Amazon has leased the Saks 5th Avenue building on State Street in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is emerging as a user-friendly destination for Tech Companies. Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria have been home to Technology companies like Sonos, Citrix, PROCORE, App Folio, Indeed.com, LogMeIn, and recently Honey. Now three of the Country’s five biggest technology companies are making their mark here. Amazon will be taking over Saks Fifth Avenue on State Street (Amazon purchased local tech companies Graphiq to enhance Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa). In the last two years, Microsoft purchased LinkedIn which had purchased Carpinteria’s Lynda.com as well as created a Microsoft Research Lab on the UCSB Campus focused on topological quantum computing. Search engine giant Google has leased a new facility in the Hollister Avenue technology corridor.
Santa Barbara’s great climate, easy commute, and natural beauty are a big draw for luring talent away from Silicon Valley. The steady build-up of big tech players here has created its own momentum. The good news is that the Chamber of Commerce in both Santa Barbara and Goleta has taken progressive forward-looking positions to help lead the integration of technology companies into our neighborhoods. In many ways, Santa Barbara is a very attractive alternative to Silicon Valley which offers a rich environment to grow in. Will Santa Barbara’s evolving role within the technology industry pave new roads for opportunities? Time will tell, but things are definitely looking pretty good right now.
