Why Silicon Valley Corporations Are Shifting to Texas



Silicon Valley’s delicate local weather, instructional alternatives, and job prospects have attracted staff for greater than a century and helped flip the realm into the tech business’s epicenter. Nevertheless, its center-of-the-tech-universe standing could also be fading. Right here’s why.

Key Takeaways

  • Silicon Valley has been the epicenter of the tech business for many years.
  • Excessive housing prices, excessive tax charges, and strict laws have made it difficult to reside, work, and do enterprise within the space.
  • Extra tech firms are opting to maneuver operations to Texas and different states with decrease prices of dwelling and more-favorable tax legal guidelines.
  • Oracle and Hewlett Packard are among the many tech giants who’ve just lately introduced plans to maneuver their headquarters to Texas.

A Tech Exodus

An unimaginable housing market, excessive tax charges, and strict laws have made it difficult to reside, work, and do enterprise in Silicon Valley. Many CEOs are opting to depart California in the hunt for decrease actual property costs, higher tax legal guidelines, and fewer restrictions.

The place Are the Tech Corporations Going?

One state that has gained floor as a tech hub is Texas. Trade leaders resembling Superior Micro Units and Dell have already got an Austin—aka “Silicon Hills”—presence. In 2020 alone, 45 firms had introduced their relocation to, or opened new amenities within the Austin space, in line with knowledge from the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Austin has many qualities that make it a horny choice. “There are quite a lot of issues about this neighborhood—it’s acquired an incredible native taste, an incredible music scene, it’s an open air metropolis,” stated Laura Huffman, former president and CEO of the Austin Chamber, as reported by CNN Enterprise. “That’s the place folks wish to be. I feel 2020 has taught us all that now we have extra selection in the case of the place we reside.”

Which Corporations Are Leaving?

Right here’s a rundown of a few of the massive tech firms that in 2020 have introduced plans to depart the Bay Space for Texas.

  • Hewlett Packard Enterprises—Houston is HP’s largest employment hub, and the corporate is constructing a brand new campus there now. The corporate additionally introduced plans to maneuver its headquarters from San Jose to Texas.
  • Oracle—Whereas Oracle plans to maintain a few of its operations in California, it introduced plans to maneuver its headquarters from Redwood Metropolis, Calif., to Austin. The corporate acknowledged the transfer will “place Oracle for development and supply our personnel with flexibility about the place and the way they work,” spokesperson Deborah Hellinger advised CNN.
  • 8VC—The enterprise capital agency, run by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, is shifting its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin. “It’s simply develop into actually apparent that there are quite a lot of locations to construct across the nation, not simply Silicon Valley, as a consequence of price of dwelling, expertise, and all types of different issues, tradition, and what not,” Lonsdale advised the Austin American Statesman in November.
  • FileTrail—The corporate, which makes information administration software program for legislation corporations, moved from San Jose to Austin earlier this yr.
  • DZS Inc.—The telecommunications tools agency introduced earlier this yr plans to maneuver its headquarters from Oakland, Calif., to Plano, Texas.
  • QuestionPro—In January 2020 the web survey software program agency introduced its transfer from the Bay Space to Austin.

Some CEOs are shifting to Texas too:

  • Drew Houston—Dropbox CEO Drew Houston has purchased a house in Austin, which can develop into his everlasting residence.
  • Douglas Merritt—Splunk CEO Douglass Merritt just lately purchased a house in Austin, with plans to make it his everlasting residence.
  • Elon Musk—Tesla is constructing a big manufacturing unit close to Austin. Its CEO, Elon Musk, introduced in late 2020 that he had moved from California to Texas to be close to the power.

Florida Is One other Possibility for Tech Companies and CEOs

Florida—with its sunshine, reasonably priced actual property, and low tax charges—can be rising as a tech and startup hub. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian moved from San Francisco to Florida a number of years in the past. What’s extra, New York–primarily based Goldman Sachs is contemplating shifting a few of its operations to Miami, in line with the New York Instances.

Based on TheNextMiami.com, three tech buyers have introduced their strikes to Miami. David Blumberg, founder and managing accomplice of the enterprise capital agency Blumberg Capital; Keith Rabois, a common accomplice at Founders Fund and a former govt at PayPal and LinkedIn; and Jon Oringer, a former New York resident who’s the founder and govt chair of Shutterstock. Oringer just lately purchased a $42 million home in Miami.

The Backside Line

Silicon Valley—and its quite a few tech corporations—have attracted expertise for many years. Now, although, exorbitant housing prices, excessive taxes, and strict laws have made it a difficult place to reside, work, and do enterprise.

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