With programmers in San Francisco getting hefty signing bonuses and threatening to defect at the hint of a hotter project, it’s tempting to look abroad for engineering talent.

This panel looks at two Budapest-born companies with strong US market-share that rely on product teams based in their hometown. How do Prezi, Ustream couple the power of American sales and marketing with smart and affordable European engineers and designers?

In cities like Budapest, senior technical staff can cost just a third of their counterparts in San Francisco. And they're more loyal. The drawback – Budapest is nine hours ahead of San Francisco and six hours ahead of New York.

What techniques and tools do these companies use to keep their teams in sync? What are the advantages and disadvantages of splitting your operations in half on both sides of the Atlantic? How do you deal with cultural differences and how does diversity affect innovation?