SF Bay Area tech transplants unhappy with exodus to Austin, report says

[dktshb]

Not sure why anyone would want to live in a State with such angry divisive politics and getting pregnant could be a death sentence.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by dktshb

Not sure why anyone would want to live in a State with such angry divisive politics and getting pregnant could be a death sentence.

People opting to leave the Bay for Austin probably want to get away from CA's cost of living/ politics but Austin still manages to capture a slice of California being such a liberal outdoorsy city.

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by dktshb

Not sure why anyone would want to live in a State with such angry divisive politics and getting pregnant could be a death sentence.

Not only that, but it’s the humid heat that’s ex*austin'.

[JoninATX]

Originally Posted by dktshb

Not sure why anyone would want to live in a State with such angry divisive politics and getting pregnant could be a death sentence.

Example like why would anyone want to live in a place that can't figure out what gender they are? People move for different reasons.

[moorhosj1]

Originally Posted by JoninATX

Example like why would anyone want to live in a place that can't figure out what gender they are? People move for different reasons.

One is worrying about yourself and your safety, the other is worrying about how other people choose to live. Perfectly sums up the current political differences.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by JManc

People opting to leave the Bay for Austin probably want to get away from CA's cost of living/ politics but Austin still manages to capture a slice of California being such a liberal outdoorsy city.

Most of Texas' large cities are "blue", and the suburbs are getting bluer as well. Plano, of all places, went blue in the 2020 election, and the south side of Cypress, where I'm moving, had a tie for Biden/Trump. Since Cypress is getting more ethnically diverse, I suspect much of it will go blue in the not too distant future, like Sugarland did. Still, there are many small to medium sized cities and rural areas in Texas that are solidly red. Overall, Republicans here vote in higher percentages and numbers, so we end up with bigots like Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and Ken Paxton getting elected for multiple terms in their statewide offices. If every eligible voter actually voted, we wouldn't be in such a situation politically, with a terrible record of health care, poor child care, a poor environmental record, and on an on. At the same time, we tend to have a long record of low unemployment, as business-first has that advantage (a big one).

The day that I will be proud of this state will be the day that our leaders continue to be very pro-business, yet shed the culture wars thing, do something about health care, child care, and the environment. I don't care which party it is.

[dktshb]

Originally Posted by JoninATX

Example like why would anyone want to live in a place that can't figure out what gender they are? People move for different reasons.

I am not sure how to respond since I literally have no idea what you mean or what you're saying.

[LA21st]

He's saying 40 million people dont know if they're men or women.

It's a very rational thought and I'm sure he heard it from smart and important people.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by AviationGuy

Most of Texas' large cities are "blue", and the suburbs are getting bluer as well. Plano, of all places, went blue in the 2020 election, and the south side of Cypress, where I'm moving, had a tie for Biden/Trump. Since Cypress is getting more ethnically diverse, I suspect much of it will go blue in the not too distant future, like Sugarland did. Still, there are many small to medium sized cities and rural areas in Texas that are solidly red. Overall, Republicans here vote in higher percentages and numbers, so we end up with bigots like Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and Ken Paxton getting elected for multiple terms in their statewide offices. If every eligible voter actually voted, we wouldn't be in such a situation politically, with a terrible record of health care, poor child care, a poor environmental record, and on an on. At the same time, we tend to have a long record of low unemployment, as business-first has that advantage (a big one).

The day that I will be proud of this state will be the day that our leaders continue to be very pro-business, yet shed the culture wars thing, do something about health care, child care, and the environment. I don't care which party it is.

They are but not like Austin which is more 'progressive' than cities like Houston or DFW which are still moderate Democrat. Austin has more incommon with West Coast cities.

[dktshb]

Originally Posted by LA21st

He's saying 40 million people dont know if they're men or women.

It's a very rational thought and I'm sure he heard it from smart and important people.

Oh, well there you have it. Thank goodness for smart and important people. How foolish of me to have been living in paradise all these years now knowing people are allowed to express their gender identity here. If only I could conger up some anger about this and let if fester inside me until I just pick up and move. Ugh!

[UrbanImpact]

Originally Posted by JoninATX

Example like why would anyone want to live in a place that can't figure out what gender they are? People move for different reasons.

Gender issues is actually a bigger issue in Red states that are making it an issue.

[Gantz]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

Gender issues is actually a bigger issue in Red states that are making it an issue.

So is abortion.
Most normal, sane people do not use it as an alternative to contraceptives. And definitely do not use it as a defining factor of where to move and live. (This is coming from someone who is pro-abortion).

[sopas ej]

SF Bay Area tech transplants unhappy with exodus to Austin, report says

I'm not surprised. TX has no state-mandated PSL, no short-term disability, no PFL. Need to miss work a few hours a day for cancer treatment? I guess a TX employer will let you do that and won't threaten you with termination, but you won't get paid for your missed hours. Need to take care of an ailing/dying parent or sibling or other close family member? I GUESS a TX employer MIGHT allow that, and MIGHT not terminate your employment while you're on leave, but you won't get paid.

[DCReid]

Originally Posted by montréaliste

Thanks for the link. I had no idea about Dayton’s erstwhile prominence before reading that article.

I was also under the impression that a good comparison would be Detroit in the years between 1910-1930 or so. From what I read, there were about 2,000 auto startups. Some were eventually combined or bought to become GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc. Since America in those days was a factory boom country, people with little education could move to Detroit and get good middle class jobs. Blacks and Appalachian whites moved to Detroit in droves to take advantage of booming Detroit. Other Midwestern cities fed off the auto boom as suppliers and materials. Someone told me that Delco had a factory in Columbus that employed 10,000 people in the day.

[Gantz]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

I'm not surprised. TX has no state-mandated PSL, no short-term disability, no PFL. Need to miss work a few hours a day for cancer treatment? I guess a TX employer will let you do that, but you won't get paid for your missed hours. Need to take care of an ailing/dying parent or sibling or other close family member? I GUESS a TX employer MIGHT allow that, and MIGHT not terminate your employment while you're on leave, but you won't get paid.

I don't think tech workers (or others in high demand jobs) care about state-mandated worker protections much. All of those benefits (and much more) come standard with any TX tech employer.

A typical job comes with disability insurance, health, life, vision, dental, paid sick days, paid holidays, paid personal/vacation days, paid volunteer time, family medical leave, childcare benefits, etc. This is all standard. Stuff like bonuses and paid meals is more negotiable and varies.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by Gantz

I don't think tech workers (or others in high demand jobs) care about state-mandated worker protections much. All of those benefits (and much more) come standard with any TX tech employer.

A typical job comes with disability insurance, life, vision, dental, paid sick days, paid holidays, paid personal/vacation days, paid volunteer time, family medical leave, childcare benefits, etc. This is all standard. Stuff like bonuses and paid meals is more negotiable and varies.

Well whoopdee doo for tech workers, but for the rest of us, I don't see how moving to TX, apart from cheap gasoline, would benefit someone like me.

[Gantz]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Well whoopdee doo for tech workers, but for the rest of us, I don't see how moving to TX, apart from cheap gasoline, would benefit someone like me.

Most people move to TX for cheaper cost of living or jobs that they can't find where they live.
The people who need those benefits you mentioned, look for jobs that provide them.
The people who do not need those benefits, look for different jobs (either with more pay or easily available).
Some people are on fixed income, so they don't even need a job, but just a cheaper COL.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Yea, this isn't a surprise. If you follow Tik tok/instagram, this has been known. I'd say I started seeing a change with progammers/tech bros saying they made a mistake leaving the Bay/California.

People are moving back from places like Florida and Texas in a hurry. 2023 numbers will be interesting. The covid era has flipped.

Most of the people who left wanted to leave far before covid regardless of influencers on tick tock which is by its very nature not representative of the norm.

These patterns have much to do with costs of living more than anything. People moving specifically for political issues are by definition privileged people with enough income to live pretty much where they want. People who moved to Austin or other states with some weird attitude they were going to "change" where they were going were fools and doing it for foolish reasons. No wonder they will move home.

[Chisouthside]

From my experience, the vast majority of my ex coworkers I keep up with seem to be concerned with cost of living/fun. Theyre mostly junior/mid level employees and i would imagine the majority of the tech workforce is very similar. Regarding Austin, it is a fun city but pales in comparison to the available activities in the Bay.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by Chisouthside

From my experience, the vast majority of my ex coworkers I keep up with seem to be concerned with cost of living/fun. Theyre mostly junior/mid level employees and i would imagine the majority of the tech workforce is very similar. Regarding Austin, it is a fun city but pales in comparison to the available activities in the Bay.

JManc said it best. It manages to capture a slice of California, but not the full pie/pizza/cake. Its advantage is cost of living. That's about it.