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Airbnb will build a new tech hub in Atlanta

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140 points 7d7n | 6 comments | 18 Feb 21 16:23 UTC | HN request time: 0.615s | source | bottom
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pratik661 ◴[18 Feb 21 17:01 UTC] No.26182359[source]▶
I grew up in metro Atlanta and studied at Georgia Tech. The state government subsidizes college education for grads with a certain GPA (HOPE Scholarship). However, I (and most CS grads I knew) left Atlanta for better paying jobs in NYC/Bay Area/Seattle/Austin. I always wondered why the ATL tech scene was 'underdeveloped' compared to comparable sized cities like Seattle and Austin, despite having major research institutions (Georgia Tech and Emory) to anchor it.

This is what I mean by 'underdeveloped':

- Most software dev job postings (as of May 2018) have SPECIFIC tech stack requirements. This to me is a red flag. Most recruiters in 'developed' tech cities assume that software development skills are transferable and that technology stacks/frameworks/languages can be learned.

- The salaries offered were still very low compared to comparable COL locations like Austin

- No major FAANG presence to put upward pressure on local developer wages

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1. Xcelerate ◴[18 Feb 21 17:20 UTC] No.26182607[source]▶
I also grew up in metro Atlanta and studied at Georgia Tech and was about to post essentially the same comment. All of my friends interested in tech at GT went to the Bay Area as soon as they could once they graduated. The school itself attracts a lot of talent from all around the world, but very few people seem to stay in Atlanta once they graduate.

The city recently made a big push to attract talent in the entertainment and film industries, which appears to have worked pretty well. It would be nice to see them do something similar for tech. It's kind of sad that the state subsidized my education (and many others) but does not have the incentives in place to keep people once they graduate.

Also, the local salaries are a big part of the reason people leave. The low cost of living does not make a difference when you can save more per year in the Bay Area than an entirely yearly salary in Atlanta.

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2. dhagz ◴[18 Feb 21 17:54 UTC] No.26183129[source]▶
Between this and Microsoft's recent announcement of opening an Atlanta office, I think tech is the next sector the city wants to attract.

And as someone living in ATL and working at one of the few companies to offer competitive salaries for their tech positions, this is only upside in my eyes.

3. philsnow ◴[18 Feb 21 19:05 UTC] No.26184059[source]▶
I've sometimes wondered about why GA Tech was an early adopter of online education (at least for comp sci, I don't know if it extended/extends to other programs).

I'm not saying there are any reasons they should not have been an early adopter... but Atlanta definitely has its charms, and allowing people to get a masters from a top-ten program while scarcely ever setting foot on campus seems like it could be a disservice to the state.

4. brightball ◴[19 Feb 21 01:28 UTC] No.26188339[source]▶
I was very surprised Amazon didn’t end up in Atlanta for their 2nd HQ.
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5. prepend ◴[19 Feb 21 03:17 UTC] No.26189203[source]▶
Yeah same here. I think their DC location was smarter lobbiest wise and just shows Amazon is digging in for the long haul and saying politics are more important than tech workers.
6. runako ◴[19 Feb 21 14:52 UTC] No.26193755[source]▶
The state politicians basically torpedoed that by making a big fuss about being anti-gay around that time. Hard to justify moving knowledge workers to Atlanta given a political climate openly hostile to X% of employees.