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A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

blog.ycombinator.com

21–30 of 232 posts

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#21

Move to Washington State. Don't pay California income tax. Instant 8% boost to your take-home pay.

Denver is even better—competitive wages w/ washington & lower cost of living.

There's a fire-hose of Californians directed at CO. In a decade or two they will have recreated the place they left.

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#22
post #11

Ok, so I "delocate". Do I then have to take a pay cut because I'm now somewhere else? Spreading the tech sector out around the country even more is great, and things like this can be a step in the right direction. But a big part of why the Bay Area is what it is has to do with funding. Most VCs are there, and don't seem to be willing to move away. Hell, YC requires you to be there, at least during your time with them…

We will not adjust your salary downwards if you take the "delocation package".

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#23

Move to Washington State. Don't pay California income tax. Instant 8% boost to your take-home pay.

But I don't want to work for Amazon or Microsoft or at Google's satellite office.

Then you're in luck, because there are a shitload of other tech companies in Seattle to choose from!

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#24
post #16

Move to Washington State. Don't pay California income tax. Instant 8% boost to your take-home pay.

And if you're one of those people that really hate taxes, live in Vancouver, WA and buy everything in Portland.

Or just point roberts.

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#25
post #11

Ok, so I "delocate". Do I then have to take a pay cut because I'm now somewhere else? Spreading the tech sector out around the country even more is great, and things like this can be a step in the right direction. But a big part of why the Bay Area is what it is has to do with funding. Most VCs are there, and don't seem to be willing to move away. Hell, YC requires you to be there, at least during your time with them…

> And the concentration of tech talent means that it's always easy to find a new job, or even to start your own company. I've never been there, but I see this echoed a lot. Is it actually true? I'm interested in both, but I'm wary of the exaggeration that may be "it's easy".

Yes, if you are a developer. Work is very easy to come by, though the vast majority is nowhere near as innovative or exciting as it once was here.

I can't help thinking that this move by Zapier is a way to reduce turnover. I have several friends who smugly relocated away from the bay area, who now hate their jobs and can't leave them because there are no local opportunities.

Working remotely may be different, but the problems of networking and finding new work still apply.

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#26

So by giving them a $10k carrot they can basically lock them in to the company because it would be much more difficult to interview for competitors or even start startups. That's pretty genius.

Exactly. Because startups are only allowed to interview on site in an approved conference room within a 10 mile radius of Sunnyvale.

I also heard a rumor that getting funding for a startup requires a product with some traction. It isn’t like Sand Hill Road is lined with VC ATMs.

Read The San Francisco Fallacy by Jonathan Siegel if you think success with a startup has anything to do with a Silicon Valley proximity.

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#27
post #3

This seems pretty genius. There is a surplus of highly skilled engineers in the Bay Area who are getting mediocre pay (when cost of living is taken into consideration). This allows Zapier to attract more of these highly skilled workers and not pay a premium to those in the bay area.

It's not the cost of living. It's just the rent.

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#28
post #2

"was if you're in the Bay Area and you take a job with Zapier we'll pay $10,000 to help you relocate to anywhere, or as we call it, de-locate." ..so this is just a one time re-location "bonus"? I think many large companies "pay you" something close to this amount to re-locate to the bay area. This really doesn't help that much. What would be better is to pay bay area salaries/rates in another part of the country that…

$10k is usually the signing bonus I get for just changing companies. Is this in addition to the signing bonus?

[deleted]

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#29
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> And the concentration of tech talent means that it's always easy to find a new job, or even to start your own company. I've never been there, but I see this echoed a lot. Is it actually true? I'm interested in both, but I'm wary of the exaggeration that may be "it's easy".

Honestly, the answer will really vary depending on who you talk to. That said, if you have worked hard and built a network in the area, those things are actually true. Even around 2001/2002 as well as 2008/2009 there were always jobs around if you knew where to go look. Similarly, if one has established a reputation for themselves (one doesn't need to be a public figure though), it makes it easier to get something of…

Hm. This seems hugely beneficial.

Re: A CEO Who Pays Employees to De-Locate from the Bay

#30
post #22
post #11

Ok, so I "delocate". Do I then have to take a pay cut because I'm now somewhere else? Spreading the tech sector out around the country even more is great, and things like this can be a step in the right direction. But a big part of why the Bay Area is what it is has to do with funding. Most VCs are there, and don't seem to be willing to move away. Hell, YC requires you to be there, at least during your time with them…

We will not adjust your salary downwards if you take the "delocation package".

Does that mean that location is not taken into account for salaries, or does it mean that if I start in Croatia I get $30k, but if an American starts in the Bay Area and relocates to Croatia, he'll get $120k plus a $10k bonus while I'm still getting $30k?
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