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Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

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Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#31

Post by nathan_f77 »

Hello from a cafe in Chiang Mai.

> Chiang Mai is very nice, but doesn’t have the Met, or steampunk masquerade parties or 50 foodie restaurants within a 15-minute walk.

That's true, I do miss museums, theater, and live music from my favorite bands. But there's some really fun events (Songkran is coming soon), you can find some good music, and there's a lot of really good restaurants.

If I had a lot more money, I would probably live in NYC, LA, Hong Kong, or Melbourne. But Chiang Mai is great for now.

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#33

Post by seibelj »

jaypaulynice wrote: post #26
seibelj wrote: post #5

So I live in Boston, and bought a condo in the slums as soon as I could. Not the worst slum (Green St., near Hatoff's gas station for those who know JP), but 50 yards from a halfway house, the suboxone at Arbour counseling and the needles near it, Mattapan is pretty close. 5 years later the condo is up 40%, Hatoff's gas is now being destroyed for (I assume?) more condos, a brewpub is opening pretty close, and familie…

Lol you don't live in the hoods man...Jamaica Plain is one of the surburbs of Boston and one of the best around. I lived in WR and right now these are the most expensive neighborhoods of Boston...you live in paradise trust me!

It used to be a lot worse, and it could be a lot worse, but it has drastically improved. Drive down Washington. I used to live in Egleston Square, this is indeed paradise. I also don't know how well you know JP, one block is full of $3mil homes and 2 blocks down it's a disaster

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#34

Post by seibelj »

dtparr wrote: post #28
seibelj wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm fine with it being hood, I live here after all. But it is nice when things improve.

You just said: >I wouldn't have raised a family here before gentrification, but every month it seems more realistic... So for young people not wanting to chance the 'gentrification lottery' you're describing with regard to their personal timeline, what you're proposing isn't reasonable.

It is a lottery? Move where there is a subway stop and property is cheap. Allston, Somerville, Southie, even East Boston is coming around. It isn't fuckin rocket science

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#35

Post by enraged_camel »

anovikov wrote: post #24

LOL it is the other way around, cities become most expensive because developers flock there and spend cash. This happens now in Limassol, Cyprus: crowds of developers, most having their own startups, started to flock there since 3 years ago from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine - it was always a country to keep offshore companies/accounts, so every rich developer in ex-USSR already been there and knew the place, but since…

>>LOL it is the other way around, cities become most expensive because developers flock there and spend cash.

Startups flock to where the capital is. Proximity to capital makes it easier to meet investors, get noticed and get funded.

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#36

Post by adamors »

prostoalex wrote: post #23
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #16

If the type of development work you're doing can be easily done remotely, then there is a good chance it can be done much cheaper by a fantastic developer in Ukraine, or India, or China, or some country where wages are a lot cheaper than US or England or Canada. If, however, the type of work you're doing benefits from face-to-face interactions (i.e. quick iterations with lots of feedback from users, marketing and pro…

If you're a fantastic developer in Ukraine, India or China and have very limited needs (compared to a guy with a family and kids), your disposable monthly income net of taxes, rent and commute expenses is still likely to be higher in Silicon Valley than Ukraine, India or China. A rational decision then would be to move to Silicon Valley arbitraging the costs as much as you can (living with roommates, commuting by Cal…

Moving to the US is not a rational decision in 2017.

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#37

Post by BurningFrog »

The article assumes developers could and would build great companies working remotely if only conservative managers, VCs and others irrationally standing in the way would allow it to happen.

That day will probably come. It might even be here, but I seriously doubt it. I think it still takes a lot of personal interaction and teamwork, and the tech for it is still clumsy, incomplete and annoying enough that it's just not good enough.

Are there any great companies built from the ground this way?

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#38

Post by rubicon33 »

I used to live in SF. It was exciting, but also shitty. I felt connected and alive, which was great, but also drained of resources, which really sucked. Oh, and there were 6 of us, in a 3 bedroom apartment. I had the living room. Yea.

I lasted 3 years, until I met my wife, and by then I was ready to move. We did.

Now, life in the suburbs, is slow. I feel somewhat disconnected and like I don't really belong to this community. My neighbor is a teacher, not a tech worker. I miss the buzz of the city, the energy. But, I'm saving money, and, working remotely is mostly positive (though I do yearn for office banter more and more).

Life I guess, is all about trade offs. Rarely have I found a situation that is entirely positive, or negative. Most, if you look closely enough, are a balance of good and bad. For me now in my life, the reassurance that I will be able to retire some day, is worth more to me than the excitement of the city. That may change... we shall see.

If it does change, I'll be lured back to the city for the exact reasons the article states. The city itself, is the draw. There's something about living in an urban environment, for some people, it's just a pace of life more resonant with their existence.

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#39

Post by soufron »

Which leads me to learn that the 6 “Alpha Regions” of the world are SF, LA, NYC, Boston, Toronto, London, Paris. Even if it’s not perceived to be at the center of the technological metamorphose, Paris is still being seen as a place where you can get stuff done.

It’s also one of the places in the world where you will get the most infrastructure, meaning technological infrastructure but also political, democratic, social, medical, legal, education and even cognitive infrastructure.

Yes, you get what you pay for.

Re: Why do developers who could work anywhere flock to the most expensive cities?

#40

Post by nikanj »

generj wrote: post #22
wapz wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes but where do you think all the information flows

Yeah, but really just about anyone with a Bloomberg terminal has 99% of the same info.

As we learned from the aftermath of the last major meltdown, banks do a lot of deals that require more than just a Bloomberg terminal. If anything, deals like ( http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/goldman-bet-... ) require more physical presence, as nobody wants to leave a paper trail.
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