california Archives - Startup Economist

The California Tech Tax Is a Kill Switch. Texas Keeps Innovation Compounding.

Wednesday, 14 January 2026 by Paul O'Brien

California is flirting with a policy idea so aggressively stupid it reads like parody, except it isn’t. It’s drafted law; it’s real. And even if it never passes, the damage is already done. The proposed “Billionaire Wealth Tax” ballot measure is not merely a tax and it’s far more than California’s tech tax; it is

What Collaborative Spaces Mean to a Community

Thursday, 23 August 2012 by Paul O'Brien

Whether a community of entrepreneurs, developers, small business owners, or none of the above, collaborative work spaces are changing the landscape of our workforce and driving economic development for cities. This is no more apparent than in the reaction of the community of Silicon Valley to news that Hacker Dojo was in peril. New York Times Reports: Silicon Valley

california economic development hackers mountain view silicon valley startups

A Prius in Austin, TX

Wednesday, 01 June 2011 by Paul O'Brien

Having been in Austin for about 6 months now, there’s one irrefutable fact that everyone in Austin acknowledges with a cock-eyed smile; Californians love Austin, perhaps too much. More than that, Steiner Ranch (the neighborhood in which we settled) seems to be the magnet for relocations from the Sunshine State. One of those transplants myself,

austin california community culture education entrepreneurship politics real estate steiner ranch texas