Allow me to say it a little differently, then. As long as profits flow to silicon valley companies from around the world, people from around the world will also

Allow me to say it a little differently, then. As long as profits flow to silicon valley companies from around the world, people from around the world will also flow there, and housing prices will increase. So I'd say that the heat is being extracted from the world's population (dollars from their pockets) and as long as that source is plentiful, the growth will continue. Since the global standard of living is increasing, the world's ability to buy iPhones and thereby consume Internet advertising presented by Google and Facebook, all continues to grow. Come to think of it, it may be self sustaining. How many HN readers came to SV with a job offer in hand? The more profitable the companies are, the bigger the delta between what SV pays and what the ROW pays and the more people will be willing to take the plunge. This could go on for a very long time. (Google + Apple + Facebook pre-tax profit = ~$20 billion in the last 3 months.)