Whoever had the bright idea that the Pacific North West is good place to start a software business was wrong. *Glares at Bill Gates* Whoever it was must have thought two things, no taxes, and the weather is so shitty that nobody will want to be outside, hence would be more productive.
After my pilgrimage to the greater Seattle area I was left wondering why anyone would choose to work in that area if your career didn't revolve around utilizing the port. The weather sucks, and the traffic is even worse.
I think understand why Bungie moved there from Chicago, on the behest of Microsoft, and I think I understand why they stayed after the separation from Microsoft, they had laid down roots and it is where their families lives. But if Bungie does decide to ever expand, I would hope it would be in a better place where people would be happier and actually enjoy normal things, like sunshine.
If I was asked where I would recommend a software company should start or expand to, I would recommend Sonoma County California, specifically Santa Rosa, near the Charles M. Schulz Airport. From Santa Rosa your forty-five minutes from San Francisco, you in the heart of the wine country, there is sunshine, the ocean thirty-five minutes away, and a plethora of other amenities. Seriously, it could be much better!
(On a side not, if Bungie offered me a position at Bellevue or heck even a remote outpost in Alaska, I'd go in a heartbeat. Sometimes the company out weighs the location...)
-
Because the inhabitants of the Pacific North West have adapted to the harsh conditions, they are drawn to bright lights by their instinct to get inside and out of the rain. Exposing their sensitive skin to the harsh UV rays that are so plentiful down south would cause sunburns upon contact, their bodies have become unable to produce vitamin D on their own so they are forced to stay near the supplement factories that their very livelihoods depend on.