience with consulting. There is no city in the world like NYC, and it has so much to offer. That's not to say there aren't constraints of different types, but it can be an amazing place to live and do business.
I'm a Northern Irish guy now living in Philadelphia. I think in a lot of ways it is now much more preferable to NYC for me. Anytime I go back to NYC I feel completely energised by the environment.
Alternative - Tech cities with moderate cost of living or suburbs of the majors. So..Texas Triangle (Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio), Research Triangle Park (Raleigh-Durham), Chicago.
We leverage remote workers for specialized consulting (such as legacy IE browser debugging) but we not for full time hires.