{"id":301016,"date":"2026-10-06T19:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T19:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/301016\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T19:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T19:14:15","slug":"pittsburghs-tech-boom-leaves-residents-uncertain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/301016\/","title":{"rendered":"Pittsburgh’s tech boom leaves residents uncertain"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story was originally published by Technical.ly<\/a>, a news partner of Public Source. You can sign up for their newsletters at technical.ly\/subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Economic gains from Pittsburgh\u2019s tech boom are being felt by some but not all \u2014 and a majority of locals aren\u2019t confident in the direction their community is headed.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s according to new data<\/a> from market research firm The Harris Poll, focusing on what Americans want from innovation. Local experts from higher education, workforce development and venture gathered at a Mount Washington restaurant last week to discuss the data and possible ways to bring innovation\u2019s benefits to more Pittsburghers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Local residents living just a few miles away from each other are experiencing two different economic realities right now, according to Petra Mitchell, president and CEO of the economic development organization Catalyst Connection.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on who you ask, you\u2019re going to get two very different responses,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cOne is, \u2018Yeah, everything\u2019s great, it\u2019s amazing,\u2019 and one is, \u2018Well, things are really tough for us, it\u2019s very challenging. We live in a neighborhood where there\u2019s blight, where there\u2019s poverty.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Less than half of the 200 Pittsburghers surveyed by The Harris Poll are confident in the direction their community is headed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But nearly 9 out of 10 Pittsburgh respondents say they are more likely to believe in a company\u2019s innovation when they can see how it benefits real communities.<\/p>\n

The survey included 2,000 Americans across 10 cities, with about 200 respondents in each.<\/p>\n

While the survey\u2019s overall margin of error<\/a> is low, results for individual cities carry a wider margin of error because of the smaller sample size.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The survey was commissioned by Philip Morris International US (PMI US), an international tobacco company. It\u2019s the maker of ZYN, a popular nicotine pouch that the company markets as a smoke-free alternative to cigarettes. With the survey, PMI US aims to provide a roadmap for business leaders and others to \u201cstrengthen trust, expand opportunity and foster innovation in the years ahead,\u201d according to the report.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPittsburgh reflects a city that has experienced reinvention, and it believes it\u2019s possible,\u201d Jody Sunna, chief communications officer for PMI US, said during the lunch event, \u201cbut only when it\u2019s real and when they can see how it impacts them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where are the good-paying jobs?\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are currently 4,000 open positions in the Pittsburgh metro area\u2019s manufacturing sector and about 60% of those don\u2019t require degrees, according to Mitchell from Catalyst Connection, but there\u2019s a lack of awareness and access to these jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ThreeVen Raju, president and CEO of Innovation Works, speaks on a panel about how Pittsburgh can turn its strengths in research and innovation into broad-based regional growth. (Photo courtesy PMI)<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople that have been living in these communities, where they just really have felt left behind since the decline of the industrial age \u2014 so we\u2019re talking 40 years now \u2014 they don\u2019t see themselves in these roles,\u201d Mitchell said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

AI could help though, she added. From virtual tours of job sites to practicing tasks in simulated environments, digital tools could expand training opportunities for jobs like machine operators, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The region\u2019s startup retention is also a major issue, according to Evan Facher, the University of Pittsburgh\u2019s vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship. Nearly all net new jobs come from new firms<\/a>, according to a report from the Kaufman Foundation. When startups leave the area, they take jobs and tax revenue with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018No silver bullet\u2019 for early-stage capital\u00a0<\/p>\n

To get more companies to stay, startups need real estate space that fits their needs, like local wet labs<\/a> to support life sciences, Facher said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AJody Sunna, chief communications officer for PMI US, presents data from The Harris Poll. (Photo courtesy PMI US)<\/p>\n

Early capital is one of the biggest issues, agreed both Facher and Ven Raju, president and CEO of Innovation Works (IW), a nonprofit venture development org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About $2.3 billion of capital flowed to Pittsburgh companies last year \u2014 10 times more than where the region was 10 years ago \u2014 but only about 3% came from resident sources, according to Raju, citing a 2025 report<\/a> from IW and consulting firm EY.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vast majority of that comes from IW,\u201d Raju said. \u201cI would be the first one to argue that\u2019s not a healthy ecosystem.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to take local funds scaling organically and coastal funds setting up flagships in Pittsburgh, according to Raju: \u201cThere\u2019s no silver bullet here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A national challenge to innovate<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh was the third stop on PMI US\u2019s national tour to discuss how innovation can shape America\u2019s future growth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"APanelists (from left) Evan Facher, vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Pittsburgh; Petra Mitchell, president and CEO of Catalyst Connection; and Ven Raju, president and CEO of Innovation Works, with moderator Raakhee Mirchandani of The Wall Street Journal. (Photo courtesy PMI)<\/p>\n

The tour is part of PMI US\u2019s Community Futures Challenge<\/a>, a national initiative to award five $50,000 grants to nonprofits that develop solutions to challenges facing their communities and help local ideas achieve broader impact.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Harris Poll found that about 80% of Americans surveyed believe the country is currently innovating in the wrong areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Healthcare, housing and good-paying non-degree jobs mattered most to these Americans, but a majority of respondents said when companies talk about innovation it often feels disconnected from daily problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see and believe that communities have ideas,\u201d PMI US\u2019s Sunna said, \u201cand we want to support the future of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alice Crow is the lead Pittsburgh reporter for Technical.ly. She joined the newsroom in September 2024 after working as a reporter for the Waco Tribune-Herald, where she covered city government, health and education.<\/p>\n

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