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Google Plans Large New York City Expansion

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21–30 of 394 posts

Re: Google Plans Large New York City Expansion

#21
post #4

This coupled with the Amazon news is starting to get distressing. With the amount of companies that copycat them it’s like the rich are getting richer and the economic benefits are still going to be concentrated only in the most affluent cities. The rest of the country desperately needs real industry and good paying jobs - and will go to huge lengths to try to get them but it appears nobody can come up with a busines…

There's another option: just build new housing in the cities that have a proven track-record of economic dynamism. There are several factors that I believe these "winner take all" cities have that many smaller cities either can't or refuse to implement. This includes not just a tolerating, but welcoming immigrants; robust public transit investment; and a great education system.

> This includes not just a tolerating, but welcoming immigrants; robust public transit investment; and a great education system.

Well 2/3 of these don't apply to the Bay Area / SF

Re: Google Plans Large New York City Expansion

#22
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

NYC is already an engineering office on a large scale. There are major services single-homed there with elite engineers and no competition from MTV.

Ah OK, I wasn't aware. In terms of purely engineering talent, how would you rank Google's Mountain View, Seattle, NYC and London offices?

I don't think you mean size. In which case it is very hard for anyone to judge the quality of engineers everywhere.

Re: Google Plans Large New York City Expansion

#25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even if they spent 150k per engineer in relocation costs (1 time fee), it’s hard to imagine they wouldn’t make that up in terms of cheaper real estate and lower salaries. Are you suggest that elite talent wants lower salaries in the Midwest or Florida as long as they can get a one time relocation payout? Google might save support staff salaries, but I don't think they'll save engineer salaries with your plan, they…

That’s how it works in medicine - salaries are higher in less desirable areas.

I think you're missing the point. It's a tough sell to relocate someone and give them a lower salary. Who'd take that deal?

Re: Google Plans Large New York City Expansion

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd definitely have to boost them. I feel like it's always grossly understated in these sorts of threads just how much better quality of life is in a dense city like NYC. Access to culture, to food, to public transportation, to other job opportunities is hard to put a dollar amount on. There's a reason so many people moves to places like NYC and not isolated towns in the midwest.

Personally, I have the opposite opinion. I took a pay cut to leave Seattle ( I lived in Chicago before that, I've lived in dense metro areas for many, many years now) so I could go live in a smaller town. I can actually afford a house. My dog has a yard to play in. I haven't been mugged since I left! No one uses my doorstep as a bathroom. My neighbors actually come say hi to me and are invested in forming relationshi…

If you're within driving distance of Seattle, you're still in the catchment area for working there though. The equivalent would be living in New Jersey or Connecticut or Long Island and working in New York City - which hundreds of thousands of people do.

Re: Google Plans Large New York City Expansion

#28
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s how it works in medicine - salaries are higher in less desirable areas.

I think you're missing the point. It's a tough sell to relocate someone and give them a lower salary. Who'd take that deal?

Yeah, I'm agreeing with you?

My comment is that in less desirable locations people need to be paid more to be there if they don't have to be. The cost of living is not really relevant.

Re: Google Plans Large New York City Expansion

#29

If it's going to make NYC a major engineering hub, on a similar scale as Mountain View, then it's a huge deal. If it's going to be mainly non-technical roles, then meh.

If NYC becomes a monoculture like SV than it truly is a big deal.

NYC will not become a tech monoculture simply because of all the finance, fashion, (traditional) advertising etc already there.

Re: Google Plans Large New York City Expansion

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd definitely have to boost them. I feel like it's always grossly understated in these sorts of threads just how much better quality of life is in a dense city like NYC. Access to culture, to food, to public transportation, to other job opportunities is hard to put a dollar amount on. There's a reason so many people moves to places like NYC and not isolated towns in the midwest.

Personally, I have the opposite opinion. I took a pay cut to leave Seattle ( I lived in Chicago before that, I've lived in dense metro areas for many, many years now) so I could go live in a smaller town. I can actually afford a house. My dog has a yard to play in. I haven't been mugged since I left! No one uses my doorstep as a bathroom. My neighbors actually come say hi to me and are invested in forming relationshi…

I didn't mean to come off quite as harsh as that. There are plenty of goal sets that align well to being outside of the city; but I do think that y'all are the minority. When playing the numbers in trying to staff huge multi thousand head campuses catering to a specific minority doesn't add up.
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