4 ms·
One of the attributes of The Valley that are not easily reproduced is the forced cross pollination of knowledge and experience among the tech work force. This i
by 11thEarlOfMar 9y ago
One of the attributes of The Valley that are not easily reproduced is the forced cross pollination of knowledge and experience among the tech work force. This is forced through layoffs as companies, industries and the economy run through their cycles. This cross pollination leads to several outcomes: 1. the workforce is diverse in experience; 2. employees tend to work harder and longer hours in order to keep their job; 3. employees that are released from projects that they still believed in are more likely to take that project elsewhere, or, seek funding themselves.
These cycles work like a bellows, re-shuffling engineering teams en masse and thereby fueling innovation. It's actually pretty painful, but is an important factor and remains unique not in the fact that it happens, but in the scale that it happens in The Valley.
- vikiomega9 9y agoIs there a model for this? I'm asking because cross pollination can happen through other means. High density of conferences, strength of networks among other means. This argument is reminiscent of reformations and the political landscape of Europe way back when.
- stcredzero 9y agoThis argument is reminiscent of reformations and the political landscape of Europe way back when. Frank Herbert, the author of the Original Dune books, once made the observation that corporate hierarchies are very much like feudal hierarchies.
- kevan 9y agoWhy do you think this is unique to the valley? At a first glance every major metro area has this, what's so different?
- whipoodle 9y agoGP said it is not easily reproduced, that’s different from unique
- bllguo 9y ago> [It] remains unique not in the fact that it happens, but in the scale that it happens There are probably more tech workers in SV than any other major metro area
- esteban85 9y agoI believe whats special in the Valley that I have not seen anywhere is the sheer concentration of startups, investors and qualified people and the willingness for them to share. Sharing comes in many formats in the valley of knowledge, their own startup, contacts and advise. The last two are the hardest to find elsewhere at the scale that you see in SV, I havent found it in Asia I havent found it in Europe... this for me is the competitive advantage of being in the Valley
- untog 9y agoI'm not convinced that is unique to the Valley. In fact, I think the Valley is significantly worse than many other places for cross-industry "pollination". Take New York - the tech industry stands alongside media, fashion, finance, intermingling with them all. By comparison the Valley is "pure tech", and that bubble sometimes shows.