In continuation of our series exploring tech hubs across the globe, we take a look at the state of play in the Silicon Valley tech scene

Have you ever considered moving to Silicon Valley? Today, the area is worth almost $3 trillion thanks to companies like Apple, Google and Tesla, but this wasn’t always the case.

Located between San Francisco and San Jose, the area is also known as Santa Clara Valley, but was given its now synonymous nickname by an electronics magazine article way back in 1971.

A rare combination of academia, private investment, US government research and an entrepreneurial population has transformed this area from a fruit-producing region to the centre of a new high tech world.

For the better part of 100 years, Silicon Valley has enjoyed expansive growth. But, we can’t deny that things might be changing. We’re now increasingly hearing of employees (and companies) leaving the region due to high rents and an unaffordable cost of living.

But don’t be fooled — there are still plenty of pull factors attracting people to California. The great weather, excellent work perks, impressive salaries and friendly neighbours are just some of the top contenders.

So, what’s it really like to work in the Silicon Valley tech scene? We take a look at the top four sectors.

AI and machine learning

Once upon a time, AI and machine learning was something that we could only dream about or see in sci-fi movies. Over the last number of decades, we have seen a huge leap in terms of AI development and implementation. Today, it is one of the biggest industries in Silicon Valley.

The Bay Area is blessed with not one, but two world-class computer science universities: Stanford and UC. When you combine this with the open and innovative atmosphere in Silicon Valley, it’s not really surprising that this area has become the biggest AI hub in the world.

The area is home to AI giants like Intel, IBM and of course, Edcast. Edcast is an award-winning talent experience platform used by Fortune 500 companies. Founded by Karl Mehta in 2013, the company is hiring for a range of different positions on the Information Age job board. Some of them are even remote!

Fintech

The global Fintech market was valued at $110.57 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $698.48 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 20.3% from 2021 to 2030. After all, this sector covers everything from personal finance to digital cash alternatives. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to move away from traditional banking methods has been more pressing than ever.

Over the last number of years, we have seen explosive growth in areas such as cryptocurrency, and investors across the world are betting that new technologies will lead to a decentralised financial system in the not so distant future.

So who are the key players? Silicon Valley is home to a legion of Fintech heavy hitters and humble startups including Wise, Stripe and of course, Klarna. Founded in Sweden, the online payment company grew exponentially during the pandemic as more shopping moved online. They now have an office in San Mateo. You can find out more here.

Medtech

Medtech companies deal with the development of technological solutions for medicine and medical care. North America is the leading market in this field with an estimated revenue of $162 billion per annum. Silicon Valley enjoys a very large piece of that pie.

Many of the most renowned medtech firms in the world have a presence in the region, making it one of the largest Medtech hubs in the US alongside long-standing centres like Massachusetts and Minnesota.

One interesting company to keep an eye out for is GRAIL. Founded in 2016, GRAIL aims to develop blood tests that will detect cancer earlier than traditional medicine. The company is building intelligent models that quickly gather information about a tumour genome and turn it into actionable solutions. You can find out more about their exciting work and open positions here.

Cyber security

None of the above technology sectors would be able to function without cyber security. As our digital world expands, the need for proper prevention measures against hackers and other malware threats is more important than ever before.

In December last year, when President Biden wanted help from the private sector to help defend the US government from attacks by opposing regimes and criminal gangs, he sent a team of his officials to Silicon Valley to meet with key cyber security companies in the region. This was a monumental meeting which demonstrated just how powerful Silicon Valley really is.

Top players in this field include Zscaler, Confluera and Verkada. Verkada is a California-based company that develops cloud-based building security systems. They combine security equipment with cloud-based machine vision and artificial intelligence. You can find out more on the Information Age jobs board.

Are you ready to make a move to the west coast? You can find more Silicon Valley based jobs on the Information Age jobs board.

Pippa Hardy is a content creator and writer for Amply by Jobbio. She’s a work-from-home enthusiast who loves all things travel and tech. When she’s not writing up her next article, she’s usually hiking or spending a whole afternoon on Pinterest.

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