They pay people less not because of "relative purchasing power" or because they want them to have the "same relative quality of life" or some such sentimental nonsense but because they can get away with it.
The cost of life is totally irrelevant, the alternative options someone has in he market-place based on their location are. Did you look at those numbers at all?
I wonder how this works. If someone could work remotely for GitLab, they could also do another remote job for another global player, so local prices don't matter that much. Maybe this strategy can work now when there are only a few remote jobs to choose from. But I guess the coronavirus will accelerate growth of remote jobs when more companies see remote has some benefits.
This is absolutely the case. About a year ago I was looking for new work and, having previously enjoyed managing a GitLab installation, was very keen to interview with them.
It felt like it would be a perfect fit, based on our shared cultural values regarding remote work, transparency, open source and other technology choices.
After seeing the calculator, I decided not to interview at all, and had another remote job a few days later with more pay than I had in Boston and New York. I live in Bangkok, Thailand.
The cost of life is totally irrelevant, the alternative options someone has in he market-place based on their location are. Did you look at those numbers at all?