> but honestly, once you can afford a house or whatever
That's probably where Bay Area housing inflation has an effect - houses that used to be affordable to "normal" engineers are now only affordable to staff engineers. Tech companies are hiring more and more people scrambling for a fixed supply of housing. Of course it's dystopian!
I'm a staff engineer at one of FAANG and I cannot afford a house in bay area in 2022 (only considering prices and not the recent rate hikes). It's Sr Staff+ in bay area now for affording a decently sized house in a decent neighborhood that isn't too far from work centers like MV, SV and SF.
That's probably where Bay Area housing inflation has an effect - houses that used to be affordable to "normal" engineers are now only affordable to staff engineers. Tech companies are hiring more and more people scrambling for a fixed supply of housing. Of course it's dystopian!