[oliwarner]

DeveloperAuction gets developers paid the least the market can pay and get away with

Auctions with a scarce supply get collectors and enthusiasts. Prices soar. Auctions with a constant stream of the same old stuff are just a race to the bottom.

They're currently following the first model by limiting where the engineers can come from. They clearly want to be seen as the Southerby's of the recruitment auction world.

So it'll be interesting to see how long before they figure out they'll probably make more money being Ebay.

[JoachimSchipper]

I have no idea how this will play out, but note that Sotheby's is still in business and made a profit of $171.4 million. Which is to say, exclusivity can pay pretty well, especially if they manage to keep money that would usually go to recruiters' fees for themselves.

[oliwarner]

This is the truth but —to continue the analogy— ebay profits are double that... every month.

It is definitely a choice and differentiation is much, much easier when you're snobby about your merchandise but are they going to have enough product to sell to keep the doors open indefinitely? Are there really that many A* candidates in major tech firms and positions that want to move job?