[Ankhers]

I think it depends on what you mean by "cheap foreign engineers." I am born and raised Canadian. I make a decent chunk less than my American counterparts, even when working for the same company. Not because they are necessarily better suited for the job, but literally because of the country I live in. The same is true for engineers all over the world.

So yes, companies absolutely can get cheap(er) labour and have the same, or at least similar, quality.

[deadbabe]

Let’s ask a different question: if money didn’t matter at all, why hire a foreigner vs someone local?

[lbreakjai]

The foreigner from your point of you is a local to the market that companies like Amazon or Meta are serving. It's easier to understand what appeals to that market from the ground rather than the US west coast.