[kirpekar]

If you ignore subtle nuances (idea, team, fit, equity, blah, blah), hiring is mostly about the money.

Pay $0 --> Nobody will work for you.

Pay $60k --> OK few people interested

Pay $200k --> Suddenly a lot of devs want to give up their idea and work for you.

Pay $1M --> Small, mid-size CTOs

Pay $10B --> Steve Jobs?

The things you mentioned "solid idea, traction, technical myself, and profitability" are about 1% of the deal. 99% is what the employee gets in his or her first paycheck.

(This has been my personal experience, so far. I'm in the Bay Area too)

[us]

LOL I don't think you could get Steve Jobs to leave Apple even if you offered $10T much less $10B but I kid.

On a more serious note, I agree a large part is due to how much you're willing to pay. But even then, and don't get me wrong, there are lots of applicants. The problem isn't finding people willing to go for the job or paying out market rate. It's finding people that are a fit. As they say, good talent almost never look for a job. And that's where the issue comes in...