MIRI is very seriously considering moving to a different country soon (most likely Canada), or moving to elsewhere in the US. No concrete plans or decisions at this point, and it’s very possible we’ll stay in the Bay; but I don’t think people should make their current location decisions based on a confident prediction that MIRI is going to stay in the Bay.
If we do leave the Bay Area, some of the main places we’re currently thinking about are New Hampshire and some other northeastern US spots, and the area surrounding Toronto in Canada. (Caveat: The top places we’re considering might look pretty different a week or two from now.)
I’ll say more about this once MIRI has more solid plans (even if those plans are just ‘we decided against moving in the near future’).
A non-exhaustive list of factors people at MIRI are talking about:
General costs of moving, which are obviously much larger when we’re located close to a lot of friends and colleagues.
Costs and benefits of moving now vs. later, given current events and the difficulties of coordinating a move during normal times.
Quality of governance, cost of living, infrastructure construction and maintenance, air quality, reliable access to electricity and Internet.
Tail risk of things suddenly getting much worse (e.g., nuclear attacks, or sudden changes in people’s common-knowledge sense of the acceptability of violence).
Culture, including something like ‘people naturally copy behavior patterns from their peers and community, which can make it easier or harder to feel grounded, patient, ambitious, intellectually experimental, etc.’
Costs and benefits of living in/near high-population-density places, living in/near tech centers, etc.
Ease of immigration, hiring, organizing visits, etc.
Costs and benefits of moving now vs. later, given current events and the difficulties of coordinating a move during normal times.
Speaking about costs and current events, has COVID-19 a visible impact on house prices? That could also be a part of decision whether to move sooner or later.
(Source: I work at MIRI.)
MIRI is very seriously considering moving to a different country soon (most likely Canada), or moving to elsewhere in the US. No concrete plans or decisions at this point, and it’s very possible we’ll stay in the Bay; but I don’t think people should make their current location decisions based on a confident prediction that MIRI is going to stay in the Bay.
If we do leave the Bay Area, some of the main places we’re currently thinking about are New Hampshire and some other northeastern US spots, and the area surrounding Toronto in Canada. (Caveat: The top places we’re considering might look pretty different a week or two from now.)
I’ll say more about this once MIRI has more solid plans (even if those plans are just ‘we decided against moving in the near future’).
A non-exhaustive list of factors people at MIRI are talking about:
General costs of moving, which are obviously much larger when we’re located close to a lot of friends and colleagues.
Costs and benefits of moving now vs. later, given current events and the difficulties of coordinating a move during normal times.
Quality of governance, cost of living, infrastructure construction and maintenance, air quality, reliable access to electricity and Internet.
Tail risk of things suddenly getting much worse (e.g., nuclear attacks, or sudden changes in people’s common-knowledge sense of the acceptability of violence).
Culture, including something like ‘people naturally copy behavior patterns from their peers and community, which can make it easier or harder to feel grounded, patient, ambitious, intellectually experimental, etc.’
Costs and benefits of living in/near high-population-density places, living in/near tech centers, etc.
Ease of immigration, hiring, organizing visits, etc.
Weather, climate, and daylight hours.
Speaking about costs and current events, has COVID-19 a visible impact on house prices? That could also be a part of decision whether to move sooner or later.
Update: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/SgszmZwrDHwG3qurr/miri-location-optimization-and-related-topics-discussion