[seanmcdirmid]

What other options do you have? All cities have the same issue to lesser degree: Seattle is a bit cheaper than SF but also maybe has a bit less talent, Portland is cheaper still than Seattle with less talent still. Unless you are a FAANG who can convince people to relocate to Durham for a bit lesser pay, it’s going to tough going trying to recruit the right talent in that LCOL even though compensation is less.

You are stuck making trade offs wherever you base your office, the market remains sort of efficient like that. If you have the network to hire the right talent in say Atlanta, go for it. But many will still do better in SF.

[rufus_foreman]

>> What other options do you have?

100 other metro areas in the US and 5 other continents.

[seanmcdirmid]

All with different trade offs to be made.

[photonbeam]

These companies have been importing people from all over the US (and elsewhere) to the bay area. Its not efficient at all

[seanmcdirmid]

Yes, but not just from one singular location they could go instead. It isn’t easy setting up in Shanghai and Bangalore.

[ben_jones]

> What other options do you have?

Many companies are plopping offices right next to university clusters, which is a good solution if you need both talent and cost efficiencies. Consider the research Triangle in North Carolina as one example.

It’s probably shorter to just say SFs appeal is largely to fresh grads who want to party in a city and industry consolidation - both the consolidation of actual tech companies and the financial services that service them, like VCs. SF does not have any monopoly on fresh grads and no longer represents a disproportionate consolidation of the tech industry which is now very spread out.

> You are stuck making trade offs wherever you base your office, the market remains sort of efficient like that.

Absolutely there are tradeoffs. I believe people are struggling to realize the entrepreneurial tradeoffs of SF have changed (as much as I don’t want them to as a local resident), and now disproportionately encourage cynicism - oh wait AI will turn everything around never mind.

[seanmcdirmid]

Ya, you know 25 or so years ago, SF wasn’t the place to do tech, that was more mid and South Bay. Then it was for awhile, and maybe it isn’t going to be much of a place for it again.

I really wish the techs would fully embrace remote work and then just equalize pay already. You can work and live where you want, although you might not get paid enough to live in SF, but it’s your choice and problem.

[ikiris]

They are embracing equal pay, by massive layoff waves.

[fortran77]

Sunnyvale, Mountain View, San Jose, Cupertino, Santa Clara