Bitwise strives to uplift Fresno

Having lived in cities that are “home” to tech industry, I know that tech companies don’t always make good neighbors.

Too often they take what they can but remain separate from the day-to-day activities of the city. They set up miles outside of town, requiring commutes that worsen traffic. Instead of supporting public transit and civic infrastructure, they privatize mobility for their employees. And they ignore the ways their presence contributes to housing disparity.

This isn’t the case with Bitwise. Choosing and championing downtown, the company exemplifies what it is to be of Fresno, for Fresno. Bitwise’s last two open letters to the city give evidence that Bitwise puts Fresno and the region first.

From proposing a light-rail system that connects the outlying communities to the city and which preemptively addresses growing transportation needs, to putting itself right at the center of the hard work we must all take up to mend divisions and address inequities, Bitwise is a model for what tech companies could be to the communities they operate in.

We are fortunate to have a tech company that strives to make Fresno a city for all of us.

This story was originally published January 20, 2017 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Bitwise strives to uplift Fresno."