Hardware, Chairs, and Food: How to make the optimal work environment

I wonder if Amazon could compete for talent in the Bay Area while having worse perks (and being proud of it), and worse cash compensation (and really expensive equity, so probably worse equity, too).

Working on AWS seems like it could be attractive enough on its own to attract some people, but for anything else, going to an equally low risk big tech company (Facebook, Google) seems like it would be a much better choice. To say nothing of earlier stage high growth companies, or startups.

If so, then being away from the "tech cluster" makes a lot of sense. Even if 90% of tech people would rather be in SFBA than Seattle, winning all of those 10% vs. some small part of the 90% might be a better deal for them. I assume that is part of the reason Microsoft did Redmond.

great stimulating A league people. I'd pick that over pizza toppings,a window, chairs or a slow computer. Scratch that last part about the computer, I wont work on anything but a Mac, with as much ram as physically possible. and a SSD.