Billionaire enterprise capitalist Marc Andreessen mentioned he determined to “double down on California” and keep within the state, whilst he likened it to “dwelling within the ruins of a as soon as nice civilization.”
In a 34-tweet thread on Tuesday Andreessen, who co-founded the enterprise capital agency Andreessen Horowitz, mentioned that he and his household thought of leaving after a “surreal 2020.” They purchased actual property in Nevada and virtually purchased in Manhattan, he mentioned. However they finally determined to remain, and now “rationalize” the choice by evaluating it to dwelling it in Rome earlier than the autumn.
“Like Rome in possibly 250 A.D., we reside amidst an infinite flowering of tradition and creativity, however the roads have gotten unsafe and no person is kind of positive why,” he wrote.
Andreessen has been important concerning the Silicon Valley space and its governance previously, calling out San Francisco’s allergy to setting up new housing in his 2020 essay, “It’s Time to Construct.” Even because the area’s financial system has surged, Andreessen and different tech trade leaders have lamented the social issues persisting within the Bay Space, together with a housing affordability disaster.
Along with his Nevada residence buy, the billionaire additionally purchased a $177 million mansion in Malibu final 12 months that was the costliest residence sale in California historical past, and in addition has a home within the rich Silicon Valley enclave Atherton. Regardless of his earlier public feedback about the necessity to construct reasonably priced housing in California, Andreessen and his spouse vigorously opposed plans for denser building in Atherton. The proposal was expunged from the housing plan in August.
Andreessen’s remark about remaining in California comes as many longtime Silicon Valley boosters are questioning the worth of the area. The shift to work-from-home and hybrid workplaces has been seized on by high-profile buyers and technologists, proclaiming greener alternatives in locations like Miami and Austin, Texas.
A consultant for Andreessen Horowitz mentioned earlier this 12 months that it moved operations to “the cloud,” and can open new workplaces in New York, Miami and Los Angeles to complement its present digs in Menlo Park and in San Francisco.
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