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I'm currently a grad student at NYU, and previously Cornell Tech, plus I worked in San Francisco at a startup for a couple years as an SE. Let me say, I had my

I'm currently a grad student at NYU, and previously Cornell Tech, plus I worked in San Francisco at a startup for a couple years as an SE. Let me say, I had my doubts about NYC in comparison to SV, but something is changing. There is a lot more interest in programming in the city than there ever was. Lots of initiatives by schools to introduce programming at the high school level, and lots of people in finance, fashion, marketing, etc. who want to learn how to program. Accelerators are popping up left and right. The research community in AI and VR is super active. There's even a hacker community that's constantly demoing cool stuff they're working on. It feels like a renaissance. I need to write a blog post to give more details, but NYC is definitely making moves so don't be surprised if some the power houses emerge over the next few years. All things aside, I'm having much more fun working in NYC than SF, and recommend it as the top place for anyone entering the tech workforce.

cddotdotslash 10y ago
I agree whole heartedly. I moved to NYC for a startup job three years ago after graduating. I didn't expect the tech community to be as large as I found it to be. Honestly, I've actually come to prefer the community here. When I was in SV, the tech community seemed so self-absorbed. All they talked about was tech, their startups, and VCs. In NYC, the atmosphere is different. You have tech workers, but a good portion of them are doing tech in a non-tech company (fashion, finance, etc.). The conversations I've had here are much more interesting and applicable to the rest of the world. SV may have the top spot for tech, but it feels so insulated from everywhere else. NYC has tech, but it's just one of many industries in a truly global city.
- vonmoltke 10y ago
  > When I was in SV, the tech community seemed so self-absorbed. All they talked about was tech, their startups, and VCs. This is one of the biggest things keeping my wife and I from considering a move out there. Every time I see the stupid amounts of money being thrown at engineers out there I get this itch to move, even if just for a few years. Then I remember this part, and have serious reservations. I would add that there is too much smug superiority going along with what you describe. It's a minority of people, but a large-enough minority that I really don't want to deal with it.
- TarpitCarnivore 10y ago
  > SV may have the top spot for tech, but it feels so insulated from everywhere else. NYC has tech, but it's just one of many industries in a truly global city. This really sums up the difference. A lot of the companies doing tech in NYC are not in the "hot" or "flashy" realm of tech companies. They're not dime a dozen apps or services that are so prominent in SF. A lot of them are in other sectors, and often with business models, so they don't come across as being relevant when they really are.

cddotdotslash 10y ago

I agree whole heartedly. I moved to NYC for a startup job three years ago after graduating. I didn't expect the tech community to be as large as I found it to be. Honestly, I've actually come to prefer the community here. When I was in SV, the tech community seemed so self-absorbed. All they talked about was tech, their startups, and VCs. In NYC, the atmosphere is different. You have tech workers, but a good portion of them are doing tech in a non-tech company (fashion, finance, etc.). The conversations I've had here are much more interesting and applicable to the rest of the world. SV may have the top spot for tech, but it feels so insulated from everywhere else. NYC has tech, but it's just one of many industries in a truly global city.

vonmoltke 10y ago
> When I was in SV, the tech community seemed so self-absorbed. All they talked about was tech, their startups, and VCs. This is one of the biggest things keeping my wife and I from considering a move out there. Every time I see the stupid amounts of money being thrown at engineers out there I get this itch to move, even if just for a few years. Then I remember this part, and have serious reservations. I would add that there is too much smug superiority going along with what you describe. It's a minority of people, but a large-enough minority that I really don't want to deal with it.
TarpitCarnivore 10y ago
> SV may have the top spot for tech, but it feels so insulated from everywhere else. NYC has tech, but it's just one of many industries in a truly global city. This really sums up the difference. A lot of the companies doing tech in NYC are not in the "hot" or "flashy" realm of tech companies. They're not dime a dozen apps or services that are so prominent in SF. A lot of them are in other sectors, and often with business models, so they don't come across as being relevant when they really are.