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As soon as you create a place for non-conformists to go, you've created a place for people to conform to.

Non-conformists create new places. Yes, it's a tough life.

That's like when Macy's started selling pre-ripped punk jeans, in the 1980s, and Doc Martens started going mainstream.

Sure, but I think the question still stands- if the outsiders are going somewhere other than Silicon Valley, where are they going, or what new space is being created?

bootstrapping their own companies and projects

Bingo. I, and others I've known, don't fit in California, so we bootstrapped somewhere with a low cost-of-living and fiber-to-the-home with a proper privacy agreement. Many don't have the goal of growth, but subsistence for the nerds - freed from the tyranny of MBAs, spend company and personal time on side projects unrelated to the Business.

Some have drawn the attention of the SV crowd - they sold, to YC grads or bigger corpos, and immediately bootstrapped again. The money is a Means only; We just want to solve puzzles and learn things.

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