Quick summary of the companies in "Silicon Slopes": Qualtrics (surveys), Domo (vapor), Adobe, Micron (fab only, but claim to "silicon" in the name), Nu Skin (MLM cosmetics/diet supplements) , doterra (essential oil MLM), NatureSunshine (MLM).

Great place to be. Lots of innovation in MLMs.

Sounds a lot like SV to me?

In contrast, Utah Valley has a history of MLMs. This is the backdrop for Silicon Slopes.

I left Utah to come to Silicon Valley, and definitely hate MLMs more than you, but to claim that Utah is only MLMs is just silly.

I agree. That's why I have not made that claim.

To clarify (since not all of the companies you listed are in Utah Valley), my criticism was directed specifically at Utah County, not the whole state (i.e. not Salt Lake City or Davis county).

strong engineering culture. great products. really, really smart people. management that understands the value of management (and what can be detrimental of management).

My mistake. Since the edit window on my original post closed, I tried to explain in subsequent comments what I had in my head when making that first list so that people would realize they don't need to explain to me that all of Utah is not like MLMs.

They had a billion dollar IPO in a few short years, they hire good engineering talent, and they pay their people well and with great benefits.

It’s like having Oregon claim EBay because a tiny fraction of the company is in Portland.

Are we going to say Amazon isn't going to be hugely influential in the tech scene of wherever they choose their HQ2 to be, simply because they aren't a startup and are based in Seattle?

I live in Utah and I hate MLMs so much.

Thanks for exposing your biases, but you are wrong. It's more of a quid-pro-quo exchange on some of these MLMs or trying to be supportive of someone else's venture in your community. Nearly all know it is overpriced and not necessarily what they need, but it is the rapid exchange of social capital that keeps those communities the way they are. Before MLMs it was casseroles, cookies, tools, helping hands, and babysitting.

Because what you are supporting is not your neighbors venture but the those who conned your neighbor venture.

I'm really surprised there isn't strongly worded statements from Mormon Leadership on this but instead there is a big Nu Skin sign on BYU cougar stadium (or was when I was last in Utah). That isn't good.

That being said every single printed congregational directory I've seen has a statement "For Church Use Only - Do not copy without permission from your local church leaders. Not to be Used for Any Commercial, Business, or Political Purpose" - So there is a strongly worded statement about using church resources for your business.

Or perhaps you were looking for this - https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/additional-resource/personal-...

Because it's a consuming and addictive negative expectations game that (generally) takes a persons money and effort without growing the social pie so to speak.

It feeds on persons natural desire to better themselves, to make it in life but this effort is subverted into the pockets of hucksters and scammers rather than actually producing good for the world. In this sense it's like pornography as it subverts a natural tendency into nonproductive or counterproductive outlets.

People become wrapped up in these schemes, they ruin relationships, families and lives. I find this very immoral.

If anything, Austin is more deserving of the "Silicon X" moniker than the Bay Area, as TI invented the silicon transistor and the integrated circuit.

Broadly, though, there are a ton of places that are (or would very much like to be seen as) Silicon Valley offshoots. Wikipedia lists dozens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_technology_centers

Only for tech do we do this.

There're a lot of them out there

I've heard Wellington referred to as Silicon Welly before, which is sort of cute. I think that I've only ever heard it used tongue in cheek though, never seriously.