> That said, I think a lot of non-US-based programmers grossly over-estimate the value of pure programming skills versus things like understanding a market, pro

> That said, I think a lot of non-US-based programmers grossly over-estimate the value of pure programming skills versus things like understanding a market, problem solving, empathy, English proficiency, similar time zone, professional trust, etc. on top of programming skills goes a long way. I agree, but IMHO when WFH many of these are weakened or even completely lost for the local American employees too. When WFH, the cultural integration(which provides the empathy, market understanding and other) gets reduced into whatever they can get from their neighborhood and from the internet. The internet part is available to everyone globally and the neighborhood culture is already not very strong in the USA apart from few places like NY. The rest are skills people can develop just as they can develop their programming. It's true that good programmers don't have to be afraid but there're good programmers all over the word and when the market is not as hot, even the best will feel it.