Yea living in you parents basement after graduating college.

From the people I know who have worked there and from various pieces about the technology used by Google. Their technology stack looks something like this:

C/C++ for all the OS/Server development.
Java for all the messaging and web services.
Python for the scripting glue.

What gets used for front end development is all dependent on the team working on it. Gmail and the various Google apps are created using GWT. Which is Java that gets compiled down to a Javascript front end and Java back end.

Also, Google hired the guy who created Python so he would shape it in the direction that they wanted it.

Facebook replaced PHP right away. They're all C/C++ now. They function a lot like Google and Amazon do. They create a lot of their own infrastructure using home grown solutions.

If you move to a mid-western university town you'll get all that and probably more. It will be a bit more expensive than living in the middle of now where. You will also be a quick drive to a major metropolitan area if there are some things you are missing.

Yes, there is a shortage of smart people willing to work for minimum wage. But, paying people livable wages shouldn't effect prices that drastically. I know a few people who know a thing or two about the auto industry. In the early 2000's it would cost GM around $7000 (materials and labor) to build a Tahoe SUV. Those vehicles would then sell for somewhere between $35k and $45k. Those are margins even Steve Jobs couldn't imagine. There are many factors for the US auto industries demise. But, the cost of building cars here was not one of them.

Agree completely. Even though it would never happen, I think Jeff Bezos would be an interesting fit.

I think he was trying to make the point, "Be careful what you wish for. You may soon get it." And it may surprise you how many people are actually willing to run a small private practice in small rural communities where there's "no profit" in running one there.