Not sure why you're being downvoted. There has been a brain-drain from industry and academia because FAANG and the Bay Area have been providing software enginee

Not sure why you're being downvoted. There has been a brain-drain from industry and academia because FAANG and the Bay Area have been providing software engineers with much better compensation, even with the cost-of-living factored in. Some companies can't compete, and many others just refuse to compete.