Wikimedia abandons Florida for San Francisco
Wikipedia chief Jimmy Wales announced the company was moving headquarters to San Francisco in the fall of 2007.(SF Chronicle photo by Liz Hafalia)
As someone who has been involved in several entrepreneurial businesses from the ground up, I look forward to seeing if the Winter Park Angels, a local venture capitalist group, will be able to vitalize new business, and the tech business, in Central Florida, and the economy of Florida in general. And, let's hope, allow Central Florida to be a home to more than simulation technology and some industry-specific software companies."San Francisco is the center of high tech in the United States and will give the foundation access to a rich array of resources, including best-in-breed online talent, top-tier universities, world-class support services and major media," Florence Devouard, chairwoman of the Wikimedia Foundation board of trustees, said in a statement.
Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, said Wikimedia is a perfect addition to the local Web scene.
"There are so many people who deeply believe in its role in history and culture. I'm one of them, and I'm excited about the move," he said. "My usual remark is that 'Craigslist is for the moment, but Wikipedia is for the ages' - and I don't feel that's an exaggeration."
SF will be the heavy-hitter capital, to be sure. Good ideas have relocated there for a variety of good reasons. Workforce, business climate and geographic convenience are chief among the reasons. I would be very eager to see Orlando -- to be specific, the St. Pete to Daytona Beach corridor -- embrace not only more growing businesses, but more new ideas.
A social studies author, Richard Florida, identifies (accurately, I believe) the major "creative" centers of America. Happily, Orlando fits into one. San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Chicago, North Carolina's Triangle and other areas are among this list of the centers of America's future commercial centers. I am glad to see I am in one of those; I am debating whether I should trade this area in for another location. For now, though, seeing as this is kind of home to me (Mom lives an hour away, I grew up in Daytona area, and my wife likes Florida), I'm staying put.
(So, what's your take on the promise of small and startup tech businesses in your area? Feel free to comment.)
- Jon
No comments:
Post a Comment