[starter]

Yes, isn't that possible with direct hiring instead of paying more to go through outsourcing firms? My understanding is that roughly $500 monthly puts an Indian in the middle class. Double that and I figure we would be really attractive to young, entry level programmers.

[RealGeek]

Those outsourcing firms usually pay between $300 to $1,000 to developers. They usually hire bad programmers who do not understand fundamentals and write spaghetti code from an ancient era.

This salary isn't attractive to good programmers any more.

[lgieron]

You're not in middle class if you need your month's wage to buy a smartphone.

[starter]

Maybe not in America but India's different and remember, smart phones made in third world countries have different markups since manufacturing is cheap and nearby.

[RealGeek]

Smartphones and other electronics are more expensive in India, almost twice of US prices.

[abhshkbtra]

You'd be wrong there. Middle class in India starts at less than a decent smart phone's cost.