It's also not that hard as a W2 to leave California. I just had to do partial tax returns for each state. California hasn't pestered me since I left nearly a de

It's also not that hard as a W2 to leave California. I just had to do partial tax returns for each state. California hasn't pestered me since I left nearly a decade ago. I've also done 1099 work for California companies from outside California without hassle. (I loved living in California, for the record, but I always crave change after a while.) But when doing business that's partially in California, then yes, it's a significant entanglement. California's a great source of tech workers, and bigger companies shrug off these costs. They're charging what the market will bear. But, like TFA says, I'd do my research if you're a smaller company outside California looking to hire someone in California.