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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIn an April 6, 2022, interview with TechCrunch, investor Jim Breyer described moving from Silicon Valley to Austin in early 2020 as “a wonderful decision.” He praised Austin’s mix of professions and collaborative culture, while saying Silicon Valley still had the stronger foundations for deep technology. His comments are a snapshot of what he thought then—not confirmation of his current views or residence.
Why did Jim Breyer move to Austin?
Breyer told Connie Loizos of TechCrunch that he had visited Austin for years while serving on Dell’s board from 2009 to 2013. He said he fell in love with the city and had long thought there was a high likelihood he would move there. He eventually left Silicon Valley for Austin in early 2020, according to the profile.
His explanation was less about a single industry or business advantage than the character of the city. Breyer praised the way technology, arts, entrepreneurship, medicine, and academia intersect there.
What did Breyer like about Austin?
Breyer described Austin as a place that “almost more than any city in the country, encourages a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration.” He pointed to a mix of technologists, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, doctors, and University of Texas professors. He also said, “There is a collaborative spirit that I think is really unique.”
That combination is the clearest reason he gave for preferring Austin as a place to live and work. He characterized the move positively, but the interview did not quantify his enthusiasm or establish that Austin’s culture had changed since publication.
How did he compare Austin with Silicon Valley?
Breyer did not argue that Austin had overtaken Silicon Valley in every respect. He drew a distinction between Austin’s collaborative, interdisciplinary appeal and Silicon Valley’s depth in advanced technology and the entrepreneurs focused on it.
| Dimension | Breyer’s view in the 2022 interview |
|---|---|
| Interdisciplinary collaboration | He praised Austin’s mix of professions and its collaborative spirit. |
| Deep-technology foundations | He said, “Austin will never have, in my humble view, the deep technology underpinnings of Silicon Valley.” |
| Deep-tech entrepreneurs | He said, “The most passionate entrepreneurs with deep tech continue to be in Silicon Valley.” |
These are Breyer’s assessments, not an independent ranking of the two ecosystems. His comparison suggests that he valued Austin for the range of people and disciplines he encountered, while still seeing Silicon Valley as the stronger base for deep-tech work.
Which industries and companies came up?
The profile linked Breyer’s Austin interests to fintech, crypto, data management, and computation in medicine. It named Workrise, Everlywell, ZenBusiness, and Data.World as examples in the discussion. These references describe the context of a 2022 interview; they should not be read as current endorsements or a definitive account of Breyer’s present portfolio.
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TechCrunch also reported that Breyer Capital had made 20 for-profit and nonprofit investments “to date” at the time of the interview. That was a dated statement in the April 2022 article, not a current investment total. The profile noted that Data.World had announced $50 million in Series C funding that week, led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management; that company-specific funding detail is likewise tied to the article’s 2022 publication context.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the interview does—and does not—establish
Loizos’s TechCrunch profile, published April 6, 2022, records Breyer’s explanation for moving to Austin in early 2020 and his comparison of the city with Silicon Valley. It does not establish his present-day views, current residence, or the current condition of Austin’s business ecosystem.
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