OpenTable is in San Francisco, its CTO is in Los Angeles and here's why that works

When restaurant reservation service OpenTable recruited him from dating app EHarmony, Joseph Essas received assurances that he could keep living in Los Angeles. Essas wasn't sure how, but OpenTable's then-Chief Executive Matt Roberts said, "Trust me, we're going to make this work." But after getting his bearings, he saw an easy way to persuade the company to cut his commute. Hiring software developers in San Francisco is cumbersome and expensive. In Los Angeles, it's easier -- and Essas could pull from his network of contacts developed in four prior executive roles in the region.