Concerning the manager<-->employee relationship, the author may be right. I've loathed some people I met. It's often because they're young and insecure after su

Concerning the manager<-->employee relationship, the author may be right. I've loathed some people I met. It's often because they're young and insecure after suddenly being thrown in a position of power. Inexperienced people then often feel the need to assert dominance and that's sometimes not pretty to watch. But the author is wrong concerning the cultural aspects, like "Club Mate" and art exhibitions and friday drinks. That stuff is critically important because it fosters communication across companies. With so many ideas being rapidly tested, some failing, some changing completely – and with mostly young people also changing, it facilitates the "optimal allocation of resources". People meet at parties, get talking and often start a project together, with many being involved in several projects at the same time. They can easily shift time to where it's most productive and the cost of trying something is kept low. It's also a lot more fun than a cubicle at a bank. What may be missing is (a) raw engineering talent in the way Stanford or (previously) Bell Labs produce it. You need a few people who are above and beyond everyone to start the really exciting stuff. And (b) possibly the funding infrastructure.