> I'm not saying that all outside programmers are inferior. I'm saying that, given a uniformly random sample of Bay Area vs. outside programmer, I would expect

> I'm not saying that all outside programmers are inferior. I'm saying that, given a uniformly random sample of Bay Area vs. outside programmer, I would expect the Bay Area programmer to be "better" for some set of objective measures. And I'd expect that given a uniformly random sample of say.... Seattle vs Bay Area programmers I would expect the seattle programmer to be "better". But then again, both of our expectations are meaningless without real data. > If you don't think that, then you also have to disagree with basic market dynamics. Good programmers can earn more money here, and expose themselves to significant upside opportunities -- both social and financial And then you clearly do not understand that market dynamics don't exist in a vacuum considering salary alone. And are really only meaningful when considering salary in terms of buying power. And considering the cost of living in the bay area, there are many places where a programmer can make more "buying power" thus giving them the actual significant upside opportunities you suggest.