Sorry I missed your reply, but technically, yeah. Being remote when I switched jobs gave me an absolutely great negotiating posture. I didn't even have to leave the house, and it's not as if I was stepping away from my desk to make secret phone calls. Plus I could work anywhere in the world, so it became about company selection and negotiation.

Once I found the company and nailed the interviews, I got an offer ~30% lower than the SF salary because of CoL adjustment. My position was that if my salary could be offset by much riskier equity (aka more than the 30% cut, but essentially free for the company), I would accept the position. So I ended up getting a larger total comp than would have been available to me in SF. Also I don't even need 50% of my salary to live outside of CA anyway, so it's a major lifestyle upgrade.

This only works because I get to choose any company in the world. That means the equity I get is something I would have invested in anyway given the opportunity.

For the first time in my career I feel that I negotiated well and have confidence in my employer, and it never would have happened by just being another dev in the bay area.