Microsoft expansion

[Atlwarrior]

Originally Posted by First24

Microsoft’s Seattle area expansion has been shelved.



https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...s-shelved.html

I'm so glad that Atlanta's plans were postponed before they started. I think the local economy is still strong enough to grow organically. I'm also grateful that home prices will drop in that area.

[Datdudebrah]

Originally Posted by Atlwarrior

I'm so glad that Atlanta's plans were postponed before they started. I think the local economy is still strong enough to grow organically. I'm also grateful that home prices will drop in that area.

I'd be surprised, my observation is that area has reached the tipping point between investors buying up derelict properties and new homeowners buying into newly renovated homes. I've been watching these gentrifying neighborhoods for a while and it always works that way, once prices start to get to 300K or so, regular people start to feel comfortable considering the area and prices escalate from there. I think the Microsoft speculation (which isn't really over), townhome construction, beltline (U/C now), and other developments have just sped up getting to that point.


https://www.redfin.com/GA/Atlanta/74.../home/24758981

https://www.redfin.com/GA/Atlanta/59.../home/24859516

https://www.redfin.com/GA/Atlanta/55.../home/24852600

[DabOnEm]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Yep.

I guess that there’s not much need to invest in expanding office facilities when so many employees are now working from home (and appear to want to very much continue to work from home) in an economic environment where there are forecasts of a possible recession in the very near future.

Yep doesnt make much sense to expand in other cities when you just expanded your own HQ. Better to halt all new campus construction in all cities once the current Redmond one is complete in 2023. Tech being hit super hard.

[Need4Camaro]

Companies are desperately trying to push the Hybrid model right now as they miss the 'social interaction' collaboration between employees... ...to a degree I can see why that is valuable.. ..but not valuable enough for me to get me to come back into the office unless I had no choice. The office model is flaky currently, but not entirely absent, there are still offices going up and thriving in the post Covid-19 world despite the rapid changes in how we socially interact and coordinate. Companies are still trying to find the happy medians though.

I personally think companies should urge to push remote work where possible, or pay infrastructural taxes. If they are so apt toward reducing Co2, certainly this would be a great start.

[cparker73]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

Companies are desperately trying to push the Hybrid model right now as they miss the 'social interaction' collaboration between employees... ...to a degree I can see why that is valuable.. ..but not valuable enough for me to get me to come back into the office unless I had no choice. The office model is flaky currently, but not entirely absent, there are still offices going up and thriving in the post Covid-19 world despite the rapid changes in how we socially interact and coordinate. Companies are still trying to find the happy medians though.

I personally think companies should urge to push remote work where possible, or pay infrastructural taxes. If they are so apt toward reducing Co2, certainly this would be a great start.

I've been a contractor working in tech for more than 10 years, and it seems that most large corporations have highly distributed teams across the country and world. Aside from working for a defense contractor on classified projects they wouldn't want off premises, there has been no advantage to coming into the office. I was on one project where we didn't have a conference room large enough for the 20-30 people who were onsite, so people still sat at their desk on another floor and dialed into the meeting.

Companies need to make the time in the office more intentional and meaningful if they're going to require everyone be there a certain number of days. We can't just do the same old thing on Teams or Zoom in the office that we already do at home.

[walker1962]

Originally Posted by Mutiny77

Talk about a hail Mary lol. State-level gender-specific HS graduation rates doesn't constitute a more relevant statistic than metro area higher education matriculation rates. On top of that, there are coding programs and university tech certificates offered in the Atlanta area not reflected in the educational attainment statistics.

In Georgia that is more true because so much of the state's job market is centered around greater Atlanta. But in states with multiple large (large being 1 million population areas), I would say that statewide matters more. I would argue in those states, such as California, Florida, Texas, NC, Ohio and PA, residents and businesses have more from which to choose. Then it comes down to logistics and social quality of life.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by cparker73

I've been a contractor working in tech for more than 10 years, and it seems that most large corporations have highly distributed teams across the country and world. Aside from working for a defense contractor on classified projects they wouldn't want off premises, there has been no advantage to coming into the office. I was on one project where we didn't have a conference room large enough for the 20-30 people who were onsite, so people still sat at their desk on another floor and dialed into the meeting.

Companies need to make the time in the office more intentional and meaningful if they're going to require everyone be there a certain number of days. We can't just do the same old thing on Teams or Zoom in the office that we already do at home.

Agreed, I just don't see the point of going in just to say 'hello' to someone. If I needed to do a physical task then thats another story but my role doesn't require that.