I moved to Austin post-pandemic (career move/not tech) from Chicago and I have my regrets. What I didn't realise was many of my disdains about Austin are exactly what the article says... Here ambition dies...
Now I can't unsee.
Now I can't unsee.
Then they realized same shit, different flavor, albeit worse in many ways, and many of their problems/issues were within themselves all along.
Tends to kill some of the enthusiasm and drive.
Austin was never truly going to compete with SF on its perks, but it was a cool town that allowed people to live comfortably.
Not the worst if you value other things!
And then "tech transplant" is a broad bucket but one of the most common quoted reasons for going Bay Area -> Texas is cost of living. There's two ways to deal with cost of living: try to out-earn the costs, or move somewhere cheaper. One of those is decidedly less ambitious (even if more realistic, reasonable, and wise for most) and that's gonna be reflected in the resulting populations. Even at a larger scale: relocating your corporate HQ out of CA for cheaper housing and salaries.. that's less an ambitious growth move, more a cost control move.