Let's be honest: none of us are Silicon Valley. Good. Have you seen what Silicon Valley has done to San Francisco's housing market? To its soul?
We can do tech differently.
Current Tech Landscapes:
British Columbia:
- Vancouver tech hub: Growing rapidly
- Major players: Amazon (second HQ), Microsoft (offices), Slack (founded here), Hootsuite
- Strengths: AI/ML, gaming, VFX, fintech
- Challenges: Brain drain to US, housing costs, "branch plant" economy concerns
- Vibe: Trying very hard, slightly insecure about not being Seattle
Oregon:
- "Silicon Forest" — real name, been around since the 70s
- Major players: Intel (huge presence), Nike (technically a tech company now?), Puppet, Vacasa
- Strengths: Hardware (Intel legacy), sportswear tech, open source community
- Challenges: Smaller talent pool, overshadowed by California and Seattle
- Vibe: Quietly competent, doesn't need to prove anything
Hawaii:
- "Silicon Aloha" — nascent but growing
- Strengths: Astronomy/space tech (Mauna Kea observatories), renewable energy research, marine science
- Challenges: Distance, limited talent pool, infrastructure gaps
- Vibe: Why would you work in tech when you could be at the beach?
The Integration Opportunity:
Distributed Teams, United Purpose:
Post-pandemic, tech proved it can work remotely. A unified BC-Oregon-Hawaii tech ecosystem could offer:
- Talent that wants quality of life — Not everyone wants to live in the Bay Area pressure cooker
- Time zone coverage — Hawaii is UTC-10, BC/Oregon are UTC-7/8. Near-continuous coverage for global operations
- Diverse innovation environments — Urban (Vancouver), quirky (Portland), island (Honolulu)
- Clean energy abundance — BC hydro, Oregon wind, Hawaii solar/geothermal
Sector Specializations:
| Region | Specialization |
| BC | AI/ML, gaming, VFX, fintech |
| Oregon | Hardware, semiconductors (Intel), open source, sportswear tech |
| Hawaii | Space/astronomy, oceanography, renewable energy, climate tech |
Rather than competing, we complement.
The Intel Factor:
Intel's Oregon operations are massive — Hillsboro is one of their largest fabs. Semiconductor manufacturing is strategic.
Under this partnership:
- Intel remains in Oregon
- But: Supply chains could run through BC ports
- And: Hawaii's position could matter for Pacific partnerships
- Talent: Canadian universities feed the pipeline
This isn't about capturing Intel. It's about building an ecosystem Intel wants to stay in.
The University Pipeline:
- UBC (BC) — Top-tier CS, engineering
- SFU (BC) — Strong applied sciences
- Oregon State — Engineering powerhouse
- University of Oregon — Growing CS program
- University of Hawaii — Astronomy, marine science, unique research opportunities
A unified approach to tech education:
- Credit transfer agreements
- Joint research programs
- Internship exchanges
- Shared recruiting for tech companies
The Housing Conversation:
We cannot discuss tech without discussing housing.
All three regions face housing crises driven partly by tech wealth:
- Vancouver: Catastrophic
- Portland: Getting worse
- Honolulu: Already bad (island geography doesn't help)
Any tech expansion must address housing. Otherwise, we're just importing a California problem.
Proposal: Tech companies operating across the region must contribute to housing funds. Details to be debated.
Discussion Questions:
- How do we attract tech talent without replicating Silicon Valley's problems?
- Should the partnership prioritize certain tech sectors over others?
- How do we ensure tech growth benefits local communities, not just imported workers?
- Is there a role for a regional sovereign wealth fund from tech taxation?
- Remote work: Does geography still matter for tech hubs?