Back at Google

Here I am, back at Google for my fourth first day at this crazy company. And I couldn't be more excited. I spent the last few months investigating opportunities all around the world, primarily at companies under 100 people, but at the end of the day, my real criteria for this next move were these:

• Role: Some combination of software engineering and product management with a road to primarily product work.
• Team: Smart, passionate people who will challenge me every day.
• Problem: Work on something socially important. Provide real value for real people.
• Technology: Web and mobile software.
• Location: New York City.

And strangely enough, after a whole year of discussions with Google, they finally offered me exactly that.

Techie's Dilemma: Silicon Valley vs. NYC

After spending the last few years traveling the world, it seems almost every major city is an aspiring tech hub these days. No matter where I go, the locals tell me the same thing: the government has recognized the importance of tech entrepreneurship, and they're taking major steps to encourage it there. The obvious archetype for these places is Silicon Valley in California, but there's a Silicon Something-or-Other just about everywhere I visit: Silicon Alley in New York, Silicon Roundabout in London, even Silicon Savannah in Kenya. After months of trying to figure out where I should move next, the only obvious conclusion was that each place had its own pros and cons. In this series, I'll take a lens to each of the cities I considered and the facts that ultimately led me to my decision.

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