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Company doesn't pay based on the "value of your work" - it pays based on what other companies would pay you. Local candidates are scarcer than remote. Persona

Company doesn't pay based on the "value of your work" - it pays based on what other companies would pay you. Local candidates are scarcer than remote. Personally, I hate the resulting dynamic. Move to SF and the company basically subsidizes a million dollar mortgage. Move to Manila and your subsidized mansion could be $10k, 100 times less (maybe I'm exaggerating, I have no idea about real estate in the Philippines - but you get the idea). That's insane! The worst part is that landlords get a huge cut of this, and I don't think they add a fraction of that value to society. I hope that in the end, with the pandemic, it all balances out to two tiers: on-site and remote. I get that many companies still value attendance, whatever. I just hope that all remote positions balance out globally. It doesn't make sense to pay some guy in Utah twice as much as some guy from Honduras, if neither come into the office.

Tade0 6y ago
> I just hope that all remote positions balance out globally. I've been working remotely since 2015 and the market has been gradually moving in this direction(at least in eastern Europe where I come from) - COVID-19 only speeded things up.
jorblumesea 6y ago
> It doesn't make sense to pay some guy in Utah twice as much as some guy from Honduras, if neither come into the office. This assumes equal education, skill level, cultural norms and infrastructure. But these are often not equal. If your clients are in the US, hiring developers US side greatly reduces the chance of cultural misunderstanding and communication problems. Also timezone issues here too, for clients based on North America. US higher education system is fairly strong, and not all countries are equal on that front. India for example, is known for degree mills and ways to "cheat" the system. Which is why US masters degrees are required for the most part. That is not to say there aren't incredibly smart people in every country, but it's not an even playing field and some countries have risks associated with hiring. Another good example is infrastructure. I'm not sure how many times a developing world coworker has been blocked because of shoddy internet or inconsistent utilities. These asymmetries will persist, remote or otherwise.
- the_gipsy 6y ago
  Assume "someone who moved from SF to Utah or Honduras"

Tade0 6y ago

> I just hope that all remote positions balance out globally. I've been working remotely since 2015 and the market has been gradually moving in this direction(at least in eastern Europe where I come from) - COVID-19 only speeded things up.

jorblumesea 6y ago

> It doesn't make sense to pay some guy in Utah twice as much as some guy from Honduras, if neither come into the office. This assumes equal education, skill level, cultural norms and infrastructure. But these are often not equal. If your clients are in the US, hiring developers US side greatly reduces the chance of cultural misunderstanding and communication problems. Also timezone issues here too, for clients based on North America. US higher education system is fairly strong, and not all countries are equal on that front. India for example, is known for degree mills and ways to "cheat" the system. Which is why US masters degrees are required for the most part. That is not to say there aren't incredibly smart people in every country, but it's not an even playing field and some countries have risks associated with hiring. Another good example is infrastructure. I'm not sure how many times a developing world coworker has been blocked because of shoddy internet or inconsistent utilities. These asymmetries will persist, remote or otherwise.

the_gipsy 6y ago
Assume "someone who moved from SF to Utah or Honduras"