Tech talent is still in demand but outsized salaries may be disappearing

If we look away from the time zone difference, I just don't see how the US-based programmers will be able to compete against - say - European programmers, if the WFH trend continues. If WFH is truly here to stay, then that's one protective barrier down. The language barrier is almost non-existent these days, as most European devs can communicate just fine. The time zone is another, which I think is harder to overcome...but it's usually worse for the Europeans. At least with one European MS office, meetings would have to follow Seattle time.

I'm not saying this to put down all the excellent US devs and engineers - but when total compensation in the US can be 2-4 times higher than in very comparable European countries, at least you know there are many European devs that would grab the chance even at a steep discount. US(ish) salaries without having to move to the US is a very nice situation for devs in various European countries.

But all in all, I'm really excited to see what the WFH trend will bring us on a global level.

I wonder how this will affect the "Big Tech" vs. startup calculation, which has gotten steadily worse for startups over the past ~20 years.

If you can get a job now with a FAANG (though more and more the "N" there looks less warranted), you'll be "buying" relatively low when it comes to your equity comp, so there is a good chance your total comp over the next 4 years will be exceedingly difficult for a startup to beat, even if they hit.

I know there’s a lot of enthusiasm about indefinite WFH but shouldn’t there be fear as well?

I’m just graduating from Radiology residency and telerads is definitely a career opportunity - but really only because of reimbursement from Medicare. You have to be in a US state or territory to get full reimbursement. For me that’s a fortunate insulating moat that protects me and other American physicians from international competition.

An international radiologist can dictate studies but only as a preliminary status which then require a second look and report finalized by a stateside physician.

To my point - what is the tech workers moat? How will they insulate themselves from international competition?

If I can’t do remote anymore because of international competition then I’ll move on site and do procedures as well as read, which obviously off site personnel can’t do. I don’t like that kind of work, but I’ll do it. What will tech workers do?

How worried should I be as someone who is relatively new to the world of programming? I’ve been freelancing as a dev/designer for the past few years and seen a lot of success, but I’ve been considering applying to some more traditional positions that have caught my eye recently.

I am getting very worried. The startup I work at just cut 25% of the staff. Plus ramping up outsourcing to a far cheaper European country.

The writing is definitely on the wall.

I’m shocked, absolutely shocked, that now that US developers have voluntarily chosen to rid themselves of agglomeration benefits their salaries are converging with those in the rest of the world.