Well, they've got one part right: tech centers flow from strong universities, not industrial parks. That said, I think the focus on entrepreneurship may be misguided. MIT, CMU, Stanford, and Berkeley didn't spawn tech loci because they focussed on entrepreneurship, they did so because they were destination schools for the best and brightest Eng and CS students from around the world. If they focussed on building the best possible engineering school, rather than the one most likely to spawn startups, they would paradoxically have a much better chance of spawning startups.<p>Also, I can't speak for anyone else, but New York simply doesn't appeal to me as a wannabe hacker. I <i>like</i> San Francisco and the surrounding area. I like the culture and the people. New York really doesn't have that same draw for me. That said, for those from the East Coast who would otherwise go to MIT or CMU, a top tier engineering school in New York might well be a viable alternative.
I think it's great that New York wants to step its game up in science and engineering, and should be applauded.<p>However, I think the idea that New York needs to be the capital of technology over Silicon Valley is like if New York tried to become number one in Chicago style pizza, it's just silly.<p>Technology is going to be a driving force in our economy because technology simply means producing useful things we don't yet have. To make it about some kind of dominance over another state within the same country is unnecessary, just grow your own legacy.
I suspect this is more about the temporary employment boost that having a major university in a city can bring than the long-term employment benefits that an economy based on scientific and technological prowess can bring.<p>This isn't necessarily a bad thing. But the picture today implies that the technology sector doesn't tend to create a lot of jobs, even when it creates extremely useful inovations or novel avenues of entertainment.