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>So they claim it's because they want to drive down salaries. But if you talk to startups, you find practically every one over a certain size has gone through l
by xiaoma 12y ago
>So they claim it's because they want to drive down salaries. But if you talk to startups, you find practically every one over a certain size has gone through legal contortions to get programmers into the the US, where they then paid them the same as they'd have paid an American. Why would they go to extra trouble to get programmers for the same price? The only explanation is that they're telling the truth: there are just not enough great programmers to go around.
And yet most start-ups pay programmers far less than they pay their lawyers.
- oldspiceman 12y agoWhich is interesting because there is such an oversupply of lawyers in the states.
- UK-AL 12y agoBecause wages are partly set by cultural expectations rather than pure supply demand.
- ryoshu 12y agoThe reason why tech companies will go through legal contortions is because they don't want to raise the salary floor. If a company can only find a great developer for $100k/yr in the US, but they can find a great developer for $50k/yr through H1B, it makes financial sense to lobby as long as the cost of lobbying is < $50k/yr. If the company is pg's example: ($100k - $50k) * 30 workers each year? Hell yeah I'm going to lobby for more foreign workers. It's not about finding great developers. It's about finding great developers at a lower price.
- turar 12y agoWhat you described is illegal according to H-1B provisions.
- cubano 12y agoProgrammer's don't keep them out of jail if and when they do something that may or may not be illegal.
- chaz 12y agoMost tech startups don't have full-time lawyers, but they have full-time programmers.