What Rocks About Silicon Valley
I was chatting to a successful entrepreneur in a coffee shop the other day when he ran into a entreprenuer friend. Apparently, his business was seeking to solve problem X for Y by doing Z. “That’s really interesting,” I casually remarked. “I know somebody who can use this.”
There was a point in my life when this would have been an exciting moment for me — I would have been thrilled that I met somebody who is trying to solve a problem for someone I care about. There was a point in my life in which I wondered where the smart, ambitious people that sought to change the world are located.
This question tormented me throughout college when I persistently sought out entrepreneurial people and failed. There are, no doubt, amazingly talented people at my alma mater, but the entrepreneurial spirit was not what I expected. This seemed unusual to me, as Austin, Texas, is considered a “tech town.” Naturally, entrepreneurs should be attracted there.
Within days of being in Silicon Valley, it felt like home, although I wasn’t in the proximity of any family and only a few friends.
The difference between the two places is simple: in Austin, there are some people doing startups, and in Silicon Valley, there are some people NOT doing startups. The entrepreneurial spirit permeates the culture so deeply that you’d be hardpressed to live here and avoid it. It’s subtle, but it’s everywhere; whether it’s the Yahoo! billboard on highway 80 in San Francisco, the Palo Alto Egg, or the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, these icons convey a simple message: great technology is borne here.
There are few places in the world where organizations and events like the Homebrew Computer Club, Hackers and Founders, SuperHappyDevHouse at the Rainbow Mansion, YCombinator, and endless hacker spaces and houses can co-exist.
Silicon Valley is not without its woes; dating and socializing is difficult. It is also worth noting that during my senior year in college (2007-2008), Austin (along with many other U.S. cities) began what I expect to be massive growth in the startup sector. I met many entrepreneurs (both experienced and aspiring) that will go on to do amazing things, so I don’t want to undermine them–personally, at that point, I was bittersweet about the environment, and although I intended to stay there after college, I knew my stay was short-lived.
I suggest that you watch a TED Talk by the brilliant Internet marketer, Seth Godin, on the tribes we lead. I invite you, if you possess the desire and ambition to make an impact on the world’s technology to join our tribe in Silicon Valley. I, for one, am glad to be among the world’s greatest hacker culture.