Relocate from Albuquerque to Seattle

Setting

Microsoft is growing, but recruiting top talent to Albuquerque, New Mexico is difficult. Bill and Paul are both from Seattle.

People

• Responsible: Bill Gates, Paul Allen
• Approvers: Bill Gates
• Consulted: Employees
• Informed:

Alternatives

Option A: Stay in Albuquerque

Pros:

• Low cost of living.
• Less distraction.

Cons:

• Hard to recruit engineers.
• Travel is difficult (flight connections).

Option B: Move to Bay Area (Silicon Valley)

Pros:

• Center of the tech world.
• Huge talent pool.

Cons:

• High competition for talent.
• Expensive.
• Distracting.

Option C: Move to Seattle (Bellevue)

Pros:

• Home turf for Bill and Paul.
• Good talent pool (University of Washington, Boeing).
• Quality of life.
• No state income tax.

Cons:

• Not yet a tech hub.
• Rain.

Decision

Chosen: Option C

Rationale: Better recruiting, personal preference (home), and establishing a unique culture away from the Valley echo chamber.

Consequences

Positive

• +Massive recruiting success.
• +Created the Seattle tech ecosystem.