I moved to Austin about a year ago, after having worked in some of the world's largest financial hubs for much of my legal career. Putting aside the many non-economic benefits of Texas (for example, Chicago winters are something I will never regret putting behind me), one of the key considerations for choosing my new home was the viability and robustness of the state as a capital market. When weighing all the factors—tax burden, talent pool, regulatory environment, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and even civic ethos—Texas is likely the best state in the country for a company to go public, and continue to operate as a public company. Let me explain why.