Yes, and that is an unhealthy way to manage churn in most cases. Perhaps Zapier is different but I'm skeptical. I think it's more likely that a higher than typi

Yes, and that is an unhealthy way to manage churn in most cases. Perhaps Zapier is different but I'm skeptical. I think it's more likely that a higher than typical fraction of their workers are dissatisfied but locked in for reasons you note. As for wages, the concept of "cost of living adjustment" is just a way for owners to keep more of the profits at the expense of employees. If web/mobile app shop X in the Bay can pay $120k for a freshly minted BS grad, they can pay that for a remote dev living in Milwaukee or eastern Europe, and it's very likely a company based in Milwaukee could do the same. They don't because of the leverage, though.