>Any company that openly advertises remote work as a benefit is going to discount your salary. >Imagine delivering a million dollar feature, working nights and

>Any company that openly advertises remote work as a benefit is going to discount your salary. >Imagine delivering a million dollar feature, working nights and weekends, but somehow it's discounted because of where you live? >Push back on these salary discounts and double down on the value you provide. Companies have been outsourcing development labour across the world for quite some time now, specifically to reduce costs and amplify margins, but I haven't see many taking issue with it until it's now affecting Westerners? If we accept that Bay Area salaries are provided in part because of Bay Area costs of living, why wouldn't it be discounted for those who aren't affected by costs of living pressure to the same extent? If we accept that Bay Area salaries are also provided in part because of demand exceeding supply, why wouldn't the price drop when supply is increased significantly? I understand the recent demand for remote work - offices are really becoming a toil to be in 40+ hours a week, commutes are worsening, the modern trend to discuss politics at work is ostracizing people, etc. That said, those demanding more remote availability should be aware that in doing so, in making companies more remote-friendly or remote-first, they are opening up the talent pool significantly more widely, and will be competing with people with lower costs of living who will happily accept less money for the same output. Iterating on and improving remote collaboration processes, tools, asynchronous work, performance measurement, management and more will lead to remote being favoured as a means to reducing costs. It's simply good business. Why would a Bay Area company pay someone on the East Coast a Bay Area salary, when they could pay an excellent Polish dev dramatically less for the same work? I'm all for remote personally. I adore the idea of being free to not live in a metropolis, to work on somewhat my own schedule, have more time for my friends and family, etc. but I'm not going to delude myself that a dramatic increase in work that offers this will not be met with downward pressure on financial remuneration for that work. Whether that's a trade-off one is personally happy to make is up to the individual. Or, if one wants to "have ones cake and eat it too", to to speak, they could attempt to unionize across the new geographically displaced market - counties, states, countries, etc. - for collective bargaining to protect said salaries. All the best to whoever attempts that endeavour.