Sad in tech heaven, the hidden face of Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is a land of genius, a tech paradise, a land of opportunity, the home of talented and creative people who can get very rich in no time.

If you dream of changing the world, achieving success and earning a lot of money, then this is the right place. Didn't Google, Microsoft and Facebook change the face of history? Isn't this where dreams begin, grow and flourish, because Silicon Valley is the beating heart of the world.

Just take an idea that no one has seen before and go to the Valley of Hope, you will find that many people can help you, provide you with funds to start a company, and realize your idea in your company. Overnight, you'll become one of the new millionaires living in luxury villas and mansions that stretch across the Santa Clara County border.

Poverty and suffering

But in fact this ideal is only one aspect, it hides a lot of poverty, pain and anxiety caused by fierce competition, as well as the fear of failure or unemployment at any time.

The vast majority of people in Silicon Valley go against the stereotype of happy guys like Mark Zuckerberg or Tim Cook. On the contrary, many old people are out of work, many women lose their way, and the dreams of men are shattered, often from your yard - white immigrants from different countries looking for fame and money will end up on the streets.

For example, according to a study by the Silicon Valley Institute for Regional Studies, during the recent COVID-19 pandemic that swept the United States and the world, four out of ten families in the region were unable to provide food for their children. day.

However, just a few months later, Tesla CEO Elon Musk became the richest man in the world, and he recently added a new nickname "Technoking" to his long list of titles.

According to the California Association of Realtors, the median home price in Santa Clara County (where Apple and Alphabet are also located here) is about $1.4 million.

Such an unfortunate price tag is something the engineers, technicians, staff, teachers, food delivery workers, and locals can't imagine joining the list of middle-income billionaires.

The world only sees the success stories of billionaires in the new age, but does not see the failures and human tragedies everywhere in Silicon Valley.

The New York Times highlighted some of the situations here in a recent report and asked me to tell you some of these stories.

Despite the impact of the pandemic, Elon Musk has become the richest person in the world (AP)

take risks

Ravi and Gautami from India. both have graduate degrees in biotechnology, computer science, chemistry, and statistics; The young couple descended on Silicon Valley in 2013 with an ambitious and passionate success. They currently work for a pharmaceutical company in Silicon Valley. programmer.

Although they work hard and earn around $90,000 annually, they can only rent a small one-bedroom apartment with a monthly rent of $3000 due to the high rents in the area. For them, the future seems uncertain due to the new technology. They may lose their jobs at any time.

As they said, life is about, anxiety is their partner, and they do not plan to have children and start a family until everything is clear.

live in the cart

Victor came to Silicon Valley from El Salvador 25 years ago. He now lives in a van in Mountain View, just two miles from the posh Google office area.

He once lived in a small apartment and had to move into a carriage after the rent had risen too high, and his carriage was parked with rows of carriages, where many people who had lost their homes lived. They live to the level of the 80s, with no electricity or running water, but the condo keeper he once lived in usually allows him to shower and do laundry there.

Displaced in the Valley of Hope

Elizabeth studied at Stanford University and now works as a security guard for a large technology company in the area. She also lives on the street.

She said there are more people in the area who do not have housing, much more than those registered by the authorities. "Many people work with me in the same company." She refused to mention the name of the company she works for because she feared retribution. Other homeless work in catering services in restaurants and canteens across the area, and many are educated and college graduates, but their salaries are not enough to rent a small apartment. Those who are arbitrarily laid off or who have financial problems eventually find that they can only live on the street.

"Sometimes it's just a simple mistake, a financial mistake, and sometimes it's a health crisis, or your company goes bankrupt, or it gets taken over by a bigger company, which makes liquidation, you end up on the street," Elizabeth added.

Regardless of the reason, the fact remains true, that is, many middle-class people fall into poverty every day and are unable to meet the needs of life, and their displacement is considered temporary and lasts only a month or two. They also think so, but in fact, this situation will last for many years, and sometimes for life. "Remember, there are a lot of people like us in Silicon Valley."