The thing about your example is that if a startup is hiring an engineer at 80k in the bay area, then they are underpaying and it is no wonder they can't find a US citizen interested in the job.
Which is the issue with your proposal. None of the individuals interviewed would be able to compete with the large corporations if a salary were taken in to account. Which I think is fine because none of them actually sounded like the jobs the foreigners were doing were all that special and the talent could definitely be found within the US borders as long as the right price is willing to be paid.
But according to the article the large corporations are bringing workers in at the minimum $60k salary which is why it's worthwhile to do so. If they have to pay market rates or higher and that influences their chances of getting a visa, their business model disappears.
Which is the issue with your proposal. None of the individuals interviewed would be able to compete with the large corporations if a salary were taken in to account. Which I think is fine because none of them actually sounded like the jobs the foreigners were doing were all that special and the talent could definitely be found within the US borders as long as the right price is willing to be paid.