In the United States, tech workers flee Silicon Valley

The realm of tech is obviously no longer the Eden that made people dream so much. The year 2020, with its share of inconvenience and misfortune, is another blow to the declining reputation of Silicon Valley. Repeated fires, crazy rents, monster traffic jams… the reasons are piling up for leaving this region which has seen the birth of the largest technological companies. For a long time, employees continued to come and live there, attracted by generous salaries and comfortable campuses.

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But the Covid-19 crisis marked a rupture. The remote working measures imposed by the pandemic have been extended until 2021 in emblematic companies like Google, Facebook or Salesforce, among many others. Twitter even plans to allow some of its employees to work from home “forever”. Under these conditions, a good internet connection is enough to telework from anywhere.

Now, testimonials are pouring in from relocating tech workers eager to enjoy a higher standard of living outside of Los Angeles, the most expensive city in the United States. This exodus has already caused a significant drop in rents, by 12% in one year. A movement supported by companies, which are also thinking of relocating. The CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, plans to rely on "a decentralized work force". Others have already taken the plunge, such as data analytics specialist Palantir, which has just moved its headquarters to Denver. Its CEO, Alex Karp, says he no longer supports "the intolerance and the unique thinking of Silicon Valley".