With Citrix’s future in South Florida uncertain, tech leaders in South Florida were interviewed by the Sun Sentinel to give their input on how the possible move of the tech giant to Silicon Valley could affect the local tech front. Deborah Vazquez, CEO of PROTECH, was interviewed for the story.
“Boca Raton tech staffing recruiter Deborah Vazquez thinks any change at Citrix would be gradual. “They have a lot of talent here, and that’s not easy to come by — anywhere,” she said.
While Citrix keeps Fort Lauderdale as its corporate headquarters, it also maintains an operational headquarters in Silicon Valley.
Vazquez said Fort Lauderdale-based workers aren’t likely to leave for pricier Santa Clara, Calif. If the worst-case scenario occurred, local technology companies would snap up Citrix’s engineers while others would start new tech businesses in South Florida, she said.
If other Citrix workers started new tech companies here, “a repeat of IBM wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing,” Vazquez added.
Vazquez said Broward County actually could come out the winner if new management weighs the cost of doing business in Florida vs. California. “Salaries are 20 to 30 percent less than they have to pay for talent in Silicon Valley,” she said. “It would be a very costly move for them to make.””
For the full story, visit the Sun Sentinel.
