Ask HN: How does the Austin tech scene compare to the Bay Area tech scene?
2 comments
Thought only has been companies where moving to Texas. One's that don't need electricity at least. Always heard Austin was awesome but never really heard it from someone that worked there. I'm in the SV bubble though:)
Culturally, the vibe of SF is that everyone must to be exceptional at something. It values being (or pretending to be) AWESOME. I feel like the people of Austin are more interested in living a good life. However, there has been enough transplants now that everything is more mixed up.
The core difference in tech is that there is not the same level of money sloshing around. Less big crazy dreams. Less competition to standout. More bootstrapping. People who raise capital either do it on much worse terms or they go to the bay to get funded. Maybe rewind the clock by a decade or three (but not two) and it starts to look like SF.
Everything costs a lot less but you get paid less as well. I think you come out ahead if you have a family because you can actually afford to buy a house.
Also, it is pretty easy to work for an SF company from Austin if that's your thing.
Once COVID is over, easiest way to get a feel for the tech scene is to come to two to the bi-annual startup crawl organized by the Capital Factory.