World Groups

A lot of California industries are laying off employees. But companies in Silicon Valley are actually hiring people—a lot of people. It’s a good time to be in the market for a mid-level white collar job in web development and tech support.

Silicon Valley 'last mile' delivery startup shutting down
“Due to a confluence of events over the past few months, Deliv will unfortunately be winding down our operations over the next 90 days. The last day of service will be on or before August 4th, 2020,” it said.

Silicon Valley — defined as Santa Clara and San Mateo counties — had the largest out-migration of residents last year since 2008, according to an analysis from Joint Venture Silicon Valley. Seattle, Phoenix and Dallas were the top out-of-state destinations for Silicon Valley ex-pats. Residents say they’re fed up with the region’s high cost of living, gridlocked traffic and growing homelessness crisis — nearly three in four residents say the quality of life in the region has worsened in the past five years, according to a poll of registered voters conducted for this news organization and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

Narasimha Caturdasi Celebration by HG Vaisesika Dasa | ISKCON of Silicon Valley, USA

The Silicon Valley Economy Is Here. And It’s a Nightmare.
Low pay, soaring rents, and cities littered with e-scooters. Welcome to the future.

But what is less widely acknowledged is how the gig economy interacts with other trends in California and forces unleashed by Silicon Valley—rising housing costs, choked infrastructure—to make life hell for those who live at or near the epicenter of America’s technology industry.

Palo Alto, for example, where Bain’s family lives, is nestled in Silicon Valley, south of San Francisco, making it one of the most expensive areas in the country.

Because for all its promises of changing the world for the better, Silicon Valley has other priorities.