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Law is very important and I agree with you. Perceived culture in the Midwest is also problematic. USA is dependent on immigration to fill the science and engi

Law is very important and I agree with you. Perceived culture in the Midwest is also problematic. USA is dependent on immigration to fill the science and engineering workforce, which is one of the ingredients of SV revolution. (https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43061.pdf https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43061.pdf) Someone denying there is no racism/xenophobia issue in the Midwest isn't listening in my opinion. My intuition is that the sex appeal of SV versus Midwest won't be compensated solely by VC money. It will require a cultural change, which has been going backwards those last 10 years imo. And that's why the author wrote this article - not to inform us that Midwest is good, but because there is a real issue in getting talents to the Midwest.

jonny_eh 9y ago
It's for this reason that I think Canada (Toronto in particular) is better positioned to see the most growth in tech outside of SV/SF.
- freehunter 9y ago
  The problem there is the climate, and I say that as a Midwesterner used to cold harsh winters. SF, LA, Seattle, and Austin all have more human-friendly weather more of the year. People here in these comments complain about the winters in Ohio, and winter in Toronto isn't going to be any nicer to live in.
  - tmh79 9y ago
    Additionally, Toronto arguably has a worse housing situation than SF. While dollar for dollar, prices in SFBA are higher, your housing cost will likely be a higher percentage of your monthly take home in Canada as the pay is less than SFBA and housing costs are still high and rising.
    - jonny_eh 9y ago
      That plus the weather is why I'm a Canadian in California.
- johan_larson 9y ago
  How far down the list of top tech companies do you have to go before you come to one based in Canada? You won't find one in the top 10. You might not even find one in the top 50. If you're looking to bet on strength, that's not promising. For whatever reason, Canada seems to be able to produce a real contender only occasionally. True, we had RIM and before that Nortel. But RIM is a shadow of what it once was, and Nortel is long gone. In tech, Canada is a backwater, and seems likely to stay that way.
  - jonny_eh 9y ago
    Shopify is the one big standout.
taoistextremist 9y ago
>Someone denying there is no racism/xenophobia issue in the Midwest isn't listening in my opinion. You say this, but still the Detroit area hosts quite a large immigrant population, many from a group that experiences a lot of hate in the US (Arabs), though I'll admit, it's probably because the city is on the border with Canada, which makes it an easier place to get to given many immigrants here initially went to Canada from their home countries. Still, the region isn't alien to the idea of bringing in foreign labor to fill in employment gaps, it's pretty common at least in Detroit, and I imagine Chicago as well.

jonny_eh 9y ago

It's for this reason that I think Canada (Toronto in particular) is better positioned to see the most growth in tech outside of SV/SF.

freehunter 9y ago
The problem there is the climate, and I say that as a Midwesterner used to cold harsh winters. SF, LA, Seattle, and Austin all have more human-friendly weather more of the year. People here in these comments complain about the winters in Ohio, and winter in Toronto isn't going to be any nicer to live in.
- tmh79 9y ago
  Additionally, Toronto arguably has a worse housing situation than SF. While dollar for dollar, prices in SFBA are higher, your housing cost will likely be a higher percentage of your monthly take home in Canada as the pay is less than SFBA and housing costs are still high and rising.
  - jonny_eh 9y ago
    That plus the weather is why I'm a Canadian in California.
johan_larson 9y ago
How far down the list of top tech companies do you have to go before you come to one based in Canada? You won't find one in the top 10. You might not even find one in the top 50. If you're looking to bet on strength, that's not promising. For whatever reason, Canada seems to be able to produce a real contender only occasionally. True, we had RIM and before that Nortel. But RIM is a shadow of what it once was, and Nortel is long gone. In tech, Canada is a backwater, and seems likely to stay that way.
- jonny_eh 9y ago
  Shopify is the one big standout.

taoistextremist 9y ago

>Someone denying there is no racism/xenophobia issue in the Midwest isn't listening in my opinion. You say this, but still the Detroit area hosts quite a large immigrant population, many from a group that experiences a lot of hate in the US (Arabs), though I'll admit, it's probably because the city is on the border with Canada, which makes it an easier place to get to given many immigrants here initially went to Canada from their home countries. Still, the region isn't alien to the idea of bringing in foreign labor to fill in employment gaps, it's pretty common at least in Detroit, and I imagine Chicago as well.