Comment by someguydave

6 years ago

That’s an interesting point of view. Do you think engineers are much more “interchangeable parts” than most HN folks seem to believe?

Customers care about solutions to their problems, not the engineering behind it. Many VC funded startups with the latest AI tech have failed because they never actually served the customers. Meanwhile there are millions of profitable small businesses running with simple boring tech that works enough to provide value to their clients.

Engineering talent is in oversupply across the US and definitely across the globe. You can easily hire PhD level talent from Brazil or India. Also FAANG companies have long ago exhausted the best talent available. Most of their hires at this scale are no better than engineers elsewhere, it's more about the interview process, benefits, location and internal politics than raw quality now.