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I take issue with #2. Lots of people don't want to live in SF/SV… especially given the way the cost of living eats up those "piddling" $120k/yr salaries. Living

I take issue with #2. Lots of people don't want to live in SF/SV… especially given the way the cost of living eats up those "piddling" $120k/yr salaries. Living elsewhere and working on your ability to hire/manage a remote team would be a way to serve an underserved market -- great tech talent that values community & family ties, and economical use of their money.

mbesto 14y ago
My point is that it reduces risk. Can you find the same quality dev from SV for $120k/yr and Malaysia for $15k/yr? Absolutely. But the chances of that happening from SV are much higher, so you pay for that comfort. It also doesn't negate the fact that terrible developers do in fact live in both locations. Personally, I believe in finding the best team wherever they are in the world. But, unfortunately that's not an easy thing to do. ps- just saw you are the creator of http://everytimezone.com/ http://everytimezone.com/ I have it bookmarked and constantly use it. Thanks for developing!
- ahoyhere 14y ago
  I don't think it really does reduce risk. I've worked with more than a few terrible developers who have exemplary-looking college and startup pedigrees. One of the worst developers I ever worked with graduated from a top school and left Y! (back when they were neat) to join my (very much former) employer. This guy thought the height of programming was using PHP's raise error function as GOTO. Gag. And I never said a thing about Malaysia. I am highly skeptical about wage/currency arbitrage. I'm talking about the smart people who'd prefer to live in their hometowns/states, or with their spouses/mates who need to move for their job, etc., around the US, Canada, and some other Westernized countries. A dirty, crowded, expensive city isn't everyone's cup of tea. Not everyone gets a nerd-on about being surrounded by other "ambitious" 22yos in what is essentially a monoculture. Not a thing on earth could lure me to live in San Francisco, for example. There are a lot of people out there who agree with me, and those people can't be hired for $15k, but they can be hired for $85-120k, and in most cases, if you are savvy about managing, they can produce great work remotely.
  - mbesto 14y ago
    I think we're in full agreement on this one. For example, I'm American living in London, with a graphic designer from Russia living in Liverpool and a developer from Belgium living in Spain. In no way have our backgrounds shaped or reduced my risk of building that team...they are just simply good at what they do, so we work together. I've worked with more than a few terrible developers who have exemplary-looking college and startup pedigrees. My point is that on a macro scale it does reduce risk. Otherwise these ambitious 22 year olds making $120k+ wouldn't exist...

mbesto 14y ago

My point is that it reduces risk. Can you find the same quality dev from SV for $120k/yr and Malaysia for $15k/yr? Absolutely. But the chances of that happening from SV are much higher, so you pay for that comfort. It also doesn't negate the fact that terrible developers do in fact live in both locations. Personally, I believe in finding the best team wherever they are in the world. But, unfortunately that's not an easy thing to do. ps- just saw you are the creator of http://everytimezone.com/ http://everytimezone.com/ I have it bookmarked and constantly use it. Thanks for developing!

ahoyhere 14y ago
I don't think it really does reduce risk. I've worked with more than a few terrible developers who have exemplary-looking college and startup pedigrees. One of the worst developers I ever worked with graduated from a top school and left Y! (back when they were neat) to join my (very much former) employer. This guy thought the height of programming was using PHP's raise error function as GOTO. Gag. And I never said a thing about Malaysia. I am highly skeptical about wage/currency arbitrage. I'm talking about the smart people who'd prefer to live in their hometowns/states, or with their spouses/mates who need to move for their job, etc., around the US, Canada, and some other Westernized countries. A dirty, crowded, expensive city isn't everyone's cup of tea. Not everyone gets a nerd-on about being surrounded by other "ambitious" 22yos in what is essentially a monoculture. Not a thing on earth could lure me to live in San Francisco, for example. There are a lot of people out there who agree with me, and those people can't be hired for $15k, but they can be hired for $85-120k, and in most cases, if you are savvy about managing, they can produce great work remotely.
- mbesto 14y ago
  I think we're in full agreement on this one. For example, I'm American living in London, with a graphic designer from Russia living in Liverpool and a developer from Belgium living in Spain. In no way have our backgrounds shaped or reduced my risk of building that team...they are just simply good at what they do, so we work together. I've worked with more than a few terrible developers who have exemplary-looking college and startup pedigrees. My point is that on a macro scale it does reduce risk. Otherwise these ambitious 22 year olds making $120k+ wouldn't exist...