2 ms·

How about "realize there is a whole big world outside of the Bay Area"? I have no interest in founding my own company. I'm a software developer and a pretty g

How about "realize there is a whole big world outside of the Bay Area"? I have no interest in founding my own company. I'm a software developer and a pretty good one. I want to continue to develop software (it is what I truly love to do), not manage a business. I also have zero interest is moving to the Bay Area. Been there, done that (prior to the first dot com implosion), nice place to visit but won't ever live there again. I get pings fairly regularly from friends and/or ex-coworkers asking me if I'd like to work in the Bay Area (remote not an option). The answer is and always will be "no, not unless you open up an office in San Diego (or allow remote work, without expecting me to constantly be travelling to the Bay Area)". Surely there are more than enough people like me in places that aren't the Bay Area to hire to start successful businesses -- San Diego, Austin, Portland, Boston, etc, these places exist and have tech talent!

beachstartup 12y ago
we're based in santa monica and have or have had full time remote employees in all the areas you mentioned. portland is my favorite. in fact, when interviewing, we kind of look at bay area residency as a contra-indication. it's at least 25% more expensive to hire someone there. so, if you flip that assertion on its head - for the same price, we can hire someone 25% better, that lives in austin, or portland, or whatever. and, in fact - our salary then becomes significantly above market for the area, and we get exceptional talent. if you extend this philosophy to hiring more experienced (i.e. 'older') people, you get a triple-threat: above market salary, smart/good people, maturity/experience.