Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong • Hacker News Board

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#21

Post by jrwoodruff » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 7:49 PM UTC

RandallBrown wrote: post #10

danso wrote: post #4

There's not a lot of substance in the OP to back the claim "its Tech Community Is Going Strong"...and a lot of the individual assumptions/assertions made by the OP are kind of strange... > By some estimates, the city owes as much as $20 billion. But the news is unlikely to halt the growth of Detroit's burgeoning tech scene, according to some of its entrepreneurs. "according to some of its entrepreneurs"....if this is…

I think the biggest appeal of Detroit right now is that the people going there are trying to be a part of something bigger. They're trying to revitalize and reinvent a once great city. And it's working. Detroit is a hell of a lot nicer now than it was 5 years ago. You might think that the tech sector can't do enough to turn the city around, but I disagree. This isn't just a collection of random startups. There are te…

It never fails to amaze me how many gigantic companies are still headquartered (or have a major presence) in and around Detroit. Despite Detroit proper being a famous mess for decades, the greater Detroit area seems to be doing very well.

If bankruptcy is whats needed to turn city politics around and fix the basics, so be it. I hope it does work, because in my experience, Detroit is a fantastic, gritty, historical city with character like none other.

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#22

Post by odonnellryan » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 8:23 PM UTC

Jgrubb wrote: post #17

bluedino wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> It's definitely possible that Midwest professionals would like the choice of staying in the Midwest, but how likely is it they'll pick Detroit over Chicago? Forget about Chicago - why would anyone pick Detroit over, nearby Ann Arbor?

Seriously, can anyone in the Ann Arbor area speak up on this? My family and I have been mulling over a move from North Jersey back to MI for a while, and I know there is a tech scene there, but what's it like?

Why the move from Jersey? I'm in Jersey myself, just wondering why you want to relocate!

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#23

Post by kevinnk » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 8:40 PM UTC

Jgrubb wrote: post #17

bluedino wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> It's definitely possible that Midwest professionals would like the choice of staying in the Midwest, but how likely is it they'll pick Detroit over Chicago? Forget about Chicago - why would anyone pick Detroit over, nearby Ann Arbor?

Seriously, can anyone in the Ann Arbor area speak up on this? My family and I have been mulling over a move from North Jersey back to MI for a while, and I know there is a tech scene there, but what's it like?

I'm from Ann Arbor and have lived in New York. The tech scene in Ann Arbor is quite strong, especially considering its only a town of 110k or so. Most of our startups and incubators are centered around the university, so I would recommend at least living close by. Its an amazing place to grow up or start a family in too.

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#24

Post by homosaur » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 9:10 PM UTC

toyg wrote: post #18

I'd like to say the good people of Manchester (UK) got through something very similar in the XX century, and have been on the up ever since 1992, when the IRA demolished half the rotting city centre and unwittingly kickstarted a ground-zero regeneration campaign that's been wildly successful. Maybe Detroit needs a similar "let's get our shit together" turning point; maybe it's already happened and we just don't know…

Manchester has improved dramatically since the Thatcher years but they still have a ton of cash issues.

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#25

Post by rayiner » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 9:43 PM UTC

vermontdevil wrote: post #5

NYC almost went bankrupt back in the 70's. It took a long time and a strong leadership to bring it back to where it stands now. Granted Detroit does not have the population size of NYC but with strong leadership they can rebound. Well see if it happens. My bro in law lives near there and sells RE for a living. Said he feels optimistic that if Detroit cuts down on the city boundaries and focuses on areas of growth and…

NYC always had the finance industry, which conveniently happened to boom like crazy from the 1980's-2000's.

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#26

Post by eldavido » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 9:52 PM UTC

spamizbad wrote: post #11

danso wrote: post #4

There's not a lot of substance in the OP to back the claim "its Tech Community Is Going Strong"...and a lot of the individual assumptions/assertions made by the OP are kind of strange... > By some estimates, the city owes as much as $20 billion. But the news is unlikely to halt the growth of Detroit's burgeoning tech scene, according to some of its entrepreneurs. "according to some of its entrepreneurs"....if this is…

I can really only think of one good reason to pick another Midwest city over Chicago: tech culture. Many of these startups here in Chicago seem to lack strong technical co-founders. A significant minority of startups in Chicago just feel like a grind to get an exit and as a developer you're basically given the minimal amount of resources and asked to work the maximum amount of time achieve that goal. All the while so…

Can you email me? I'm from Chicago but live in SF and might consider going back. Address in profile

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#27

Post by sneak » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 9:58 PM UTC

zenocon wrote: post #3

sneak wrote: post #2

Anyone who lives or works there is a fool. I grew up there, and lived downtown for years before wising up. Have a medical emergency and call 911? You're lucky if an ambulance shows up within an hour, if at all. I've been robbed at gunpoint enough times for one lifetime. I'm tired of having to pick up my .45 as the first thing I do after landing at the airport and getting my rental car. Tell me how cheap rent has to b…

FUD. This is total nonsense. I've lived in and around Detroit for the greater part of my life. I've even lived in the Bay Area for a couple years. There have been tremendous strides to turn this city around even in the last 5 years. I don't live in the city now, but I do work downtown every day in the Ren Cen. Even in the last year alone, I've noticed things pick up in the downtown area. I'm glad you took your cranky…

The five square blocks around the rencen and the casino don't count, though you can't get emergency services there either.

It's not nonsense, you just don't use emergency services like police, EMS, or fire every day. That doesn't make it any less stupid to live somewhere they aren't available, though.

Enjoy unplowed streets and no street lights while things "pick up", though. Oh, wait, the rencen has a parking garage. Nevermind.

PS: obviously this "pick[ing] up" hasn't been reflected in tax revenues, eh?

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#28

Post by cobrausn » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 9:59 PM UTC

zenocon wrote: post #3

sneak wrote: post #2

Anyone who lives or works there is a fool. I grew up there, and lived downtown for years before wising up. Have a medical emergency and call 911? You're lucky if an ambulance shows up within an hour, if at all. I've been robbed at gunpoint enough times for one lifetime. I'm tired of having to pick up my .45 as the first thing I do after landing at the airport and getting my rental car. Tell me how cheap rent has to b…

FUD. This is total nonsense. I've lived in and around Detroit for the greater part of my life. I've even lived in the Bay Area for a couple years. There have been tremendous strides to turn this city around even in the last 5 years. I don't live in the city now, but I do work downtown every day in the Ren Cen. Even in the last year alone, I've noticed things pick up in the downtown area. I'm glad you took your cranky…

You know, saying someone recounting his personal experience of being robbed at gunpoint several times is 'spreading FUD' because you haven't (yet) seems... myopic.

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#29

Post by zenocon » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 10:24 PM UTC

sneak wrote: post #27

zenocon wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FUD. This is total nonsense. I've lived in and around Detroit for the greater part of my life. I've even lived in the Bay Area for a couple years. There have been tremendous strides to turn this city around even in the last 5 years. I don't live in the city now, but I do work downtown every day in the Ren Cen. Even in the last year alone, I've noticed things pick up in the downtown area. I'm glad you took your cranky…

The five square blocks around the rencen and the casino don't count, though you can't get emergency services there either. It's not nonsense, you just don't use emergency services like police, EMS, or fire every day. That doesn't make it any less stupid to live somewhere they aren't available, though. Enjoy unplowed streets and no street lights while things "pick up", though. Oh, wait, the rencen has a parking garage…

Listen, I'm really just fucking tired of people slagging Detroit. The people that are doing it always seem to fit the profile of this guy here, "I used to live there...I have relatives there...I visited there once..." -- quite frankly, fuck all y'all. We're doing fine in Detroit, we're making it better...slowly but surely.

Re: Detroit Is Going Bankrupt, But Its Tech Community Is Going Strong

#30

Post by mgkimsal » Sat, Jul 20, 2013, 10:25 PM UTC

RandallBrown wrote: post #10

danso wrote: post #4

There's not a lot of substance in the OP to back the claim "its Tech Community Is Going Strong"...and a lot of the individual assumptions/assertions made by the OP are kind of strange... > By some estimates, the city owes as much as $20 billion. But the news is unlikely to halt the growth of Detroit's burgeoning tech scene, according to some of its entrepreneurs. "according to some of its entrepreneurs"....if this is…

I think the biggest appeal of Detroit right now is that the people going there are trying to be a part of something bigger. They're trying to revitalize and reinvent a once great city. And it's working. Detroit is a hell of a lot nicer now than it was 5 years ago. You might think that the tech sector can't do enough to turn the city around, but I disagree. This isn't just a collection of random startups. There are te…

Quicken Loans is nothing to do with Intuit beyond using the name 'Quicken'. They're not an Intuit company. They're certainly pretty strong on their own, but the name is the only relationship.