Silicon Valley is so far up its ass that they can't see the light of day. There is good talent in the high COL metro area, but that doesn't mean all of the best talent is there. And it's definitely not all cultivated there.

At most it's just brain drain from around the world (and around the U.S.) due to capital concentration NOT talent concentration.

There's this belief that anybody who isn't willing to move to high COL metro couldn't cut it there because having a worldview outside of living in SF or similar isn't something that can be fathomed.

"At most it's just brain drain from around the world (and around the U.S.) due to capital concentration NOT talent concentration."

Brain drain implies relative talent concentration - are you sure this is what you mean to say?

Look - I hate SV and don't live there. The reality is unavoidable: for software, the best talent lives in the Bay. It's not that deep.

Myth or reality? The world vs sf and the valley?

I'll go with the world.

history has been with the valley (so far ...)

Money has been with the valley.

Microsoft has brilliant engineers and is in Seattle, for example.

That's interesting topic

What about Tencent? and things like HK's HFT

What about competitive security? here's huge variety in countries e.g 2 very strong teams are Poland based