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I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 19:06:09 2020


San Francisco and Seattle have become hostile to the principles and policies that enable people to live abundantly in the broadest sense

I’m moving my business headquarters off the West Coast. We tried San Francisco. We tried the Seattle area. Both were wonderful in their own ways, especially in natural beauty and personal friendships. But both have become hostile to the principles and policies that enable people to live abundantly in the broadest sense.

That’s why my company is in the final stages of purchasing office space in Austin, Texas. By the end of the year, I hope to move dozens of employees to the Lone Star State and to be ready to hire hundreds more. While uprooting a big part of a billion-dollar company isn’t easy, the decision to move to Texas wasn’t hard. Our staff and their families will be able to flourish to a much greater extent.

Leaving the West Coast might seem strange for a company focused on tech ventures and related investments. It’s true that the company has benefited greatly from the larger pool of forward thinkers and industry disrupters in the tech hot spots of San Francisco and Seattle. But the best places to be in tech have now become some of the worst places to raise a family, practice a faith, or even think freely. This hurts my team and the business.

These areas are culturally diverse but increasingly monolithic in terms of ideology. In the past few weeks, radical protesters took over a portion of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The mood in the area was that this experiment in anarchy was acceptable and even praiseworthy. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan even issued a statement commending the “First Amendment activities” of the occupiers.

The response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been similarly disheartening. The West Coast’s progressive policy makers imposed some of the nation’s most regressive lockdown measures. While their one-size-fits-all approach may have worked for those with flexible jobs and few other commitments, they utterly neglected the millions of employees who couldn’t work from home, the families that needed to get out of the house, and the religious believers who wanted nothing more than to worship. Those concerns were treated as secondary.

Even in normal times, San Francisco and Seattle go to great lengths to make life hard for families. Both cities, with governments dominated by cryptosocialists, are notorious for enacting policies that raise the price of housing, drive out jobs and punish innovative companies in ways that hurt workers. With the Seattle area as a whole becoming more radical on economics by the year, it seems foolish to hope that the situation will improve for my company’s workers and their families.

Perhaps my biggest concern is that the region’s political orthodoxy has left little room for religious belief. In both San Francisco and Seattle, many of our Christian and Muslim friends and employees have expressed concern that their deeply held views are being driven from the public square. They worry that stating their views publicly will lead to being shunned or attacked. It has been disheartening to learn how closed the most “open” minds can be.

I’ve talked with many entrepreneurs in California, Washington and Oregon who have encountered similar issues. Most aren’t sure how to respond. Generally, the amount of tech talent and funding on the coast leads them to conclude that they have no choice but to stay put and stay silent.

I reject that answer. The biggest talent pool in the world doesn’t matter if the ocean that surrounds it is intellectually shallow. If a business is based in a place that expects social and political conformity, then innovation will falter eventually, because it depends on pushing the boundaries. And if our people find it hard to flourish in every aspect of their lives, then the company will struggle in the long run. I think that as the West Coast becomes more insular and exclusive, other parts of the country will become the biggest drivers of tech innovation.

That’s why we’re leaving the West Coast and heading to Texas. When it comes to talent, we’re confident we can attract the best without finding the same homogeneity of views. When it comes to housing, families making $100,000 to $200,000 a year can afford a good-size place. The policy environment in Texas encourages risk-taking and rewards workers. When it comes to schools, there are plenty of great options that don’t confuse indoctrination with education. And on matters of faith and morals, religious belief doesn’t make you a social outcast. In Texas, the quintessential American ideals of family, faith and freedom still reign supreme.

Will it be tough to make this move? You bet. But heading to Texas is the right thing to do for my team and their families, and their outpouring of support has been telling. They want to be in a place where they can live to the fullest extent. And I’m convinced that the sooner they are, the stronger the company will be.

Mr. Rex is founder and CEO of Rex Teams, a tech, investment and real-estate firm.


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(1746423)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 19:13:56 2020, in response to I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 19:06:09 2020.

To me the only downside to living in Texas is that you're living in Texas. Other than that it's great.

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(1746424)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 19:18:29 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 19:13:56 2020.

LOL! People say that until they've moved here.

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(1746429)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by AlM on Mon Jun 29 19:36:44 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 19:13:56 2020.

IAWTP.

I've only visited Texas for a total of maybe 10-15 days, but none of my visits have convinced me it's a good place to live.

I did like West Texas (one week, even though the motel I stayed at for much of the time had a sign asking guests not to flush the toilet) and Galveston (a few hours).



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(1746430)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by ChicagoMotorman on Mon Jun 29 19:39:03 2020, in response to I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 19:06:09 2020.

I don't blame them.

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(1746431)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Spider-Pig on Mon Jun 29 19:39:48 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by AlM on Mon Jun 29 19:36:44 2020.

WTF?

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(1746433)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by AlM on Mon Jun 29 19:44:31 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Spider-Pig on Mon Jun 29 19:39:48 2020.

They had a septic system problem.

And I exaggerated for effect. They actually said "as little as possible."



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(1746448)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by https://salaamallah.com/ on Mon Jun 29 20:42:38 2020, in response to I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 19:06:09 2020.

MY SON IS THINKING ABOUT MOVING TO WASHINGTON STATE

AND LEAVING TEXAS

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(1746451)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 20:43:54 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by AlM on Mon Jun 29 19:36:44 2020.

I've spent a couple days in Dallas. A couple days in Houston a couple of times. A couple days in Waco, a couple days in El Paso, I guess that's it except for the summer that I spent there as a kid at Ft Hood. Just not my vibe. Especially El Paso.

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 20:46:45 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 19:18:29 2020.

I find people from Texas to be abnormally proud of being from Texas. To the point of being smug and irritating. They bring it up all the time. And if they went to UT, they never shut up about that either. There's a big world out there, but they don't see anything better than Texas.

I haven't seen anything similar in other states, except some people from NYC. Some people there hate it, but when they hear that I live in LA they want to tell me how much of a city NYC is and why they don't like LA. Ok. I get it. Not for everyone, let's move on.

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by https://salaamallah.com/ on Mon Jun 29 20:51:29 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 20:46:45 2020.

IAWTP

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by FYBklyn1959 on Mon Jun 29 21:25:12 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 20:43:54 2020.

I was in Houston for a few days in April 1973 (my mother was attending a professional meeting). It wasn't bad. Saw a couple of Astros games (really strange going indoors to see a baseball game!). Even rode (briefly) a Harris County MTA (if it was called that back then) bus (TDH-5301A). Other than that, spent a night in Amarillo on a drive from NY to LA in 1981, and moving down here from Southern California in 1998, took I-10, which crosses Texas at about it widest point, from El Paso to Louisiana state line. That state is too damn big! OTOH, I wouldn't mind railfanning MTA in Houston and DART in the Metroplex. Don't think I would want to live there though.

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(1746465)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Jeff Rosen on Mon Jun 29 21:33:35 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 20:46:45 2020.

When you're out of NY you're out of town.

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(1746466)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Jeff Rosen on Mon Jun 29 21:36:58 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by AlM on Mon Jun 29 19:44:31 2020.

That's OK. On our cross country trip we got a room in a cheap motel in Tulsa OK. When we got into the room we discovered the toilet was stuffed. I told them at the desk and the clerk handed me a plunger.

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(1746467)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Jeff Rosen on Mon Jun 29 21:38:23 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by AlM on Mon Jun 29 19:36:44 2020.

I was only in Texas for an afternoon on the panhandle driving cross country. We did have lunch at the famous Big Texan.

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(1746476)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 21:54:57 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by FYBklyn1959 on Mon Jun 29 21:25:12 2020.

I've railfaned DART, but it's doubled in size in the 10 years since I was there. It's a nice system. I've also railfaned Houston and Their train system is not my favorite. It's ok, but large parts are very slow. I think that a bus would be faster on much of it.

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(1746478)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 21:56:04 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Jeff Rosen on Mon Jun 29 21:36:58 2020.

You should have asked for $20 off the room rate.

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 22:00:37 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 21:54:57 2020.

It was smaller the last time I rode it.

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(1746486)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 22:01:24 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by https://salaamallah.com/ on Mon Jun 29 20:42:38 2020.

No way I would move to Washington State now.

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 22:09:51 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 22:01:24 2020.

Some things would be better, some would be worse. Your chance of being a crime victim would go way down. Your quality of life in general would probably go up.

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(1746494)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 22:29:10 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 22:09:51 2020.

A crime victim compared with where?

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(1746495)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 22:35:28 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Dave on Mon Jun 29 22:29:10 2020.

The metroplex compared to seatttle. Or nearly anywhere in Texas compared to nearly anywhere in Washington

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by BILLBKLYN on Tue Jun 30 00:40:09 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 20:46:45 2020.

New York City is the center of the universe, everyone knows that! And being a Brooklynite is the top of the top!

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by ntrainride on Tue Jun 30 00:57:39 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 20:46:45 2020.

there's brooklyn.

nuff said.

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(1746539)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by ntrainride on Tue Jun 30 01:00:44 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by BILLBKLYN on Tue Jun 30 00:40:09 2020.

yes.

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(1746543)

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Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Olog-hai on Tue Jun 30 01:07:46 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 19:13:56 2020.

To me the only downside to living in Texas is that you're living in Texas

Oh yeah; lower tax bills are such a pain, aren't they.

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(1746544)

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Re: I’m leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Olog-hai on Tue Jun 30 01:08:51 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 20:46:45 2020.

I find people from Texas to be abnormally proud of being from Texas. To the point of being smug and irritating

You can try and find out what they're talking about. Is their pride in direct proportion to your shame, or something?

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(1746548)

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Re: I’m leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Olog-hai on Tue Jun 30 01:18:37 2020, in response to Re: I'm leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Easy on Mon Jun 29 21:54:57 2020.

What's a railfane?

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(1746719)

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Re: I’m leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner

Posted by Jeff Rosen on Tue Jun 30 11:49:53 2020, in response to Re: I’m leaving Seattle for Texas so my employees can be free: Billion dollar business owner, posted by Olog-hai on Tue Jun 30 01:18:37 2020.

A person with aspergers, of course.

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