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I was surprised to read this: I had, as I think many young entrepreneurs have, idolized Silicon Valley as a utopian vision of an idealistic but well-meaning ba

I was surprised to read this: I had, as I think many young entrepreneurs have, idolized Silicon Valley as a utopian vision of an idealistic but well-meaning band of technocrats building the foundations for a just and democratic society ... This is isn't on my personal list of what SV is or might be. What could possibly be giving anyone this impression of SV?

GFischer 10y ago
All the "we're going to change the world" startups? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/changing-world-silicon-valley-style-reid-hoffman https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/changing-world-silicon-valley... Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn founder): In Silicon Valley few entrepreneurs and technologists dream of changing the zip code, or even the state. Here, the goal is to change the world" http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/change-the-world http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/change-the-worl... The phrase “change the world” is tossed around Silicon Valley conversations and business plans as freely as talk of “early-stage investing” and “beta tests.” ad for the University of San Francisco that I spotted on a public bus shelter south of Market Street: “Become wildly successful without becoming a jerk no one likes. Change the world from here.” https://medium.com/the-mission/silicon-valley-has-a-problem-problem-b34437a57e99#.4q24ad6cu https://medium.com/the-mission/silicon-valley-has-a-problem-... https://books.google.com.uy/books?id=eK52augjU98C&pg=PA97&lpg=PA97&dq=change+the+world+silicon+valley&source=bl&ots=1EFW_pmLB-&sig=16KlLCz2Rytnvaw6BYVRY97nF08&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZ9dOZm6bOAhUK02MKHZbGDz04ChDoAQggMAE#v=onepage&q=change%20the%20world%20silicon%20valley&f=false https://books.google.com.uy/books?id=eK52augjU98C&pg=PA97&lp... ... and many, many more. It paint Silicon Valley as an utopian, idealistic band of technocrats wanting to change the world (which can be interpreted as building a just society, might be a stretch). I'm in Uruguay (South America), and that's very definitely the perception I have (I haven't been to the U.S.)

GFischer 10y ago

All the "we're going to change the world" startups? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/changing-world-silicon-valley-style-reid-hoffman https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/changing-world-silicon-valley... Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn founder): In Silicon Valley few entrepreneurs and technologists dream of changing the zip code, or even the state. Here, the goal is to change the world" http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/change-the-world http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/change-the-worl... The phrase “change the world” is tossed around Silicon Valley conversations and business plans as freely as talk of “early-stage investing” and “beta tests.” ad for the University of San Francisco that I spotted on a public bus shelter south of Market Street: “Become wildly successful without becoming a jerk no one likes. Change the world from here.” https://medium.com/the-mission/silicon-valley-has-a-problem-problem-b34437a57e99#.4q24ad6cu https://medium.com/the-mission/silicon-valley-has-a-problem-... https://books.google.com.uy/books?id=eK52augjU98C&pg=PA97&lpg=PA97&dq=change+the+world+silicon+valley&source=bl&ots=1EFW_pmLB-&sig=16KlLCz2Rytnvaw6BYVRY97nF08&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZ9dOZm6bOAhUK02MKHZbGDz04ChDoAQggMAE#v=onepage&q=change%20the%20world%20silicon%20valley&f=false https://books.google.com.uy/books?id=eK52augjU98C&pg=PA97&lp... ... and many, many more. It paint Silicon Valley as an utopian, idealistic band of technocrats wanting to change the world (which can be interpreted as building a just society, might be a stretch). I'm in Uruguay (South America), and that's very definitely the perception I have (I haven't been to the U.S.)