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To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (68925)	7/22/1999 2:46:00 PM
From: Glenn D. Rudolph	Respond to of 164684

Silicon Valley's Internet leadership threatened PALO ALTO, Calif., July 21 (Reuters) - Silicon Valley is the center of the Internet economy today, but its leadership is threatened by numerous quality-of-life concerns that could deter top talent from locating there, a study released on Wednesday found. Skyrocketing housing prices, a shortage of good schools, bad traffic and ever-growing commute times are just some of the factors that might send workers to some of the country's other technology centers like Seattle, Boston, Washington, D.C., or Austin, Texas, according to the study, conducted for the Silicon Valley Network by the consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Among some of its findings were that the average worker's commute time in California's Santa Clara County increased 14.2 percent over the past year to 26.5 miles (41 km), while rents jumped 30 percent in just the past two years. Because local employers rely heavily on out-of-town talent to join their work forces, the study suggests they are particularly vulnerable to such concerns. And because housing is so limited, the quality of schools outside of the region's most expensive areas like Palo Alto is sometimes lacking. "There are some pockets of excellent schools, but in general they are not what people from the East Coast and the Southwest may expect," said Silicon Valley Network spokesman Rich Halberg. Quality-of-life issues were not the only concerns cited. As Silicon Valley pours more and more venture capital money into start-ups they think have the potential to become the next Amazon.com <AMZN.O>, some less sophisticated entrepreneurs may fall off the radar screen, the study said. While more start-ups are getting millions in funding, some inexperienced, unconnected entrepreneurs seeking a mere $500,000 to $1 million in seed money, may be locked out. "The valley is so focused on success that if you're not going to be the next Amazon, or the next eBay <EBAY.O>, a lot of the investors here won't be interested in you," Halberg said. "In some other burgeoning communities like Austin, it may be easier to get a couple of hundred thousand dollars to get your idea off the ground." REUTERS Rtr 22:03 07-21-99 Copyright 1999, Reuters News Service