> rents in Nairobi, an African tech hub, aren't that much cheaper than, say, Cleveland
That's an easily falsifiable assertion.
Here's an apartment in Nairobi that's $62.50 USD per month.
https://www.buyrentkenya.com/listings/1-bed-flat-apartment-f...
Cheapest apartments in Cleveland, OH meanwhile found here are $400 per month and there are 4 of them.
https://www.apartments.com/cleveland-oh/400-to-400/
So there's a ~6:1 difference in rental price between the two, on the low end as listed online. Presumably there are even cheaper deals to be had which are not listed online. Food, labor, transportation and other expenses in Kenya are going to be similarly less expensive, perhaps by even greater multiples.
So no...outsourcing is definitely cheaper in the short run, and for simpler tasks.
I'm not going to tell you how to outsource or not outsource, and when it is and is not appropriate but labor can definitely be had for much cheaper than in the US. The US is now the richest country in the world per capita, more so than Luxembourg and the other traditionally richer countries because the USD is so strong.
Of course this will fluctuate over time, but that's the present status as we have this discussion.
"Yeah but outsourcing is dumb and people don't know how to code."
It's dumb? They don't know how to code? Could it be that some people don't know how to manage projects remotely and across cultures? Could it be that some projects can be outsourced while others can't?
That's an easily falsifiable assertion.
Here's an apartment in Nairobi that's $62.50 USD per month.
https://www.buyrentkenya.com/listings/1-bed-flat-apartment-f...
Cheapest apartments in Cleveland, OH meanwhile found here are $400 per month and there are 4 of them.
https://www.apartments.com/cleveland-oh/400-to-400/
So there's a ~6:1 difference in rental price between the two, on the low end as listed online. Presumably there are even cheaper deals to be had which are not listed online. Food, labor, transportation and other expenses in Kenya are going to be similarly less expensive, perhaps by even greater multiples.
So no...outsourcing is definitely cheaper in the short run, and for simpler tasks.
I'm not going to tell you how to outsource or not outsource, and when it is and is not appropriate but labor can definitely be had for much cheaper than in the US. The US is now the richest country in the world per capita, more so than Luxembourg and the other traditionally richer countries because the USD is so strong.
Of course this will fluctuate over time, but that's the present status as we have this discussion.
"Yeah but outsourcing is dumb and people don't know how to code."
It's dumb? They don't know how to code? Could it be that some people don't know how to manage projects remotely and across cultures? Could it be that some projects can be outsourced while others can't?