# Garry Tan’s Research Stack on Data Center Employment Effects *By Recommended Reading from Tech Founders β€’ May 15, 2026* Today's strongest organic recommendations came from Garry Tan, who shared a small research stack on data center economics. Brookings stood out for causal evidence on employment effects, while PwC added national-scale context on multipliers and job growth. ## What stood out Today's highest-signal recommendations came as a compact research stack from Garry Tan rather than a single standalone book or podcast. The common thread was clear: evaluate data centers by their broader employment multiplier and downstream ecosystem effects, not only by direct headcount at each site [^1][^2][^3]. ### Most compelling recommendation #### *New Evidence on Data Center Employment Effects* - **Content type:** Research article - **Author/creator:** Brookings Institution - **Link/URL:** [https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-on-data-center-employment-effects/](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/new-evidence-on-data-center-employment-effects/) [^2] - **Who recommended it:** Garry Tan [^2] - **Key takeaway:** Tan highlighted Brookings' estimate that a single large data center can add 2,000-4,000 total jobs per county within five to six years, along with an 11% construction employment boost, a 22% increase in information-sector employment, and a 4-5% lift in total private employment [^2] - **Why it matters:** This was the strongest resource in today's set because Tan emphasized its synthetic-control analysis across 770 data centers in 93 counties, making it the clearest methodology-backed starting point for readers who want more than anecdotal claims [^2] ### Companion resource #### *Economic Contributions of Data Centers* - **Content type:** Study / report - **Author/creator:** PwC - **Link/URL:** [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/63a4849eab1c756a1d3e97b1/t/67b38f78e9cf125daf756112/1739820925392/Data+Center+Economic+Contribution+Study+2025_Final.pdf](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/63a4849eab1c756a1d3e97b1/t/67b38f78e9cf125daf756112/1739820925392/Data+Center+Economic+Contribution+Study+2025_Final.pdf) [^3] - **Who recommended it:** Garry Tan [^3] - **Key takeaway:** Tan pointed to PwC's estimate of 4.7 million total jobs tied to data centers in 2023, a 7.5x employment multiplier, and direct data center job growth of 50% versus 10% for the U.S. average [^3] - **Why it matters:** It complements the Brookings piece by widening the lens from county-level effects to national totals, giving readers a second angle on the same core question [^3] ### Why this cluster was useful > "To be precise: the multiplier effect is the point, not headcount per site." [^1] Tan tied that argument to downstream effects from fiber buildout, power infrastructure, and supplier networks, and cited Virginia data centers supporting 78,140 jobs and $31.4 billion in economic output in 2023 as a regional example [^1]. For readers evaluating data center buildouts, this was the clearest organic recommendation set of the day: a compact group of sources that can be read together to assess claims about economic impact from multiple angles [^1][^2][^3]. --- ### Sources [^1]: [𝕏 post by @garrytan](https://x.com/garrytan/status/2054944244486623646) [^2]: [𝕏 post by @garrytan](https://x.com/garrytan/status/2054947493839097926) [^3]: [𝕏 post by @garrytan](https://x.com/garrytan/status/2054947495613211081)