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I wonder if it's a similar problem that is seen in Australia. Plenty of talented folks, but a real lack of innovation/big thinking. There are two main problem
by timcederman 16y ago
I wonder if it's a similar problem that is seen in Australia. Plenty of talented folks, but a real lack of innovation/big thinking. There are two main problems in Australia.
1. Lack of capital. Larger Australian companies and investors don't "get" the value and potential of startups, and there isn't a strong network of angels. I'm also shocked at some of the valuations I've seen in Australia for companies that end of raising a lot more overseas. A company that may be valued at 100k in Australia would be valued at 3 million in Silicon Valley.
2. Lack of gumption. There is this very odd cultural thing called "Tall Poppy Syndrome" in Australia, which is essentially that everyone should know there place - if you rise too high you'll get cut down. People aren't encouraged to think big.
- starkfist 16y agoTall Poppy Syndrome is not a cultural oddity. It's prevalent (but named differently) in Japan, Scandinavian countries, UK, Ireland, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, economically depressed areas of the USA, most of the Midwest, and so on and so forth. I would wager that at least half of the world's cultures have the tendency to try to cut down the tall poppies...
- gordonguthrie 16y agoIts a line from Livy's history of Rome. http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?recid=24381 http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?recid=24381 An early King of Rome sent his son out as a spy pretending to have run away from the tyranny of his father. Rome's enemies promoted him to a senior position. When their spys told him that his father was cutting down the tall poppies, this was the signal that he should mount a coup against the leadership of the enemy towns - which he did and they all fell under Rome's control.
- timcederman 16y agoI wasn't saying that it was "odd" as in unique.