I've heard this explanation from others and it seems reasonable enough. I still wonder if they couldn't get "B" or "C" grade devs though. A lot of SV companies just won't settle for anything but "A" players, and if they can't get them (because of the incredibly competitive war for talent) many will just leave the job unfilled. That means that there are American and Canadian devs who might be willing to move to Australia to get some experience under their belt.
Why would an Australian company want to hire "B" and "C" grade devs, let alone import them?
Wow, this thread is misinformed. There's plenty of world class "A" grade talent in Sydney. Some of those people leave, some of those people stay. You just have to know where to look.
Funnily enough, not everyone wants to move to the US, because if you're not a founder of a tech company, there's very little reason to leave Sydney for SF.
I didn't say there was no A-grade talent in Sydney. Don't get defensive.
Of course I don't know much about the Australian startup scene. That's why I asked the question. It's on the other side of the Earth from the US. So the question remains unanswered. If there's plenty of startups in Australia that have no intention of leaving, why can't they hire US/Canadian devs if there isn't enough homegrown talent to go around? I for one would consider living and working in Oz.
