The tech elite are abandoning Silicon Valley in droves because of ‘groupthink’ and out-of-control living costs— here’s where they’re headed

Silicon Valley is on the brink of an exodus.

Members of the tech elite from Peter Thiel to Tim Ferriss are leaving San Francisco and the peninsula to the south — still the global hub of tech finance and innovation — to escape the self-described groupthink and arrogance of the Valley.

A recent article in The New York Times declared, “Silicon Valley is over.” The author followed a dozen venture capitalists on a three-day bus trip through the Midwest, in pursuit of hot startups in underrated areas of the country. They marveled at the cheap home prices in cities like Detroit, Michigan, and Madison, Wisconsin, compared with the extreme cost of living in the Bay Area.

San Francisco lost more residents than any other US city in the last quarter of 2017, according to a report from real-estate site Redfin. Data suggests the great migration is far from over.

Last month, 49% of Bay Area residents said they would consider leaving California because of the cost of living, according to a survey of 500 residents by public-relations firm Edelman.

These are some of the high-profile defectors who have left Silicon Valley in recent years — and where they’re headed.