Most screeds I see against the Bay Area seems to ignore one of the most important things about it: It's in California, which has had laws against overly-restric

Most screeds I see against the Bay Area seems to ignore one of the most important things about it: It's in California, which has had laws against overly-restrictive employer non-compete agreements since the 1800s. You don't just need a critical mass of technologists in an area, you also need them to be able to do new and interesting work on their own schedule, either by switching jobs or by starting companies. The Bay Area meets both criteria.