[paxys]

The "back in the day" for silicon you are referring to was pre-80s. You skipped an entire generation of software companies headquartered in South Bay that have gained prominence since then — Google, Facebook, Oracle, eBay, Cisco, Adobe, Nvidia, Netflix and lots more.

[jedberg]

Yes, I did skip a section, but only because it didn't feel super relevant. Having worked at two of those companies myself, I'm well aware of the phase in the middle (although Cisco and Nvidia are actual silicon companies).

As a fun side note, the only reason Netflix is in Los Gatos is because the founder wanted it in Santa Cruz, where he lived, but was convinced no one would work there because it would be too far, so he picked the city closest to Santa Cruz that people would still consider Silicon Valley.