> Stupid question but why don't big companies like Google and Apple just move the bulk of their office outside of San Francisco where there are no regulations a

> Stupid question but why don't big companies like Google and Apple just move the bulk of their office outside of San Francisco where there are no regulations and they could just build everything they need there. Because they've weighed all the options and decided that's not the best thing for their business. This is what many people simply don't understand. Businesses are profit-maximizers and it simply makes economic sense for them to be located in the Bay Area. One may not like the cost of housing, and businesses may have to pay employees more to live in the Bay Area, but overall the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.