[satsuma]

it could also be there because the work is for a company that some have moral objections to, like raytheon or meta. i think i remember a story on here that meta had to highball offers for similar positions when compared to their contemporaries because of how they've been torched in the media lately.

i think of it like free agency in sports -- unsuccessful teams, teams in small/undesirable markets, and teams with unliked coaching/management will have to pay a premium to attract talent. why go to detroit, a basement dweller team with a coach who is universally reviled when you can go to los angeles and be on a winning team with a respected front office for a modest pay cut?