Never miss a story
Sign up for our free daily morning email...
...and afternoon text update
×
Featured
austonia newsletter
Get connected with our daily update
Most viewed
(TechCrunch/CC)
Dropbox CEO Drew Houston speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018 on September 5, 2018 in San Francisco.
The CEO of Dropbox, one of the most popular cloud storage services, is planning a move to Austin.
Drew Houston, whose net worth is about $1.4 billion, has purchased a home in Austin that he plans to make his full-time residence, according to a report from The Information.
Houston is the latest tech mogul to make a high-profile departure from Silicon Valley, a trend that has only accelerated under the pandemic. As remote work policies loosen across the tech industry, executives and workers alike have been pouring into the nation's more affordable interior.
In October, Dropbox announced it would stop asking employees to come into its offices and instead make remote work the standard practice, even after the pandemic ends.
Houston isn't the first Silicon Valley capitalist to hang his hat in Austin. Douglas Merritt, the CEO of software company Splunk, also recently purchased an Austin home. While Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale already lives in Austin, he recently confirmed that the VC firm will also be making the move to the capital of Texas.
Austin has been a growing hotspot for tech startups since Dell's founding in the mid 80's. Tesla's announcement earlier this year of plans to build its next Tesla Gigafactory arrived with a thump, electrifying critics and supporters by accelerating the city's transformation into a tech city. Tesla founder Elon Musk has said he plans to spend more time in the city, even teasing moving the Tesla headquarters to Austin.
The reasons for the exodus from California to Austin can be attributed to costs. California has some of the highest taxes in the nation, and San Francisco is one the most expensive housing markets in the country. The median rental price for a two-bedroom apartment is the highest in the nation.
Austin, meanwhile, has a friendly character that is inviting with Texas' lack of personal income tax.
From Your Site Articles
- Elon Musk seeks to fast-track $1.1 billion Tesla factory in Austin ... ›
- Austin's new contact tracing tech aims to curb the pandemic - austonia ›
- Austin ranks in top 3 of tech job markets in U.S. & Canada - austonia ›
- Bay area tech workers eye moving to Austin post-pandemic - austonia ›
- Austin named one of the top cities to move to in 2020 - austonia ›
- Is the "Texodus" over for storm-damaged Austin? - austonia ›
Popular
First score made by LAFC. (Sonia Garcia/Austonia)
Austin FC couldn't find the stamina to fight off a 2-0 loss against LAFC for their inaugural match on Saturday.
The match, which saw No. 21 Austin FC go head-to-head with No. 2 LAFC in Los Angeles, was broadcast nationally on FOX and FOX Deportes.
Salute the support. 👏
It's only the beginning for @AustinFC. pic.twitter.com/TduorqYr2y
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) April 18, 2021
Eleven players took the stage as Austin FC players for the first time, with five starters making their MLS debut. "Ringleader" Alex Ring took the captain's armband and wore it well. The defensive midfielder could be seen leading his teammates through their first ever match, but it wasn't enough to stage an Austin takeover in LA.
In the signature style of Head Coach Josh Wolff, the team played with quickness and intensity, nearly connecting on several fast breaks. It was harder for them to stay in front, however, something that Wolff credits with quick decision making and a tough LAFC defense.
"We have a quick attacking team, but I think when you make quick attacks and it fizzles it's just about some decision making," Wolff said. "Are we in position to finish attacks? If not, can we reestablish our attack and get stuff better?"
The club was given some generous breaks from No. 2 LAFC, who had one or both of their star DPs out for the half. While forward Diego Rossi is out for the entire match due to a hamstring injury, Carlos Vela was accidentally pulled too soon on what turned out to be a miscommunication.
"He gave us the sign that he needed to come off," LAFC Head Coach Bob Bradley said on broadcast. "I can't say more than maybe it's my fault."
LA pulled some dramatics and slowly gained more possession throughout the half, but ATXFC's defense wasn't initially as shaky as it seemed in preseason. Jhohan Romana has pulled his weight in getting the ball out of goal, and a 34-year old Matt Besler held his own in center back.
As the second half commenced, however, it became clear that LAFC had the advantage over Austin's first major league team.
Goalkeeper Brad Stuver had his work cut out for him, fending off 24 shot attempts, 11 of which were on goal. He didn't have much time to prepare, either: in the first 30 seconds of play, Stuver had already made a save to keep the match 0-0.
LAFC finally connected in the 61st minute of play as Corey Baird shot one into the bottom right corner. The team capitalized off their momentum and put one past Stuver a second time, drawing roars of approval from the LAFC crowd.
While some last-minute attempts from Jon Gallagher and others were made, Austin FC didn't have the endurance to bring a tie. After seven additional minutes of stoppage time, the club lost their first match 2-0.
While the scoreboard tells one story, Wolff said that the team did well considering the skill of LAFC and the pressure of their club debut.
"We've got to be realistic," Wolff said. "This is the first time this organization has been in front of TV with an opportunity to show itself and I think there were some promising moments. And we're going to maximize those and continue to try to develop those, but there's lots to build on."
The team may have lost, but it still won the support of thousands of Verde fans, dozens of which made it to watch their team's first match. When Stuver and the team made it to bthe stadium, Los Verdes fans were already there to show support, and Stuver said his wife saw the same back in Austin.
"The moment that we pulled into the stadium, we saw Black and Verde fans cheering us on as we got to the stadium," Stuver said. "During warm up, you can just look around and see different groups sitting in different sections of the stadium and it's just truly amazing to see the support in our first game. We know that we want to give the fans everything, because this we play for the city and we play for them."
Keep Reading
Show less
