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Texas is big tech's choice to skirt employee protections. I'm sure these are the type of jobs, similar to Foxconn per the article, that Americans are looking fo

Texas is big tech's choice to skirt employee protections. I'm sure these are the type of jobs, similar to Foxconn per the article, that Americans are looking forward to.

42772827 2y ago
While that’s certainly a key component, Texas is also home to the largest potential solar and wind capacity in the country. There’s also a ton of land to build on.
- hooverd 2y ago
  At this rate, Texas is going to go the way of it's hat and ban "woke energy" like solar and wind. [0] [0] https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/renewable-energy-ban-oklahoma https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/renewable-ener...
  - 42772827 2y ago
    Unlikely. Texas is the largest exporter of crude oil and natural gas, the largest in capacity for refining petroleum, and huge exporter of petrochemicals in the US. More solar and wind means more oil for refinement and export.
- rbanffy 2y ago
  And Austin was an island of sanity according to my friends who lived there.
voidfunc 2y ago
When Texas flips blue like California did way back it's going to be interesting
- gjsman-1000 2y ago
  Nah, watch what happens when California goes red, if Dems repeat their 2024 performance trends.
  - malcolmgreaves 2y ago
    Unlike Texas, California thankfully hasn’t been gerrymandered to death. It still has a functioning democracy.
  - hooverd 2y ago
    California's housing crisis is a result of small-c conservatives wanting their property values to rise forever. Prop 13 and it's consequences have been a disaster for the state.
    - quesera 2y ago
      Prop 13 is a disaster, but it was not the product of any specific political persuasion. It was even well-intentioned, but the unforseen (although predictable in direction if not magnitude) consequences are in fact disastrous. I have wondered about how to repeal Prop 13, but I can't come up with a repeal that doesn't do equal and opposite damage.
      - hnav 2y ago
        Over the course of a decade go from a max of 2%/year to something like 10%/year. Maybe some extra tax breaks for those who lost equity when selling a long-term residence (doubt, probably just slow their growth)
        quesera 2y ago
        Right, some kind of phase-in would be necessary. The opposite damage I'm talking about is forcing people to lose their houses for inability to pay current-FMV property taxes. Mostly older/retired/fixed income people. This would apply to any phase-in schedule too.
- psygn89 2y ago
  No thanks
mrcwinn 2y ago
I know a lot of tech workers in Texas, specifically in the Austin area. They seem to be doing very well. I'm quite proud of America's working conditions. A lot of workers in other countries would marvel at our opportunities and be grateful these investments are happening here as opposed to elsewhere.
- Ylpertnodi 2y ago
  >A lot of workers in other countries would marvel at our opportunities and be grateful these investments are happening here as opposed to elsewhere. "In other coutries"...any particular ones?
  - rbanffy 2y ago
    I can’t think of any developed country where that’d make sense.
  - paulddraper 2y ago
    India
zifpanachr23 2y ago
I'm in Dallas and doing just fine tyvm. I do find it slightly offensive that you would insinuate that hiring in Texas is solely about less worker protections and not that we have plenty of skilled workers in one place and with a lower cost of living. I'm a worker not an owner,and I prefer living in Texas at this stage in my life and have turned down offers to move back to California. Working in tech in a big Texas city easily puts you in the top 10% of the cushiest jobs in the US. Based on how I've been treated here, I really doubt that worker protections (or lack thereof) is the real driving force behind more tech jobs moving here. We are far from being oppressed here. The most likely driving force of tech moving to Texas is that mid career professionals like myself don't see a future in California due to the insane cost and bad vibe of raising a family there. It's a great place for people just out of college, but Texas is a better place to settle down unless you are pulling an outrageous salary. The other big advantage California has is VC and startup networks being located there, which is also something that primarily benefits early career people rather than those of us that need a stable job at an established company. It's also worth pointing out that Texas has long had a large technology industry presence. The dominance that California experienced during the early 2000s through to mid 2010s is an outlier and it shouldnt surprise anybody that things are evening out.

Texas is big tech's choice to skirt employee protections. I'm sure these are the type of jobs, similar to Foxconn per the article, that Americans are looking forward to.

42772827 2y ago

While that’s certainly a key component, Texas is also home to the largest potential solar and wind capacity in the country. There’s also a ton of land to build on.

hooverd 2y ago
At this rate, Texas is going to go the way of it's hat and ban "woke energy" like solar and wind. [0] [0] https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/renewable-energy-ban-oklahoma https://heatmap.news/plus/the-fight/spotlight/renewable-ener...
- 42772827 2y ago
  Unlikely. Texas is the largest exporter of crude oil and natural gas, the largest in capacity for refining petroleum, and huge exporter of petrochemicals in the US. More solar and wind means more oil for refinement and export.
rbanffy 2y ago
And Austin was an island of sanity according to my friends who lived there.

voidfunc 2y ago

When Texas flips blue like California did way back it's going to be interesting

gjsman-1000 2y ago
Nah, watch what happens when California goes red, if Dems repeat their 2024 performance trends.
- malcolmgreaves 2y ago
  Unlike Texas, California thankfully hasn’t been gerrymandered to death. It still has a functioning democracy.
- hooverd 2y ago
  California's housing crisis is a result of small-c conservatives wanting their property values to rise forever. Prop 13 and it's consequences have been a disaster for the state.
  - quesera 2y ago
    Prop 13 is a disaster, but it was not the product of any specific political persuasion. It was even well-intentioned, but the unforseen (although predictable in direction if not magnitude) consequences are in fact disastrous. I have wondered about how to repeal Prop 13, but I can't come up with a repeal that doesn't do equal and opposite damage.
    - hnav 2y ago
      Over the course of a decade go from a max of 2%/year to something like 10%/year. Maybe some extra tax breaks for those who lost equity when selling a long-term residence (doubt, probably just slow their growth)
      - quesera 2y ago
        Right, some kind of phase-in would be necessary. The opposite damage I'm talking about is forcing people to lose their houses for inability to pay current-FMV property taxes. Mostly older/retired/fixed income people. This would apply to any phase-in schedule too.
psygn89 2y ago
No thanks

mrcwinn 2y ago

I know a lot of tech workers in Texas, specifically in the Austin area. They seem to be doing very well. I'm quite proud of America's working conditions. A lot of workers in other countries would marvel at our opportunities and be grateful these investments are happening here as opposed to elsewhere.

Ylpertnodi 2y ago
>A lot of workers in other countries would marvel at our opportunities and be grateful these investments are happening here as opposed to elsewhere. "In other coutries"...any particular ones?
- rbanffy 2y ago
  I can’t think of any developed country where that’d make sense.
- paulddraper 2y ago
  India

zifpanachr23 2y ago

I'm in Dallas and doing just fine tyvm. I do find it slightly offensive that you would insinuate that hiring in Texas is solely about less worker protections and not that we have plenty of skilled workers in one place and with a lower cost of living. I'm a worker not an owner,and I prefer living in Texas at this stage in my life and have turned down offers to move back to California. Working in tech in a big Texas city easily puts you in the top 10% of the cushiest jobs in the US. Based on how I've been treated here, I really doubt that worker protections (or lack thereof) is the real driving force behind more tech jobs moving here. We are far from being oppressed here. The most likely driving force of tech moving to Texas is that mid career professionals like myself don't see a future in California due to the insane cost and bad vibe of raising a family there. It's a great place for people just out of college, but Texas is a better place to settle down unless you are pulling an outrageous salary. The other big advantage California has is VC and startup networks being located there, which is also something that primarily benefits early career people rather than those of us that need a stable job at an established company. It's also worth pointing out that Texas has long had a large technology industry presence. The dominance that California experienced during the early 2000s through to mid 2010s is an outlier and it shouldnt surprise anybody that things are evening out.