This month alone, I have seen eight neighbors move, attended three going away gatherings for friends moving away from the Bay Area, and spoken to four people who are actively considering leaving the Bay Area. All of these people share something in common: they are seasoned startup veterans who believe “the rent is too damn high”. The newly vacated apartments in my building were immediately filled with younger, fresher faces, and boundless optimism. It’s fair to guess that my new neighbors were in high school during the recession. Feeling like an elder before reaching 40 years old is unsettling, to say the least, but I bit the bullet and renewed my lease anyway.
Why? Proximity to ideas. Don’t get me wrong, ideas are everywhere, but there remains an inordinate concentration of ideas here in the Bay Area, and that’s why I live here. Just like the pace in New York City makes me walk faster, these ideas and the conversations exchanging these ideas are fuel for new ideas. Technology allows people to communicate instantly and freely across the globe, but nothing replaces the power and physical presence of others. Am I am scared to see rents skyrocket and insanely smart people move away? Absolutely, but I am not ready to pack it up. Not yet.
Why? Proximity to ideas. Don’t get me wrong, ideas are everywhere, but there remains an inordinate concentration of ideas here in the Bay Area, and that’s why I live here. Just like the pace in New York City makes me walk faster, these ideas and the conversations exchanging these ideas are fuel for new ideas. Technology allows people to communicate instantly and freely across the globe, but nothing replaces the power and physical presence of others. Am I am scared to see rents skyrocket and insanely smart people move away? Absolutely, but I am not ready to pack it up. Not yet.
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