11 ms·

While many of the established tech companies seem to have clustered around Santa Monica, the younger companies are mostly on the east side (downtown, East Holly

by kepano 10y ago

While many of the established tech companies seem to have clustered around Santa Monica, the younger companies are mostly on the east side (downtown, East Hollywood, Silver Lake, etc), far from "Silicon Beach". I have been in Los Angeles for 8 years and love it here. When my co-founder and I moved up to Mountain View to attend YC there was no question that we would come back to LA afterwards. People think of LA as Hollywood/media-driven, but it's also one of the biggest manufacturing towns in the country, the biggest port, an important hub for science/technology (Caltech, JPL, SpaceX, Tesla, etc). There is a lot of untapped potential for startups here. Not to mention that rent is about half the price.

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Vadoff 10y ago
Rent may be half the price, but overall compensation seems to be about 25% lower too.
robomartin 10y ago
I don't understand why these companies flock to that general area. Traffic is impenetrable from 6:00AM until sometimes 9:00PM. If you need the 405/105/10, etc you are hosed. It can take an hour to do ten miles. It's horrific and it can't be good for recruiting. I know excellent engineers who have been offered jobs in that area and refused due to having to devote 3 to 5 hours a day stuck in traffic. To me this means they would have access to a much larger talent pool if they strategically moved away from that impenetrable mess. Lived and worked in the area for years, it gets old.
- mprovost 10y ago
  During my time in LA I got the impression that most of these companies are situated in a location that makes it convenient for the executives/owners who mostly live in Santa Monica or along the coast and basically don't have to deal with the traffic (possibly with the exception of the PCH).
- deleted 10y ago
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- dima55 10y ago
  Traffic is a lifestyle choice. There is indeed a small minority of people that have decided to sit in traffic 3 to 5 hours per day in order to live in a large and/or cheap house in the boonies somewhere. But that's crazy, and most people don't do this. You can also choose to not drive, and walk/bike/bus/train everywhere. LA is a real city and all that.
  - deckard1 10y ago
    People love to say this. But it's total mythology. For the vast majority of people living in LA, the bus is not an option. Your 30 minute commute will turn into a 3 hour slog. Freedom of location is severely limited once you have a significant other or kids. School districts in LA are total garbage, and having a significant other means at least one of you is going to be commuting across town and sitting in traffic for 2 hours a day. > most people don't do this I guess all that traffic on the 10, 101, 110, 5, and 405 is just some collective hallucination. I was shocked when I found a number of people commuting to Irvine from such places as DTLA. That is, until I found people commuting to San Diego. Those are the rare ones (I hope). But there is a large portion of LA that commutes 2-3 hours a day. Anyone that commutes from the westside to east (or vice versa) is hitting 2 hours easy. I did it for a number of years. And by looking at Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire, Olympic, etc. many more people are doing the same. I will never take a job in Santa Monica. Unless you live in SM, it's not worth it.
    - eganist 10y ago
      And rents in SM are comparable to anywhere on the peninsula, which negates any cost advantage anyone thinks they might have going south anyway. This is why I'm sticking to supporting the startup scene around DC instead.
      - muninn_ 10y ago
        Wait what? D.C. Is incredibly expensive and also hasn't some of the worst traffic in the country. I love D.C. But not sure I'm following your reasoning here....
- nickthemagicman 10y ago
  Youre right. And you forgot parking...I gave up driving here when I had to Uber from my parking spot to my destination. I just take the trains and bike it and its actually really nice.

by kepano 10y ago

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

Vadoff 10y ago

Rent may be half the price, but overall compensation seems to be about 25% lower too.

robomartin 10y ago

I don't understand why these companies flock to that general area. Traffic is impenetrable from 6:00AM until sometimes 9:00PM. If you need the 405/105/10, etc you are hosed. It can take an hour to do ten miles. It's horrific and it can't be good for recruiting. I know excellent engineers who have been offered jobs in that area and refused due to having to devote 3 to 5 hours a day stuck in traffic. To me this means they would have access to a much larger talent pool if they strategically moved away from that impenetrable mess. Lived and worked in the area for years, it gets old.

mprovost 10y ago
During my time in LA I got the impression that most of these companies are situated in a location that makes it convenient for the executives/owners who mostly live in Santa Monica or along the coast and basically don't have to deal with the traffic (possibly with the exception of the PCH).
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
dima55 10y ago
Traffic is a lifestyle choice. There is indeed a small minority of people that have decided to sit in traffic 3 to 5 hours per day in order to live in a large and/or cheap house in the boonies somewhere. But that's crazy, and most people don't do this. You can also choose to not drive, and walk/bike/bus/train everywhere. LA is a real city and all that.
- deckard1 10y ago
  People love to say this. But it's total mythology. For the vast majority of people living in LA, the bus is not an option. Your 30 minute commute will turn into a 3 hour slog. Freedom of location is severely limited once you have a significant other or kids. School districts in LA are total garbage, and having a significant other means at least one of you is going to be commuting across town and sitting in traffic for 2 hours a day. > most people don't do this I guess all that traffic on the 10, 101, 110, 5, and 405 is just some collective hallucination. I was shocked when I found a number of people commuting to Irvine from such places as DTLA. That is, until I found people commuting to San Diego. Those are the rare ones (I hope). But there is a large portion of LA that commutes 2-3 hours a day. Anyone that commutes from the westside to east (or vice versa) is hitting 2 hours easy. I did it for a number of years. And by looking at Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire, Olympic, etc. many more people are doing the same. I will never take a job in Santa Monica. Unless you live in SM, it's not worth it.
  - eganist 10y ago
    And rents in SM are comparable to anywhere on the peninsula, which negates any cost advantage anyone thinks they might have going south anyway. This is why I'm sticking to supporting the startup scene around DC instead.
    - muninn_ 10y ago
      Wait what? D.C. Is incredibly expensive and also hasn't some of the worst traffic in the country. I love D.C. But not sure I'm following your reasoning here....
nickthemagicman 10y ago
Youre right. And you forgot parking...I gave up driving here when I had to Uber from my parking spot to my destination. I just take the trains and bike it and its actually really nice.