4 ms·
Silicon Valley is a poorly organized network with an obvious solution
I have a decent software job where I live. My rent is cheap and look what I get to do every weekend:
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPpqe2Q_o2QKV47lmQ1ijm0BJa50pr1O3IH5Nwzxk_EzOlZTYQintv9MiNS3lQwhw?key=NjZEUTB2SDFVRlBHcFdkcFNBOV9EajEtdGxURXB3 (link below)
Do you think I would trade that for living in a van in California even for twice the pay? There is plenty of talent around the world that thinks moving to California is a shit deal regardless of the wage or opportunities.
The issue is silly. A city is a network. When you have high congestion for a central resource you should find ways to push that resource to the edge of your network. The resources are Jobs. Hamfisted legislative solutions or deregulation misses the big picture. Companies are focused too much on Silicon Valley. Moving or offering jobs elsewhere is a way to both save money in wages and office space while giving your employees a better quality of life.
If people are willing to live like animals putting up with appalling conditions and subjecting themselves to insane costs and commutes, they would certainly move a few hundred miles for the same job with decent rent and a 10 min commute or short bike ride to the office, even with a pay cut. This is especially important for startups who ought to be trying to save money and attract talent.
The market can fix this problem right now if companies recognized the opportunity sitting in front of them.
People from all over the world are swarming SV because they can't get that job in Cork or Boise. The job isn't everything and many of us are unwilling buy in.
Everything doesn't need to be in SV. If someone is willing to live in their car for a job, with all the social baggage, sneaking around and unhygienic side effects that entails (while fooling themselves into thinking they've discovered a cool hack), they would be willing to move to a less crowded place like Tacoma where they can buy a house for 150k.
(continued in comments)
- gnarbarian 11y agohttps://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPpqe2Q_o2QKV47lmQ1ijm0BJa50pr1O3IH5Nwzxk_EzOlZTYQintv9MiNS3lQwhw?key=NjZEUTB2SDFVRlBHcFdkcFNBOV9EajEtdGxURXB3 https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPpqe2Q_o2QKV47lmQ1ijm0... If the nexus for every single tech company must remain in SV then these companies could set up satellite offices around the country or allow people to telecommute with robust teleconferencing setups we could leave on while at work. It would be like you're right there. Seriously, you don't have to live like animals. I like my job here in Anchorage but I'd be lying if I said there were plenty of interesting software jobs up here. There isn't enough. I can't really change that. If more places offered telecommuting I'd love to work for them. Many people like me would love to do that and spend a few months of the year at a HQ somewhere else.
- gnarbarian 11y agoI resubmitted this because I think it got flagged due to using a URL shortener for my google images link. Unfortunately resubmitting it appears to have tripped another spam prevention mechanism.
- gist 11y ago"The job isn't everything and many of us are unwilling buy in." Advice from "older guy" here. (Not in SV by the way). The advice is "Suffer now, enjoy later". What you get to enjoy now seems fine however you might want to put off the gratification of that for a future whereby you have more freedom as a result of choices that you make when you are younger. (I didn't surface for 6 years worked 7 days a week at what I did (not in SV) and it has payed off pretty well with the freedom to do what I want now..)
- gnarbarian 11y agoFair enough. My folks are old already and I've been in the industry almost 10 years now. I only have so many years of skiing hunting and fishing with them left. I could trade those years for some money in the bank but for me it wouldn't be worth it.