As someone who moved from eastern-ish europe to SV I can tell you that these threads help.
In the olden days of HN around 2010 I always used to think “Wait why do those folks make 5x what I make? I’m just as good and know just as much”
And the answer was “Because those companies make more or at least get more investment so the value delivered is higher”
I moved. Now I put more into savings every year than my just as talented peers back home make in total salary.
Edit: many of those peers freelance remotely for US companies and also have very healthy savings. It’s the ones who stayed fully local that are screwed
In the olden days of HN around 2010 I always used to think “Wait why do those folks make 5x what I make? I’m just as good and know just as much”
And the answer was “Because those companies make more or at least get more investment so the value delivered is higher”
I moved. Now I put more into savings every year than my just as talented peers back home make in total salary.
Edit: many of those peers freelance remotely for US companies and also have very healthy savings. It’s the ones who stayed fully local that are screwed