[dpitkin]

GE just moved HQ into the city of Boston, article seems to be cherry picking through history and unfairly picking on Apple, HP was pretty innovative and started in the suburbs. The interstate system and WW2 as a source of innovation seem to be also overlooked in the time period examined.

[devonkim]

As HP's ability to innovate in technology (as opposed to business operations and cost-cutting) waned, it primarily put engineers in lower cost of living areas like Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina. This pattern is consistent with almost all has-been tech employers that steadily transition more into traditional sales-driven cultures. Conversely, just because you start moving your company back towards a major metro area with more talent doesn't necessarily mean that they'll start an upward trend either.