5 ms·

PG lives in a different world. Considr Austin TX, the 3rd largest computer tech startup hub in US (read: the world). Programmers are NOBODY here, they're dispo

by tx 19y ago

PG lives in a different world. Considr Austin TX, the 3rd largest computer tech startup hub in US (read: the world). Programmers are NOBODY here, they're disposable code monkeys, and literally all startups I personally was involved in were started by polished and sleasy "MBA types" who regularly push engineers aside and have pictures of M3s and Porsches on their personal blogs. Needless to say, all local startups are a joke, (I won't point fingers). Local investors are (for real) interested in seeing your 10-year financial projections, P&L and all that other useless crap. When I told that to my SV-based mentor he laughed his pants off. If Austin is like that, I can only imagine how pathetic the rest of the world is, and how hard it is for them to get Paul's points. If Paul is not exaggerating, SV is truly unique and everybody with a CS degree should be moving down there. And working for Yahoo/Google/Facebook in SV is truly a huge waste of your life.

ardit33 19y ago
True, but I warn you, there are no girls here. Seriously, Sillicon Valley is a big sausage fest.
- deleted 19y ago
  [deleted]
- jimbokun 19y ago
  This is hands down the best rebuttal to pg's arguments for young men to start a SV startup that I've read. (Actually, for young women, too, but for the opposite reason.)
neilk 19y ago
And working for Yahoo/Google/Facebook in SV is truly a huge waste of your life. Oh, come on. Wasting your life == working as a Blockbuster video clerk, assuming that you don't have an art career or something else on the side. Also, I take it you don't live in SV? 99% of the startup activity around here is downright moronic. Stupid money chasing stupid ideas. Yes, you might walk with that startup swagger. I happened to be in South Park on Friday around lunchtime, and watched all the cool kids strutting in the sunny afternoon. I work for a megacorp, and it's hard not to envy them. I'm not arguing that megacorps are better for everyone, but it's nowhere near a waste of your life. They operate on a scale that most startups can barely comprehend. The stuff you can learn and do there is serious business.
- tx 19y ago
  I agree, and I think I was unnecessary harsh on "wasting your life". I guess I was just trying to say that in SV most success stories were driven by engineers: google, yahoo, facebook the list is long. Moreover, there is a history of it, look at Apple or even HP. With that you get a very different corporate culture and overall "climate" if you will. This makes it a lot easier for an engineer to start a company and not being pushed to the background 1 year later by his investor's buddies. And living there, I suspect, makes it easier to understand and appreciate PG's views.
  - electric 19y ago
    "With that you get a very different corporate culture and overall "climate" if you will. This makes it a lot easier for an engineer to start a company and not being pushed to the background 1 year later by his investor's buddies." Hmm.... have you read ojbyrne's post: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143269 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143269 ?

by tx 19y ago

ardit33 19y ago

True, but I warn you, there are no girls here. Seriously, Sillicon Valley is a big sausage fest.

deleted 19y ago
[deleted]
jimbokun 19y ago
This is hands down the best rebuttal to pg's arguments for young men to start a SV startup that I've read. (Actually, for young women, too, but for the opposite reason.)

neilk 19y ago

And working for Yahoo/Google/Facebook in SV is truly a huge waste of your life. Oh, come on. Wasting your life == working as a Blockbuster video clerk, assuming that you don't have an art career or something else on the side. Also, I take it you don't live in SV? 99% of the startup activity around here is downright moronic. Stupid money chasing stupid ideas. Yes, you might walk with that startup swagger. I happened to be in South Park on Friday around lunchtime, and watched all the cool kids strutting in the sunny afternoon. I work for a megacorp, and it's hard not to envy them. I'm not arguing that megacorps are better for everyone, but it's nowhere near a waste of your life. They operate on a scale that most startups can barely comprehend. The stuff you can learn and do there is serious business.

tx 19y ago
I agree, and I think I was unnecessary harsh on "wasting your life". I guess I was just trying to say that in SV most success stories were driven by engineers: google, yahoo, facebook the list is long. Moreover, there is a history of it, look at Apple or even HP. With that you get a very different corporate culture and overall "climate" if you will. This makes it a lot easier for an engineer to start a company and not being pushed to the background 1 year later by his investor's buddies. And living there, I suspect, makes it easier to understand and appreciate PG's views.
- electric 19y ago
  "With that you get a very different corporate culture and overall "climate" if you will. This makes it a lot easier for an engineer to start a company and not being pushed to the background 1 year later by his investor's buddies." Hmm.... have you read ojbyrne's post: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143269 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143269 ?