71 cities across America are paying tech workers to leave Silicon Valley

The Future. Seventy-one cities around America have launched incentive programs to woo remote workers (mostly in tech) to move there. Why? Because each worker that decides to relocate is like a mini-stimulus package, spending their high salaries at local establishments and even creating new jobs. If enough remote employees answer the call to move, the next tech boom may be marked by geographic democratization.

Incentive package
According to WSJ, cities and towns all over the U.S. want their fraction of Silicon Valley.

• A report from MakeMyMove, a firm that specializes in creating government-backed programs to attract remote workers, said that 71 of these programs now exist — up from 24 just last October.
• These programs have mostly attracted tech workers from companies like Airbnb, Amazon, Netflix, and Meta, who can now pretty much work from anywhere.
• The programs are offering people who want to move “up to $12,000 in cash, along with subsidized gym memberships, free babysitting and office space.”

The largest of these programs is Tulsa Remote, which has already attracted 1,360 people in 2021 (with a projected total of 2,400 by the end of the year). A study by the Economic Innovation Group found that for every two people the project brought to the city, one new job was created.

Hooray for economic development!