In the 1930’s, the Nazi racial policies forced many Jews to leave Germany and head to the UK and the United States. Chief among those fugitives was a physicist named Albert Einstein.

Those refugees gave the USA a critical talent advantage at a critical juncture in world history.

Instead of the bomb being built-in Germany, it was built in the USA, and Adolf’s reign of horror ended after 12 not 1000 years.

The history of the world has been thus far, when you cause people to flee due to intolerance they go elsewhere and make the elsewhere better.

With the recent DOMA ruling, we are about to witness a similar migration of talent, and companies that hire talent away from places of intolerance.

It was delightful to read this article today. I especially loved this quote:

Bank of America is far from alone in grappling with the problem that some of its employees apparently have a powerful incentive to exit Texas that they didn’t have at the start of the week.

Texas has made hay about how corporate friendly they are, and they might be… But in a world where global talent competition is fierce, I want to be in a place where a gay man wants to live not in a place where a gay is denied the right to marry and all the rights that flow from that.

Companies will quickly realize that intolerant states are a bad place to be and will move fast.

Mark this day in history, it’s the day the intolerant south opted out of the 21st century.

And to all you folks who are looking for a place where you can get married and start a company, come to California…

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