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Well .. maybe the CS industry needs to all agree to jointly move away to a state that has a better attitude to the problems faced by young people. As someone in

by tostitos1979 10y ago

Well .. maybe the CS industry needs to all agree to jointly move away to a state that has a better attitude to the problems faced by young people. As someone in their mid-30s, I'll never be able to afford a house in Mountain View (despite earning an income there, spending money there, renting there, etc.).

cylinder 10y ago
It starts with employees demanding higher wages. That'll get their attention and they'll move offices to cheaper cities. My partner just rejected a job offer because housing is too expensive. This is a six figure salary and management level but after taxes and rent on a one bedroom apartment there's not much left over to make working worth it.
- st3v3r 10y ago
  No, they won't. The VC money is still firmly in SV, and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere. As long as the meme that you have to be in the Valley in order to get access to VCs is mostly true, then the companies will stay there. Get PG and YCombinator to start moving out of the Valley, and then you'll see companies more willing to do so. Of course, those states will have to enact things similar to California when it comes to employee rights, like refusing to enforce most non-compete agreements.
  - tostitos1979 10y ago
    You are completely right. If YC moved to a city with a lower cost of living ... now that would be making a bold statement. How about it Sam?
- xienze 10y ago
  But you see the spiral that leads to, don't you? Wages increase -> local economy adjusts to absorb higher incomes (i.e. everything, including housing, becomes more expensive) -> "we need to demand higher wages" -> wages increase -> ...
  - nickparker 10y ago
    That's only a spiral if you expect organizations to stay in Mtn. View no matter what. At some point your spiral reaches a point where Mtn. View based companies are beaten out by companies in sane cities with sane costs of living, and then Mtn. View reaches an equilibrium.

cylinder 10y ago

It starts with employees demanding higher wages. That'll get their attention and they'll move offices to cheaper cities. My partner just rejected a job offer because housing is too expensive. This is a six figure salary and management level but after taxes and rent on a one bedroom apartment there's not much left over to make working worth it.

st3v3r 10y ago
No, they won't. The VC money is still firmly in SV, and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere. As long as the meme that you have to be in the Valley in order to get access to VCs is mostly true, then the companies will stay there. Get PG and YCombinator to start moving out of the Valley, and then you'll see companies more willing to do so. Of course, those states will have to enact things similar to California when it comes to employee rights, like refusing to enforce most non-compete agreements.
- tostitos1979 10y ago
  You are completely right. If YC moved to a city with a lower cost of living ... now that would be making a bold statement. How about it Sam?
xienze 10y ago
But you see the spiral that leads to, don't you? Wages increase -> local economy adjusts to absorb higher incomes (i.e. everything, including housing, becomes more expensive) -> "we need to demand higher wages" -> wages increase -> ...
- nickparker 10y ago
  That's only a spiral if you expect organizations to stay in Mtn. View no matter what. At some point your spiral reaches a point where Mtn. View based companies are beaten out by companies in sane cities with sane costs of living, and then Mtn. View reaches an equilibrium.