State of the Valley
The 2026 State of the Valley Conference took place on Friday, February 27
A capacity audience filled the ballroom at San José State University’s Diaz Compean Student Union for dialogue and discussion on Silicon Valley’s most pressing issues and challenges.
Leaders from the corporate, government, education, and nonprofit sectors engaged with the region’s latest data, viewed through the lens of the 2026 Silicon Valley Index. Eye-opening statistics revealed stark contrasts: Investments in Silicon Valley’s innovation engine are surging alongside rapidly intensifying wealth disparities and an affordable housing crisis.
The morning concluded with a bracing keynote from Derek Thompson, urging Silicon Valley to claim a future of greater abundance.
What is the State of the Valley Conference?
State of the Valley is an old-fashioned “town hall” meeting, a tradition at least as old as our nation’s founding, when concerned citizens met on the village green to mobilize for the challenges ahead. In that same spirit, Joint Venture’s town meeting convenes the entire region—concerned citizens and stakeholders, thought leaders and opinion makers, journalists, students and academics, our elected representatives and their professional staff, business leaders, labor and workforce leaders, venture capitalists and others—for dialogue and discussion about the Valley’s challenges and opportunities.
To inform the discussion our principal tool is the Silicon Valley Index, a nationally-recognized publication that has been telling the Silicon Valley story since 1995. The indicators measure the strength of our economy and the health of our community, highlighting challenges and providing a data-rich foundation for decision making.
Why attend State of the Valley?
Hear what Silicon Valley leaders have to say:
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The 2026 State of the Valley conference is made possible by generous support from El Camino Health as lead sponsor and Meta as principal sponsor, with additional support from Bank of America, PG&E, and Stanford Medicine Children's Health, and these other sponsors.
