Why the Next Unicorns May Not Come from Silicon Valley

Peruse the headlines, and you’ll find hundreds of articles predicting the “next Silicon Valley.” Pundits claim that the growing cost of living in the Bay Area is driving businesses away to more affordable regions that are rich in tech talent such as Austin, Phoenix, Boulder, and Miami.

But try as they might, these “hubs” won’t ever beat Northern California at its own game – the area will continue to dominate information technology because of its unique arbitrage of thought, culture and research.

But that’s okay, because striving to replicate the success of the Bay Area limits us by imposing an arbitrary constraint on our imagination. After all, does Silicon Valley represent the pinnacle of success in human innovation, or are there regions that have the potential to evolve into something even greater?  

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Photo Credit: The Tichnor Brothers Collection at The Boston Public Library on Flickr.com