The Truth About Silicon Valley
Hint: It’s not what you think it is
Next week marks the 1 year anniversary since I moved from Wisconsin to live in San Francisco and work in Silicon Valley. Which means I have experienced enough to form an opinion, but I have not become so ingrained that my judgement is cloudy.
With all the hype, falsehoods and blanket statements made about this area of the world, I wanted to take a chance to give my non-sensationalized view on the place I currently call home.
General Observations
Startups are the anomaly not the norm
The first thing that most people think of when they hear of Silicon Valley is *dramatic hand wave* startups. While Silicon Valley remains one of the best places in the world to find both talent and capital, the truth is that the majority of people are not at all affiliated with startups.
The demographic of people working in the Technology sector may be quite high; however, most of these people are working for larger companies such as: Facebook, Google, Oracle, etc.
Even Uber, which has been deemed “the most valuable startup in the world,” is now much closer to a corporate powerhouse than it is a tiny startup. It would be difficult to fit all 12,000+ Uber employees into a small garage or apartment.
Perhaps this is a result of the natural paradox all startups face. If your startup becomes successful enough, your reward is that you get to become a large corporation.
Silicon Valley The Location vs. The Idea
Another observation I discovered was the difference between Silicon Valley the location and Silicon Valley the idea. The truth is that the actual area of Silicon Valley only encompasses a few cities such as Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino & San Jose.
However, I would argue that the idea of Silicon Valley really extends to include the entire Bay. While San Francisco does not fall within the geographical boundaries of Silicon Valley, it very much embodies its ideals. With a heavy concentration of brilliant minds, high-growth companies and capital, San Francisco is every bit a part of Silicon Valley as Mountain View.
This also extends across the Bay to areas such as UC-Berkeley, and even Oakland, which has seen a rise in the number of emerging companies and talent pouring in.
In summary, if someone refers to “Silicon Valley”, they could very well be referring to just about any place in the greater Bay area.
Opportunities and Experiences don’t happen through osmosis
Another common misconception is that if you move to Silicon Valley, then you will suddenly be immersed in cutting-edge technology and opportunities will fall into your lap. This is simply not the case.
Sure you may see the occasional self-driving Waymo van drive past or run into a tech CEO or Venture Capitalist at a bar, but these moments are few and far between. I’ve experienced first hand how easy it is to get caught up in the 9–5 and forget about all of the other opportunities that are around you.
The bottom line is that on the surface Silicon Valley is similar to a lot of other places in the world. To discover what this place truly has to offer, you need to get out of your comfort zone and seek out the opportunities.
Negative Aspects of Silicon Valley
Traffic & housing are terrible
Some aspects of the day-to-day lifestyle are as bad as they say. Living in an awesome part of the world is a double-edged sword; the more a place has to offer, the higher the demand to live there.
This has led to sky-rocketing costs of living, and terrible traffic congestion. There also isn’t an obvious solution to the problem, as geographical limitations & socio-economic factors put constraints around housing expansion and infrastructure overhauls.
I spend 3+ hours a day sitting on a shuttle traveling to and from Mountain View for work. My monthly rent makes me cringe every time I make the payment. Buying a house anywhere in the Bay is completely out of the question.
For an area that has so much concentrated wealth and brilliant minds, it’s astonishing that we can’t solve our largest collective pain points.
The social scene leaves something to be desired
Silicon Valley proper is mainly a large suburbia, built more for professionals and the families that are fortunate enough to be able to afford a house. For some this may not be an issue, but for a 23-year-old with no dependents like myself, the city of San Francisco is the only real hope for a social scene.
Even still, the rising costs of living have turned the city of San Francisco into an increasingly homogenous setting. As Justin Krause states in his article, How To Save San Francisco, “The toll to enter San Francisco is a six-figure salary.”
There are plenty of things to do in San Francisco, the real question is whether or not you can afford to do them.
Those seeking a true big city atmosphere, may also walk away from San Francisco feeling somewhat underwhelmed. The city is completely dead by 2 am, even on weekends. Not to mention San Francisco’s size (49 mi²) and population (<900,000) pales in comparison to a massive city like New York (305 mi²) which houses over 8.5 million residents.
The sociopolitical bubble is real
While it is largely unfair to make sweeping generalizations about millions of people, I am going to go ahead and do it anyways.
For an area that is open to certain mindsets and philosophies, it is very close-minded when it comes to a variety of sociopolitical issues. The Bay/Valley have unfortunately become a microcosm of some of the most negative trends that have begun to sweep our country. Opposing points of view are often shunned or downright not tolerated. Echo chambers are formed and then reinforced by technologies that people here created to do the opposite.
With great success also comes great responsibilities and expectations.
Unfortunately, I’ve also encountered a large number of self-righteous individuals since moving out as well. Many of the people who talk about how they are going to build technologies and companies that will have a massive positive effect on the world, literally step over homeless people on the street while on their way to work.
I am guilty of many of these symptoms myself. When you hold yourself to a high standard it can be incredibly difficult to admit when you are wrong. This bubble only grows stronger when you are surrounded by people that are going through the same experience.
With great success also comes great responsibilities and expectations. If there is one thing we struggle with out here, it’s learning to be as willing to accept the latter as we are the former.
Positive Aspects of Silicon Valley
For career growth & flexibility, few areas of the world compare
There are great career opportunities in all areas of the globe, and all that really matters is that you find the right one for you at any point in time.
What sets Silicon Valley apart is the sheer density of great career opportunities. With many of the most influential companies in the world, to go along with some of the fastest-growing ventures out there, it’s likely that you can discover many promising paths within the Valley.
The other great part about the culture is that the fluidness is recognized and respected by most. In many companies outside the Valley, it is taboo to discuss outside ventures or pursuing other jobs. In Silicon Valley, it’s basically encouraged. This type of mindshare is a big part of what created the valley & has allowed it to continue to grow for so long.
Weather and geography are incredible (& still somehow underrated)
Somehow this aspect of Silicon Valley gets overlooked by all of the hype around technology and jobs. At the end of the day, there is nothing quite as impressive as mother nature, and the Valley showcases the best that she has to offer.
The weather rarely drops below 50 degrees, and I don’t even need an AC in my apartment since the weather never gets too hot, even in the summer.
Out here you can look out your window and take in the terrific views of Mountains surrounding you on all sides. Drive to the peninsula and you can overlook the Bay on one side and the Pacific ocean on the other. It is within a few hour drive of amazing locations such as the Yosemite & Sequoia National Parks, Lake Tahoe, Point Reyes and Napa.
At the end of the day other areas of the world may be able to one day match the tech scene of the Valley, but it is virtually impossible to beat the location.
There are a lot of really smart people here
Regardless of what you are interested in, you are almost assured to find people that are deeply passionate and educated about the space you are in. There’s something about this place that attracts intellectually curious people, like bees to honey.
A large part of it has to do with the density of Universities and companies in the area. But more generally, the concept of continuous learning is just baked into the culture here.
If you want to grow and learn more, you need to surround yourself with people who want to do more of the same. They say you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with, and around here those 5 people are likely to be serious learners.
The Truth
When I first moved to Silicon Valley, it was sort of like finding out that Santa wasn’t real all over again. You can still enjoy the holiday, but there is a certain sense of wonder and excitement that goes away.
I had built this place up in my mind to be some type of magical area where futuristic technology would be everywhere and that I would be starting a multi-million dollar company in no time. More broadly, I expected moving out here to solve all of my problems.
The truth is that while Silicon Valley does provide amazing opportunities and experiences, it is still faced with its own challenges and downsides. Anyone who tries to sell you on an overly positive or negative view of Silicon Valley is lying either way.
Silicon Valley cannot be defined by any one person, technology, company or news story. It is in constant flux and carries far too many dimensions to be simplified in any of these forms.
Lastly, it’s important to realize that Silicon Valley isn’t for everyone, and that’s perfectly acceptable.
As for myself, I am both grateful and proud to be living and working in this area of the world for the time being.
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Image sources: HBO, Valley vision, Capolitical review, Techlatino,Vanity Fair, Ympact,
