Silicon Valley can be beaten

It is a lot to read. I read the first 30%; I live in SV, and have been working here for ~9 years. My experience is more or less what he describes. Have seen open office plans, scrum(hahah, putting a deadline on creative activity, because I know how to measure and I'm your boss, so your ass belongs to me), and the silent types getting snubbed in an environment that claims meritocracy(!!!)

I'm 33 years old and married. Can't afford a home in SV as a programmer. What are my options? What are other good places I can move to? Places where there are enough jobs, so I am not at the mercy of my boss, have sun and housing is not too expensive?

I don't think so. We like to fight, and we're not particularly keen on losing. In the spirit of competition: bring it. -America

There's a lot to digest in this article, but the section on growth rates was particularly thought-provoking.