by Thom Singer
This post is not from the CEO of the Austin Technology Council. It’s from Thom. A guy who has lived in Austin for over three decades and cares deeply about what happens next in this city.
Last week, I attended a conference… one of those gatherings where the room is packed with people who are objectively successful. Accomplished. Respected. But one speaker said something that really stuck with me:
“You need to see yourself the way others see you. Not just how you used to be… but how you are now.”
And it landed hard.
Because too many of us are still operating as if we’re who we were ten years ago. Maybe fifteen. Still wearing the same identity badge. Still measuring ourselves by outdated metrics. Still not recognizing the version of us that’s actually standing in the room today.
That got me thinking; not just about individuals, but about communities. About cities. About Austin.
Do we, as a city, know how we’re seen by the rest of the country?
Do we know how we see ourselves?
And here’s the kicker… do those two things line up?
Austin has always prided itself on being different. Creative. Collaborative. Gritty. Entrepreneurial. Weird. A city that punches above its weight.
But let’s take a breath. Are we still that Austin? Or are we coasting on a reputation that was built in the past and assuming it will carry us forward indefinitely?
We’ve become a place people move to for opportunity. But opportunity only grows where vision and humility intersect.
The speaker at that conference wasn’t trying to knock anyone down. Quite the opposite. He was challenging high-performing people to rise even higher by getting honest with themselves.
That’s what I’m doing here.
I’m asking Austin’s business community… especially the tech sector… to take a hard look in the mirror.
Not because we’re doing badly.
But because we’re at a crossroads.
We’ve grown fast. We’ve seen money pour in, companies relocate, headlines scream about our boomtown status. But we’ve also seen growing pains: housing issues, talent shortages, infrastructure friction, and a creeping disconnect between new arrivals and longtime stakeholders.
If we want to keep thriving, we need to be aligned… internally and externally. We need to know how we’re viewed across the country (and the world) and ask if that matches how we want to be seen. Are we a leader in innovation or just another overcrowded market? Are we a community that collaborates, or one that competes with itself into stagnation?
It’s time we up our game.
What does that mean?
It means we need to stop waiting for someone else to set the tone.
It means tech leaders must step forward and say, “Let’s build something lasting.”
It means founders, VCs, executives, engineers, educators, and civic leaders all have a role to play in shaping what comes next.
This is about being intentional. About acknowledging both our strengths and our blind spots. About getting back to the spirit that made Austin a beacon in the first place.
We don’t need to become San Francisco. Or New York. Or Boston.
We need to be a better version of Austin.
That starts with self-awareness.
That grows through honest conversations.
And that succeeds when we bring energy, ideas, and yes, a little humility, to the table.
I’m proud of this city. I believe in the people who make up this ecosystem. But belief alone isn’t enough. Action matters. Alignment matters. Purpose matters.
So I ask you… individually and collectively:
Do you know how people see you?
Do you know how we’re perceived?
And are we bold enough to close the gap between perception and potential?
Time we up our game.
— Thom Singer