Exploitation implies level playing fields and all things being equal. It assumes a manager had the opportunity to hire the $20k dev and haggled them down.
No one in the US would agree to work for $20k; it’s insulting. In other parts of the world, it’s not insulting and so they do work for it. It’s even a competitive advantage to some. To others, touting a high price is an advantage.
There’s so much psychology going on here. I wouldn’t hire a $20k dev for 2 simple reasons: language barriers and time zones. Could I could $20k devs that don’t have these downsides? Absolutely. But not worth my time looking.
No one in the US would agree to work for $20k; it’s insulting. In other parts of the world, it’s not insulting and so they do work for it. It’s even a competitive advantage to some. To others, touting a high price is an advantage.
There’s so much psychology going on here. I wouldn’t hire a $20k dev for 2 simple reasons: language barriers and time zones. Could I could $20k devs that don’t have these downsides? Absolutely. But not worth my time looking.