So for years, many say Silicon Valley is dying. For example, you don’t see Amazon rushing to put their second headquarters in Silicon Valley, do you? But now, Google, perhaps the largest of all IT service companies, will spend over $2.6 billion in expansion. It won’t be in Silicon Valley. Is Silicon Valley dead? Google seems to think so.
Google will spend over two billion dollars building a New York City base. In fact, they’re ready to close a deal on a building in the Meatpacking District. That’s in southwest Manhattan, walking distance to Greenwich Village and Chelsea. They already have a building that’s a block long. If this deal is successful, then it would be the most expensive real estate deal in NYC history. Keep in mind we’re talking New York City here!
The appeal of NYC is real to IT support executives, too. One tech executive said large companies like Google and Amazon create a booming economy. Techies work here for a few years, then move on to try to start their own companies. They’re not the only ones leaving San Francisco, either. One San Francisco tech investor went on a three day trip to small cities in the Midwest. He did this so Silicon Valley investors could abandon California ambitions and seek out talents elsewhere. Another venture capital investor said Silicon Valley is too expensive, congested and competitive, so she’s going somewhere else. Even AOL founder Stage Cage admitted Silicon Valley hit it’s peak. Is Silicon Valley dead?
It’s not looking good. Also, the phrase, “We told you so” doesn’t do justice. We insiders warned them about the dangers Silicon Valley headed into: wealth inequality, sex scandals, high prices, and overworked underpaid frustrated employees. Human beings can only take so much. So of course they’re going to move somewhere else. But why New York? Rent prices and expenses are just as costly in New York City as they are in greater San Francisco and San Jose. It’s also just as crowded. However, the talent keep coming. I ask again. Is Silicon Valley dead? Is New York City a better alternative?
So back in December 2017, they repealed net neutrality. But why am I talking about this today? Because today, this ruling is now official. However, that doesn’t mean the fight for net neutrality is over. Is net neutrality really dead? Maybe not.
So okay, the fight really started right after they passed the law. For example, 20 states sued to stop net neutrality repeal.?? But they can’t do that now. Because now that the repeal is official, these states can no longer complain how the repeal infringes on their rights. Does this mean states can’t do anything? And does this also mean there is nothing individuals can do?
Well, not exactly. Protests are going on all across the country. They’re even going on near our computer service shop. It may not change things right away, but it will get people to listen. Democrats can force a vote to challenge this repeal. It may not override President Trump’s support, but it could send a powerful message come midterms. Many states are coming up with their own net neutrality rules. Also, many political leaders argue this repeal violates the Administrative Protection Act (APA). This prohibits arbitrary rule making. Some argue the net neutrality repeal lacked major discussions and not experts testified before they made this ruling.
Is net neutrality really dead? I say maybe not because many other people are doing something about it. People are writing to the Senators and Congressmen and keeping this issue very fresh. Our elected officials know mid-terms are coming up. They also know 2020 isn’t that far behind, and there is so much at stake. I think if we, especially us in IT service, keep net neutrality a hot issue, then they won’t just let this repeal go. Watch your ISP’s as well. If enough resistance comes, they could resist right back. But how would it look on their part? Then again, how many ISP’s do you have competing against each other? That’s why we need more ISP competition, but that’s another subject for another time.? So is net neutrality really dead?
So I read this article about a San Francisco coffee house. This one house charges eight dollars per cup of coffee. That’s just one example of Silicon Valley’s wealth inequality problem.
Silicon Valley, greater San Francisco and San Jose, have some of the worst wealth inequality in America. In fact, the San Francisco area ranks third in the highest wealth gaps between rich and everybody else. Then take the San Jose area, just down the road. They rank sixth highest in the highest wealth gaps between rich and everybody else. But that’s just where this tragic comedy begins.
Because between 2014-2016, the highest wage earners see raises averaging $60,000. Meanwhile, everybody else saw wage increases of only $2,000. So $2,000 is hardly enough to match inflation, especially in that part of the country. But wait…isn’t technology helping stop Silicon Valley’s wealth inequality problem? No it’s not. In fact, though I hate to say it, IT support is making wealth inequality worse. Some experts say Silicon Valley companies reward those who already have higher salaries. Meanwhile, a third of the population depend on assistance just to survive. The billions of dollars the high tech industry makes just isn’t trickling down to the rest of the community.
Over the last several years, I witnessed protests from maids, waiters, and drivers making minimum wage serving tech leaders making billions. Also, I read stories where 20-somethings tech employees get fired for daring to complain about their low salary. Silicon Valley/San Francisco is the home of: Google, Facebook, Salesforce,? NetApp, Apple, and Ebay. It’s also the home of Cisco, Intel, Synmantic, etc. I don’t know if they’re doing anything to curb this problem. But it is a problem. And they need to do something. Because if they don’t, I fear Silicon Valley will collapse on it’s own weight and greed. I shouldn’t blame Silicon Valley though. In Boston, home of our computer service shop, we have our battles with wealth inequality.? Companies and people are already leaving Silicon Valley because of this. What do you think, if anything, can be done?
So let’s look at Amazon’s resume so far: Online Retail, media (Washington Post), groceries (Whole Foods), AI (Echo), and more. But what about health insurance? I guess you can add that as well. Amazon health insurance: Is America ready?
To be fair, Amazon isn’t doing this alone. Because they are teaming up with stock company Birkshire Hathaway and banking firm JP Morgan. Together, they want to build their own employee friendly health insurance. They also want to give benefits to their own employees and families. Furthermore, they want to do so with no interference from the government, or anybody else.
It’s not exactly free. But it is free from profit-making. These three companies want to kill the red tape that often comes with the health insurance industry. Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos talked about this. He realizes how hard the system is for everyone: for patient, doctor, provider and employer. Bezos wants to create a system that works for everyone. However, there is no planning on how they’re going to do this. Because even Bezos and Warren Buffet admit they’re in the early stages of planning. In fact, the management they have in place is only temporary. But they are coming up with a permanent team and plan.
So what do ordinary people say about this? What do those in computer service and computer repair say about this? According to my Facebook page, some are actually warm to do this idea. There is one lady that said, “If this is what it takes to lower my health bills…”. While that is a true sentiment across the country, are Buffet and Bezos the right people to fix it? Buffet was right when he said healthcare costs are like tapeworms eating our economy. But don’t Buffet and Bezos own enough already? Is this the right solution? Or is this just another trick to make the super rich even richer? Amazon health insurance: Is America ready?
So everybody in computer repair knows who Elon Musk is. He’s building driverless cars. He also wants to send people outer space to live there. These are just some of his many accolades. In fact, he won tech of the year back in 2015. But now he’s selling flamethrowers. The Elon Musk flamethrower: What does it say about society?
In a short time, Elon Musk sold over $4 million worth of flamethrowers. Keep in mind that flamethrowers cost $500 a piece, plus tax. So you do the math. Furthermore, Musk sold over 1,000 of these things in just a matter of hours between January 27 and 28th. These are according to Musk’s own reports and tweets. I’m writing this around noon Eastern time on January 29. And Musk already made millions off these weapons. Think about that.
And here are some more statistics. He sold another 2,000+ late Saturday and another 7,000+ Monday morning. As of this writing, Musk sold around 20,000 flamethrowers. I saw a graph chart in which liteally shot up in a matter of hours. Then, consumers tweeted ‘what do you use this for’. Musk replied by suggesting using it to roast peanuts and cook other foods. I must admit, that is a good, practical way to use an Elon Musk flamethrower.
I know IT support king Elon Musk means well. But this trend concerns me and here is why. Look at the world we’re living in today. Every time you look around, someone is coming with creative ways to destroy life. We read stories of terrorists running over people with cars. We also read horror stories of mass shootings and other crimes. So yes, it concerns me that people could use this flamethrower for evil intentions. I want to be wrong and hope I’m wrong. However, I’m hoping people do use it for the right reasons, like cooking. But looking at how fast this thing is selling, well, am I being paranoid?
So everyone is talking about Amazon’s second headquarters. Also, every city in America wants to host this place. However, only one can. And it’s down to twenty cities now. Amazon’s top twenty: Is your city in?
If you frequent our Boston computer service shop, then I have good news. Boston is one of the top twenty cities. Of course, our rivals in the NYC/Tri-State area boast of two: New York City and Newark. Meanwhile, down the northeast corridor, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Montgomery County, Maryland and Washington, DC make the list. So did Northern Virginia, though we don’t know what city or county.
Other cities that shouldn’t surprise us made the list. Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami and Toronto are still in the running. And so is tech savvy Raleigh, NC. But there are a few surprises, at least in my opinion. Maybe I should take back what I said about Indiana in yesterday’s blog. Because Indianapolis, their capital and largest city, made the top twenty. And we know Austin, TX for the UT Longhorns and live music, and one of America’s fastest growing cities. They are in Amazon’s top twenty. Could they host their second headquarters?
But I’m also surprised by whose not on this list. I think Las Vegas should be on here, but they’re not. I mean, they host tech conventions all the time. They should at least consider Las Vegas. It would be nice to see Houston on this list too. There is tons of IT service potential there. Who do I think should host Amazon’s second headquarters? Well, you know I’m going to be biased. I gotta go with Boston. If not Boston, then my home state of North Carolina. I see the potential in Raleigh, and they have the space and manpower to host this. But you can probably say that about your city too, right. Who do you think should host Amazon’s second headquarters?
