4 ms·

Making things affordable in LA will be easy. Almost everyone I know is either in the process of leaving CA or planning on leaving. This includes everything fr

Making things affordable in LA will be easy. Almost everyone I know is either in the process of leaving CA or planning on leaving. This includes everything from middle-class individuals to high-net-worth families, soon-to-retire and retired. Everyone is sick of the financially abusive environment in CA, at every level. And, of course, other issues. My wife and I are so sick of it that it has become an almost weekly conversation. She is actively investigating where to go. There are a range of options, from other places in the US to Europe. Today she was showing me her research on opportunities in Valencia, Spain. When we go, we will take three businesses and as many of the people working for us as possible out of CA. Logistically, it is far more likely that the move will happen within the US, of course. So yeah, keep going on this path and housing affordability will not be a problem at all. That's my take on it. Right or wrong.

gottorf 3y ago
> There are a range of options, from other places in the US > far more likely that the move will happen within the US I don't know what you value in a place to live in, but many Southern and Midwestern states have much better fiscal and regulatory climates[0] and are full of midsized cities with surprisingly charming and walkable downtown areas. About the only thing you will not find is the delicious Mediterranean climate found in much of California. [0]: https://www.freedominthe50states.org/ https://www.freedominthe50states.org/
- robomartin 3y ago
  > I don't know what you value in a place to live in Sanity and reason would be a good starting point. California is like dating a beautiful supermodel who is an horrible person. Everyone sees the outside and thinks "How lucky". Nobody know she the person she is inside that exterior. It didn't use to be like this. There's only one reason it got this way, and that is the support of a putrid ideology that has, throughout history and across the world, destroyed everything it has touched. And here we are.
  - reverius42 3y ago
    > a putrid ideology that has, throughout history and across the world, destroyed everything it has touched Does this ideology have a name?
    - robomartin 3y ago
      It’s the ideologies that have destroyed virtually all of Latin America and countless other nations throughout history. The President of Argentina has done a pretty good job of laying out the case. Watch his videos. Gloria Alvarez is another person who has been speaking about this for years. The good news is that we don’t have to base this on opinions. It’s a matter of historical fact across many nations over at least 100 years.
apsurd 3y ago
I hear you. There's definitely a stur up going on these days. > When we go, we will take three businesses and as many of the people working for us as possible out of CA. Logistically, it is far more likely that the move will happen within the US, of course. I'm replying because this is just the tiny vocal minority. California is fucking BEAUTIFUL. People will want to live here until CA breaks off and sinks into the ocean from a major earthquake. Plenty of people. It's a non-issue. disclaimer: born and raised CA kid. I hate that the West is so car centric. There's much to love about other places. But there is no place like CA.
- robomartin 3y ago
  > there is no place like CA. The US is a beautiful place. I would not be so bolt as to make such a categorical statement. Economically, in terms of business climate, affordability and more, CA is a dumpster fire. To the point that people at the new $15 to $20 per hour minimum wage that was supposed to solve so many problems actually have lower spending power than when they were earning at a lower rate. That should not be surprising when we pay 3x to 5x for auto licenses, 3x to 10x for auto insurance, 3x to 10x for homeowners insurance, 2x or more for gasoline, more in taxes across the board, from sales to income taxes and a bunch of little taxes on everything that just kills your money. Etc. The only way CA improves is if there's a major ideological shift that permeates the state. I cannot see that happening for decades. I think it has to sink to a very painful bottom before people actually understand. CA needs to get the "Argentina experience" before voters will understand just how dumb it is to continue to support the charlatans and crooks who have been running this state. The CA high speed rail was supposed to cost us $10 billion. We are well --way-- past $100 billion and nowhere completion. It will probably take this project another 25 years (if we are lucky), it might cost $500 billion and, if it ever really comes online, the cost per rider will be such that we could have sent everyone to the moon for less. Stupid voters. Ideologically broken crooks for politicians. Not a good combination. Time will tell. As for affordable housing. Good luck. The very idea in CA violates the laws of physics. Unless there's a serious regime change this particular issue will not improve at all. Not at scale.
dxbydt 3y ago
I have long followed your work, on and off hn, for a couple years now. Huge respect. Before you consider Spain etc., please give the midwest a chance. Idealogically and workwise, you will find that Indiana, Ohio, Michigan strongly align with your values. You can pick any flagship university here and draw a circle with 20 mile radius. You will find plenty of manufacturing capital, cheap land, and a rooted workforce looking for stable jobs in the industrial sector(rather than 150k swes). State funding & support for R&D, tons of expertise in aerospace/robotics/cad/mech/… purdue for example is a top-10 in several of these, with several hundred oncampus professors and over 50k students, most of who are midwest natives who prefer to stay put rather than catch the first flight to llm valley. After a very long stint in CA, I made the move to the midwest and couldn’t be happier. Life is short. A certain amount of friction is fine, but if you are swimming against the tide every single damned day of your life, it quickly drains you. I find the midwest much more supportive of my values and politics.
- robomartin 3y ago
  > I find the midwest much more supportive of my values and politics. What's going on in the US is so disheartening, demoralizing and sad that I just don't know what to think any more. A society in the grips of destructive ideological forces, from our schools up through our media and government. We are headed straight for the "Argentina experience" and people seem to be too ignorant to understand it. Sad. My wife is now actively engage in evaluating potential European destinations with a reasonable mix of quality of life and support for entrepreneurs. I was just in Zurich a few weeks ago and everything I learned was encouraging. I met with entrepreneurs doing non-trivial projects in Spain and learned about how the government is working hard to promote the kinds of things we should be doing in the US. The same is true of other locations in Europe. Not saying it is utopia, just saying they might be waking up to what has to be done to stay relevant in a global stage. They also seem to finally have understood how much of a mistake it was to allow uncontrolled migration into various nations. Something we still don't seem to grasp here. I also spent time in North Carolina. Interesting. It does feel promising. Waco, TX is also an interesting ecosystem. If they had a high-speed train to Dallas it would almost be a no-brainer. Phoenix, AZ, also interesting. Although, now we get into potentially punishing weather. I don't know. Frankly, I feel like the country I love and call home has fully bought into a plan for self destruction. OK, maybe I am being too dramatic. I'll concede this. And yet, we have a government that thinks nothing of letting ten million people come in when we did not create --and cannot create-- ten million new jobs for them, much less good jobs for everyone else who needed them before they came in. In a nation ruled by sanity, this kind of thing would not happen. How can anyone trust that we are going to behave rationally when this is the best we seem to be able to do? And so, yeah, I am exhausted, sick, tired of this. Why continue to fight for a team that despises me as an entrepreneur? Why? Why does my government make me pay $30K per year in health insurance? Why do they create the conditions that cause my home insurance to go from $800 per year to over $7K per year? Why are we paying nearly $8K in car insurance for normal vehicles and no issues at all, instead of $500? Why do we pay hundreds of dollars per year in car registration when in other parts of the nation it's tens of dollars? Why is gasoline, I don't know, over $5 per gallon? Why are we paying insane amounts of taxes with every gallon of gasoline and the roads are shit compared to other places in the nation and other countries? Why have we allowed our society to become so violently abusive and divisive? I don't know. All I know is that I've had enough. And, I don't know when or where, but we are pretty much decided we are not playing any more. I am starting another company and we've been talking to partners in the UK and Switzerland to see what might be possible. Next month I am going to spend two weeks in Argentina. Things are changing. I want to see what happens. Anyhow, not a rosy comment. I know. Anyone honest and reasonably rational should conclude that the US has become a circus. This isn't how to stay a world leader at all. This is how you destroy a nation from the inside. That is the only thing we are doing well. Which is sad. Lose enough entrepreneurs and we are done. I was astounded to learn just how many foreign companies are recipients of funding from the laughably-named "Inflation Reduction Act". It's a joke. The whole thing is a sad joke.

gottorf 3y ago

> There are a range of options, from other places in the US > far more likely that the move will happen within the US I don't know what you value in a place to live in, but many Southern and Midwestern states have much better fiscal and regulatory climates[0] and are full of midsized cities with surprisingly charming and walkable downtown areas. About the only thing you will not find is the delicious Mediterranean climate found in much of California. [0]: https://www.freedominthe50states.org/ https://www.freedominthe50states.org/

robomartin 3y ago
> I don't know what you value in a place to live in Sanity and reason would be a good starting point. California is like dating a beautiful supermodel who is an horrible person. Everyone sees the outside and thinks "How lucky". Nobody know she the person she is inside that exterior. It didn't use to be like this. There's only one reason it got this way, and that is the support of a putrid ideology that has, throughout history and across the world, destroyed everything it has touched. And here we are.
- reverius42 3y ago
  > a putrid ideology that has, throughout history and across the world, destroyed everything it has touched Does this ideology have a name?
  - robomartin 3y ago
    It’s the ideologies that have destroyed virtually all of Latin America and countless other nations throughout history. The President of Argentina has done a pretty good job of laying out the case. Watch his videos. Gloria Alvarez is another person who has been speaking about this for years. The good news is that we don’t have to base this on opinions. It’s a matter of historical fact across many nations over at least 100 years.

apsurd 3y ago

I hear you. There's definitely a stur up going on these days. > When we go, we will take three businesses and as many of the people working for us as possible out of CA. Logistically, it is far more likely that the move will happen within the US, of course. I'm replying because this is just the tiny vocal minority. California is fucking BEAUTIFUL. People will want to live here until CA breaks off and sinks into the ocean from a major earthquake. Plenty of people. It's a non-issue. disclaimer: born and raised CA kid. I hate that the West is so car centric. There's much to love about other places. But there is no place like CA.

robomartin 3y ago
> there is no place like CA. The US is a beautiful place. I would not be so bolt as to make such a categorical statement. Economically, in terms of business climate, affordability and more, CA is a dumpster fire. To the point that people at the new $15 to $20 per hour minimum wage that was supposed to solve so many problems actually have lower spending power than when they were earning at a lower rate. That should not be surprising when we pay 3x to 5x for auto licenses, 3x to 10x for auto insurance, 3x to 10x for homeowners insurance, 2x or more for gasoline, more in taxes across the board, from sales to income taxes and a bunch of little taxes on everything that just kills your money. Etc. The only way CA improves is if there's a major ideological shift that permeates the state. I cannot see that happening for decades. I think it has to sink to a very painful bottom before people actually understand. CA needs to get the "Argentina experience" before voters will understand just how dumb it is to continue to support the charlatans and crooks who have been running this state. The CA high speed rail was supposed to cost us $10 billion. We are well --way-- past $100 billion and nowhere completion. It will probably take this project another 25 years (if we are lucky), it might cost $500 billion and, if it ever really comes online, the cost per rider will be such that we could have sent everyone to the moon for less. Stupid voters. Ideologically broken crooks for politicians. Not a good combination. Time will tell. As for affordable housing. Good luck. The very idea in CA violates the laws of physics. Unless there's a serious regime change this particular issue will not improve at all. Not at scale.

dxbydt 3y ago

I have long followed your work, on and off hn, for a couple years now. Huge respect. Before you consider Spain etc., please give the midwest a chance. Idealogically and workwise, you will find that Indiana, Ohio, Michigan strongly align with your values. You can pick any flagship university here and draw a circle with 20 mile radius. You will find plenty of manufacturing capital, cheap land, and a rooted workforce looking for stable jobs in the industrial sector(rather than 150k swes). State funding & support for R&D, tons of expertise in aerospace/robotics/cad/mech/… purdue for example is a top-10 in several of these, with several hundred oncampus professors and over 50k students, most of who are midwest natives who prefer to stay put rather than catch the first flight to llm valley. After a very long stint in CA, I made the move to the midwest and couldn’t be happier. Life is short. A certain amount of friction is fine, but if you are swimming against the tide every single damned day of your life, it quickly drains you. I find the midwest much more supportive of my values and politics.

robomartin 3y ago
> I find the midwest much more supportive of my values and politics. What's going on in the US is so disheartening, demoralizing and sad that I just don't know what to think any more. A society in the grips of destructive ideological forces, from our schools up through our media and government. We are headed straight for the "Argentina experience" and people seem to be too ignorant to understand it. Sad. My wife is now actively engage in evaluating potential European destinations with a reasonable mix of quality of life and support for entrepreneurs. I was just in Zurich a few weeks ago and everything I learned was encouraging. I met with entrepreneurs doing non-trivial projects in Spain and learned about how the government is working hard to promote the kinds of things we should be doing in the US. The same is true of other locations in Europe. Not saying it is utopia, just saying they might be waking up to what has to be done to stay relevant in a global stage. They also seem to finally have understood how much of a mistake it was to allow uncontrolled migration into various nations. Something we still don't seem to grasp here. I also spent time in North Carolina. Interesting. It does feel promising. Waco, TX is also an interesting ecosystem. If they had a high-speed train to Dallas it would almost be a no-brainer. Phoenix, AZ, also interesting. Although, now we get into potentially punishing weather. I don't know. Frankly, I feel like the country I love and call home has fully bought into a plan for self destruction. OK, maybe I am being too dramatic. I'll concede this. And yet, we have a government that thinks nothing of letting ten million people come in when we did not create --and cannot create-- ten million new jobs for them, much less good jobs for everyone else who needed them before they came in. In a nation ruled by sanity, this kind of thing would not happen. How can anyone trust that we are going to behave rationally when this is the best we seem to be able to do? And so, yeah, I am exhausted, sick, tired of this. Why continue to fight for a team that despises me as an entrepreneur? Why? Why does my government make me pay $30K per year in health insurance? Why do they create the conditions that cause my home insurance to go from $800 per year to over $7K per year? Why are we paying nearly $8K in car insurance for normal vehicles and no issues at all, instead of $500? Why do we pay hundreds of dollars per year in car registration when in other parts of the nation it's tens of dollars? Why is gasoline, I don't know, over $5 per gallon? Why are we paying insane amounts of taxes with every gallon of gasoline and the roads are shit compared to other places in the nation and other countries? Why have we allowed our society to become so violently abusive and divisive? I don't know. All I know is that I've had enough. And, I don't know when or where, but we are pretty much decided we are not playing any more. I am starting another company and we've been talking to partners in the UK and Switzerland to see what might be possible. Next month I am going to spend two weeks in Argentina. Things are changing. I want to see what happens. Anyhow, not a rosy comment. I know. Anyone honest and reasonably rational should conclude that the US has become a circus. This isn't how to stay a world leader at all. This is how you destroy a nation from the inside. That is the only thing we are doing well. Which is sad. Lose enough entrepreneurs and we are done. I was astounded to learn just how many foreign companies are recipients of funding from the laughably-named "Inflation Reduction Act". It's a joke. The whole thing is a sad joke.