Silicon Valley: Is the Thrill Gone?

Photo Source: PBS

Sillcon Valley, California USA, the beacon of revolutionary technology; full of young, vibrant and talented Americans seeking that chance to get their new product on the market for all to use, or was it?

The "Valley" as some locals call it, is a region in California that refers to the Santa Clara Valley in Santa Clara County. Throughout the years it has expanded to include surrounding cities and towns in the area as well.

The history of this chunk of real estate, to put it simply, is the hub center of where tech giants such as Google, Mozzilla FireFox & Apple to name a few. But, as of late the "Valley" has been getting out shadowed and almost shunned for several different reasons

1. Very expensive to live there 

California, as a whole, has been going through a long economic/housing crisis. In December of 2015, Facebook came under fire for aiding the housing crisis when it offered its employees $10,000 to move near it Menlo Park Campus. 

According to a study from Quartz Mid-Senior level Engineers:

  

*For each company, median rents are based on units within a half-mile radius of the office.

Many other cities in the United States are opening their doors to these tech savvy people such as Settle, San Diego, Toronto, etc.

2. Culture in the Workplace 

February 2017 an former engineer of Uber, Susan Fowler, came forward with allegations of sexual harassment12 and gender discrimination. Claims that according to Fowler went unheeded or even acknowledged. 

In the Guardian, entrepreneur giant  Arianna Huffington, of the Huffington Post explains in her interview:

3. Foreign Countries Development  

In the last approximately six years, a lot of other countries has started to mimic and if not out do the US epic tech center. For example, Singapore, has been emerging and getting their heads in the internet/tech realm now, to the point, some say they have been "dethroned".

In an article from Singapore Business Review in March of 2017, it boost about its rise in ecosystem status and more:

 

  



















Just with these three brief examples it seems like the "Valley" is in trouble. Maybe places like Mountainview, US and surveillance hubs like that may want to get back to the basics of why they even exist instead of snooping around everyday Americans. 

Mountainview, US -Seems to love us, we watch ;)-

Tell us what you think? How do you feel about countries like Singapore and especially China taking over the head of the tech world? Let us know in the comments. 

Meanwhile, here are some Tweets straight from China.