Meet Napur Dave. On the surface, she lived the American dream. She had a ten year residency in the US. Then, she had an engineering job at Google. Dave had a nice apartment in Silicon Valley, the capital of IT support and computer repair. But recently, she ?left Silicon Valley and moved back to her native India. The Silicon Valley exodus: One India native had enough.
So, one reason is the expensive burden. Like most Google engineers, Napur Dave has a six digit income. They make on average, $93,000-$176,000 a year. That’s a great salary for most of the country. But in Silicon Valley, that doesn’t get you far. ?She called the rich Google employee, ‘just a myth’. But that wasn’t Dave’s only problem.
Her other issue was loneliness. She worked long hard hours on Google’s campus. Hence, this gave her little time for a social life, or to meet friends. Consequently, finding a mate was challenging. Because she worked at Google, some men were intimidated by her. She moved to San Francisco to improve her social prospects. But it backfired. Her commute was three hours long. So enough was enough. She moved back to India, where she continues to work for a Google firm. But most important, Dave is much happier.
Well, all that glitters isn’t gold. And Dave isn’t the only one. Several weeks ago, I talked about how even Silicon Valley leaders are leaving Silicon Valley. Some of their reasons are difference; maybe it’s because they fear an apocalypse. But people are leaving in droves. The Silicon Valley exodus is real. Not only that, the Silicon Valley exodus has no end in sight. What will it take to get people going back? Is it raises for their employees? These companies make billions a year. They can afford it. ?But yet their employees struggle for survival. Is it loneliness? Maybe these companies can invest in social functions, or cut hours, or hire more people. But if this trend continues, my fear is Silicon Valley will be a ghost town. Will it ever get better?
A few years ago, the digital currency Bitcoin was in trouble. In fact, it was the laughing stock of the computer repair and tech industry. But some stuck with it. And who laughs now? Bitcoin’s comeback: Worth more than gold.
So, I mean that literally. As of Friday March 3, one Bitcoin is worth $1,251. An ounce of gold is worth $1,234. Bitcoin’s comeback puts this currency at an all-time high. Bitcoin’s worth tripled in just one year. Furthermore, in the last three months, their shares went up 30%. Meanwhile, gold shares are went down almost 4 percent in the last year.
So what’s causing this Bitcoin comeback? Many believe it’s the world’s rocky status right now. Many have little faith in their own national currency. Hence, in other nations, the currency already collapsed. India and Venezuela voted to replace throw their paper currency away. They’re replacing it with coins. Maybe Venezuela’s dire economic depression has a role in that. Then there’s the generation gap. And many people, especially Millennials, like paying for things with Bitcoin. But these coins are scarce. And they’re getting scarcer. There are only 21 million of them. That may sound like a lot, but it’s not.
Not if you’re looking at it from a global viewpoint. I’m sure many of these coins are already claimed by the super wealthy. Then you have others who are not giving them up. If you had a coin worth over $1,250, would you give that up? I wouldn’t either. I hate to say it, but cash isn’t as popular as it used to be. At one Boston area store, I couldn’t even use cash at the check out machine. So people, especially Millennials and Gen Z (anyone born after 1997) yearn for a new way of exchange. Bitcoin seems to be that way of exchange, especially for anyone in IT support. Is Bitcoin’s comeback ?the new way of life? Or is it a one hit wonder?
How would you like to work for Facebook? How awesome would it be to work at their Silicon Valley headquarters? This is the dream for many in IT support. But not so fast! Some insiders talk about Facebook’s struggle: Employees can hardly pay rent.
So how does this happen? Because the San Francisco Bay and Silicon Valley areas are the most expensive areas in the country. Rent is extremely high. In fact, it’s so high engineers making over $100,000 a year struggle. Some even turn to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for help. Some engineers also asked Facebook, a multi-billion dollar corporation, to pay at least part of their rent.
According to Smartasset.com, you need to make over $215,000 a month for a two bedroom apartment in the Bay Area. Hence, I see the crisis. Also, employees complain of other high prices, like food. I read a coffee and bagel can cost over $8. Furthermore, fresh orange juice can cost over $10. And these are the lucky ones. Now imagine being a janitor, a cab driver, or cook working for Facebook. Then you see these prices everyday. You see, Facebook’s struggle isn’t just their struggle. This crisis, and it is a crisis, faces every tech worker in the Silicon Valley area.
But it sounds like Zuckerberg could be a sympathetic ear. I hope so. His New Year’s resolution is to ask more people how they’re living. He should start with his own employees. I don’t know if paying their rent is the answer, but something has to be done. Workers leave Silicon Valley. In fact, whole tech companies are leaving Silicon Valley. And trust me, the Boston area has room for IT service companies. So Silicon Valley isn’t the only tech candy store in town. And this isn’t just the tech leaders’ burden to bear. The whole area is at risk is something doesn’t change. What if so many leave that nobody wants to move to Silicon Valley? Does anyone think of that? Something has to change. Shouldn’t Facebook lead to way?
Nobody is immune to the troubles of today’s world. Hence, not even those in computer repair and IT support. No, not even tech billionaires and leaders. In fact, many of them already flee a potential tech apocalypse.
So as I write this, there are tech billionaires and Silicon Valley leaders buying land in New Zealand. PayPal founder Peter Thiel is one of the main tech leaders. He bought a 477-acre estate in New Zealand’s Southern Alps region. Furthermore, this estate costs him $10 million. Billionaire hedge fund investor Julian Robertson has land in New Zeland. Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman had laser eye surgery. He believes when the apocalypse comes, there will be no glasses. Then we have former Yahoo exec Marvin Laio. He stocks up on archery and guns to protect his family. And why is Elon Musk so desperate to build colonies on Mars?
In fact, half of all Silicon Valley leaders took out ‘apocalypse insurance’. They’re using this coverage to build a refuge at home and/or find one overseas. So a better question is: Why are they prepping? Many fear a human backlash when robots/AI intelligence takes all the human jobs. ?Some worry about these robots turning on humans altogether. Now that’s a tech apocalypse. Others fear that if the bottom falls out, mobs of the 99% will hunt the super-rich and rob them of everything they have.
And there are other worries. So these include threats of nuclear war, climate change, asteroids/meteorites, radiation, rising racial tensions, increasing political divisions, wealth inequality, civil unrest, and terrorism from groups like ISIS. All of this is happening right before our eyes. Some laugh at this. Others say they’re taking it way too far. But are they onto something? Nearly a quarter of Americans believe the End of Days will happen in their lifetime. Unrest isn’t just in America. In Romania, there were clashes between the police and the masses. Then in France, riots erupted after a handful of officers beat and sodomized a black man. In Germany, someone drove a car into a crowd. Four times in 2017, an asteroid barely missed planet Earth. So are these tech billionaires right? Should we be concerned about a tech apocalypse?
Ever hear of Waymo? Waymo is a child company of Google. Also, Waymo dedicates itself to the Google self-driving car. Waymo has also been in a lawsuit with Uber. Waymo sues Uber: Who is right?
So, Waymo sues Uber as of February 23, 2017. Waymo claims Uber stole secrets about their self-driving car moves. Then the suit focused on Anthony?Levandowski, a former Google employee. He now works for Otto, a trucking company Uber bought. The lawsuit claims he downloaded Waymo’s confidential info, then sent it to Otto/Uber. It sounds like a soap opera, doesn’t it? But the plot gets better. Google used to invest in Uber, back during the ride sharing company’s early days in 2013. Uber went on it’s own. This strained their relationship. The strain remains to this day.
Hence, according to the lawsuit, Levandowski got ‘special software’ to get access to the secret file. He downloaded 9.7 GB of it. Then, he transferred it to an external hard drive that got in Uber/Otto’s hands. Furthermore, he allegedly used operating systems to erase his traces. Consequently, a Waymo spokesperson stands by this lawsuit. In a blog, they acknowledged the former alliance between Google and Uber. But they also said Google has to defend itself. An Uber spokesperson answered back. She said Uber takes such lawsuits seriously and will review the matter.
So Waymo sues Uber. I doubt this lawsuit will go quietly or peacefully. You see, self-driving technology is the next big thing in computer technology, IT service and IT support. You have the biggest tech companies racing to be the first to put self-driving cars on the street. The race has been going on for years. We can compare it to the space race of the 1960s, when nations raced to put a man on the moon. So Waymo sues Uber. Did Levandowski really give Waymo’s secrets to Uber? Was Uber involved? Is Waymo justified in filing this lawsuit? Or is this lawsuit Google’s tactic to gain an advantage in the self-driving car race?
First and foremost, we at Computer Geeks wish you all a Happy New Year! Things should not be boring in the IT?support and computer repair business. But some businesses won’t do well. Some in the industry probably won’t make it to 2018. Let’s look at 2017 in tech: who won’t survive?
So the first name that comes to mind is . Their latest smartphone literally blew up on them. So did their washing machines. They’re building a Galaxy Note 8. But will it be enough? Will they comeback and thrive for 2017 in tech? Then there’s Go Pro. It seemed like a great concept at first, especially with the athletic vlogging crowd. Then, people started dying…literally. They laid off hundreds and had a horrible Q4 2017. Will they survive 2017 in tech?
Furthermore, there’s Windows Phone. My mom had one and it gave her problems from start to finish. She couldn’t wait to trade it in for an Android. But her situation isn’t unique. Not only are they too complex, they came too late in the game. Because Android, Apple and Samsung had the smartphone territory on lock. Will Windows Phone survive 2017 in tech? Then there’s You Tube Red? Ever hear of it? It gives you ad free You Tube Service…for $10 a month. But I think I can stand a few seconds of ads rather than pay that. So would most Americans. I don’t see You Tube Red surviving 2017 in tech.
And there are others on the chopping block. What will 2017 in tech hold for Yahoo, who struggles just to find a buyer? Also, what does it hold for Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer? And what about Tidal, the streaming service started by musicians like Jay Z? Nobody is rushing to pay $20 for that service, especially when they can get just as good at half the cost. You can even put Twitter on the survival list. They’ve dealt with declining profits, layoffs, scandal and bullying. What will 2017 hold for them? It’s 2017 in tech: Who will survive?
