[Nasrudith]

How can it be otherwise when it "should be"? I get that it is vexxing to the workers in the high COL area but why would it be done otherwise? How could it even work otherwise within the constraints. The only reason to pay more for higher COL jobs is if they get more utility.

[ip26]

You pay the extra cost to hire people in an expensive market (e.g. a high CoL locale) because you want a part of the talent pool. Now, is the talent pool in SF uniquely amazing, full of 10x developers compared to the 0.5x developers everywhere else in the world? Or is SF simply such a large talent pool that it's hard to staff your business without an office in SF? I'll let you decide.