SE Michigan does have more engineering degrees per capita than any other area in the country. Amazon already has an engineering office there. Google moving is just them trying to get ahead of the curve. The longer they wait to establish a major presence in the Motor City means the greater they will have to pay people for an increasing COL.

True. Plus its not like he will have an issue finding a job somewhere else (if not starting his own company with VC money). The thing Detroit doesn't get is that tech has a culture that is bound to geography. They used to have the same culture back when American cars were actually made in Detroit. But they killed it.

Detroit does get it. Almost all major auto manufacturers and many Tier 1 suppliers have R&D labs in Silicon Valley. http://www.autonews.com/section/map502&iframe=true&width=960...

These folks are quite active in the startup autotech community, hosting hackathons and other events. I run an autotech related startup and find the OEM offices in Silicon Valley very receptive to new tech.

That is true. Thanks for pointing it out. My point is that outside of the techlabs, Detroit culture is very bland. Moving from tech to automotive is a big culture shock.

Also too true. Particularly because the "move fast and break things" culture is almost an inverse to what is traditionally required for building safety-focused goods for the general public.

The OEM battleships are slowly turning though.

Actually, that part is right. They do take that seriously. But aside from safety, their products are bland and built to last as long as the average toaster. Even the corvette, which is America's sports car darling, is having issues with its motor blowing up. Their culture is about pumping out products that are cheap to build, cheaply built, and will not last long because that boosts sales. Tech still does not suffer from that. Although we are getting there.

Don't confuse this with an attack against the many talented people that work in the auto industry. Detroit has amazing engineering and design talents. They are simply out ranked by the accountants and suits.

Not sure about GM, but I think Ford has an SF Bay Area office.