Any property tax exemption would have expired some time ago.  And just because a business is in a city doesn't mean that they have to expose all of their internal information to their competitors through that city.  There is this legal doctrine called 'trade secrets'.  That's why the Eugene Swanson/EWEB contract is still secret even though it is with a governmental organization.  

If you are a private corporation or individual and  are losing money, you have to cut back. They have no choice.  And 20 years is a pretty good run for a high tech company.  

Governments just make the taxes higher and spend more money, taken under threat of either jail or house foreclosure, if the taxpayers fail to pay.  Real people and corporations can't do that.