7 ms·

Wow, this is a really, really powerful piece. I love his analogy to people in Finance - how they are unabashedly "about that life" - and they're upfront about

Wow, this is a really, really powerful piece. I love his analogy to people in Finance - how they are unabashedly "about that life" - and they're upfront about it. After traveling across the US, I realized I prefer my wealth and power desires out in the open. Inordinate wealth is hidden so insidiously in the valley. We don't really dress in wealth signals, or even drive in wealth signals (as opposed to NYC or Miami.) - the subtler cues to social status are things like an Au Pair or private yoga lessons or an address in Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside or Palo Alto. But they dress like us, and they drive in the same luxury cars we do. And yet, they are so, so far above us.

badfrog 8y ago
> drive in wealth signals (as opposed to NYC or Miami.) People in NYC use cars to show off?
- pavlov 8y ago
  Maybe there’s a secret Uber tier for centimillionaires?
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
khazhou 8y ago
I drove alongside Larry Page on 101. He was in a Nissan sedan, maybe $30K. This was two years after IPO.
- numair 8y ago
  Maybe he was on his way to the airport. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/07/google_bed_plane/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/07/google_bed_plane/
  - dilyevsky 8y ago
    Googles corp jet flies out of moffet.
scarejunba 8y ago
In The Big Short you read about how the guy in the baseball cap and jeans is probably a fund manager doing really well. The guy in the suit is about to go ask for more money because he's not doing so hot. It's the same principle in Silicon Valley. The status symbol is being enough of a hot shot to not have to play by the rules of status.
- jacobsimon 8y ago
  Relevant: https://qz.com/369338/this-is-what-makes-dressing-down-a-status-symbol/ https://qz.com/369338/this-is-what-makes-dressing-down-a-sta...
  - badfrog 8y ago
    > Observers must believe the nonconforming individual is both aware of the norm and able to conform to it, but deliberately decides not to. A nonconforming behavior that seems unintentional or dictated by lack of a better alternative—such as ragged clothes on a homeless person—will not lead to a positive impression. This part is super interesting. You need to be able to wear the baseball cap and jeans while letting people know that you _could_ be wearing a fancy suit if you cared about their norms.
    - golergka 8y ago
      It's not about the absence of taste, it's about the opposite of taste – is much more pronounced and intentional Also, this send to be a great quote: https://youtu.be/FlzZhGr8G9w https://youtu.be/FlzZhGr8G9w
- badfrog 8y ago
  > The status symbol is being enough of a hot shot to not have to play by the rules of status. I definitely feel bad when I hear stories about black and hispanic men having to dress up at work because people feel scared of them when they wear hoodies and torn shorts like I do.
- refurb 8y ago
Apocryphon 8y ago
Steve Jobs had his famous license plate-less Mercedes. While that man is praised for too many things, perhaps he deserves credit for not pretending to not presume himself to be above you or me, unlike so many of his successors today. An honest sort of arrogance.
- skybrian 8y ago
  Why would you give credit for that? It's not something to be emulated.
  - badfrog 8y ago
    > It's not something to be emulated. Which part? Driving a Mercedes (probably $50-100k) seems much better than driving some exotic million dollar car.
    - derf_ 8y ago
      The part where he drove it for the maximum legal time he was not required to affix his license plates to the car (six months), and then leased a new one [1]. [1] https://www.itwire.com/it-people-news/enterprise/50649-the-truth-about-steve-jobs-number-plate https://www.itwire.com/it-people-news/enterprise/50649-the-t...
      - pmoriarty 8y ago
        Why are people allowed to drive without a license plate at all?
        badfrog 8y ago
        You need to be able to drive before your plates are mailed to you (or you pick them up at the DMV). Usually you're required to use a temporary paper license plate... maybe California is different on that? And 6 months is a really long time, something like 14 days should be plenty of time.
yourbandsucks 8y ago
Even the rank and file are completely self-deceiving by repeating all the bullshit in between cashing their checks. Choose one: 1. Own it (finance) 2. Change it (go into teaching or something) 3. Lie about it (tech)
randomacct3847 8y ago
I feel like it’s just more of a personality thing than anything else...people who are attracted to high finance are attracted in part by the perceived lifestyle, and there’s peer pressure to live up to it. People who grew up as nerds and work in software probably never grew up obsessing over being rich enough to afford a Lambo or designer clothes, but if they did get rich they probably have a nice home and a Tesla or BMW.

badfrog 8y ago

> drive in wealth signals (as opposed to NYC or Miami.) People in NYC use cars to show off?

pavlov 8y ago
Maybe there’s a secret Uber tier for centimillionaires?
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

khazhou 8y ago

I drove alongside Larry Page on 101. He was in a Nissan sedan, maybe $30K. This was two years after IPO.

numair 8y ago
Maybe he was on his way to the airport. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/07/google_bed_plane/ https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/07/07/google_bed_plane/
- dilyevsky 8y ago
  Googles corp jet flies out of moffet.

scarejunba 8y ago

In The Big Short you read about how the guy in the baseball cap and jeans is probably a fund manager doing really well. The guy in the suit is about to go ask for more money because he's not doing so hot. It's the same principle in Silicon Valley. The status symbol is being enough of a hot shot to not have to play by the rules of status.

jacobsimon 8y ago
Relevant: https://qz.com/369338/this-is-what-makes-dressing-down-a-status-symbol/ https://qz.com/369338/this-is-what-makes-dressing-down-a-sta...
- badfrog 8y ago
  > Observers must believe the nonconforming individual is both aware of the norm and able to conform to it, but deliberately decides not to. A nonconforming behavior that seems unintentional or dictated by lack of a better alternative—such as ragged clothes on a homeless person—will not lead to a positive impression. This part is super interesting. You need to be able to wear the baseball cap and jeans while letting people know that you _could_ be wearing a fancy suit if you cared about their norms.
  - golergka 8y ago
    It's not about the absence of taste, it's about the opposite of taste – is much more pronounced and intentional Also, this send to be a great quote: https://youtu.be/FlzZhGr8G9w https://youtu.be/FlzZhGr8G9w
badfrog 8y ago
> The status symbol is being enough of a hot shot to not have to play by the rules of status. I definitely feel bad when I hear stories about black and hispanic men having to dress up at work because people feel scared of them when they wear hoodies and torn shorts like I do.
refurb 8y ago

Apocryphon 8y ago

Steve Jobs had his famous license plate-less Mercedes. While that man is praised for too many things, perhaps he deserves credit for not pretending to not presume himself to be above you or me, unlike so many of his successors today. An honest sort of arrogance.

skybrian 8y ago
Why would you give credit for that? It's not something to be emulated.
- badfrog 8y ago
  > It's not something to be emulated. Which part? Driving a Mercedes (probably $50-100k) seems much better than driving some exotic million dollar car.
  - derf_ 8y ago
    The part where he drove it for the maximum legal time he was not required to affix his license plates to the car (six months), and then leased a new one [1]. [1] https://www.itwire.com/it-people-news/enterprise/50649-the-truth-about-steve-jobs-number-plate https://www.itwire.com/it-people-news/enterprise/50649-the-t...
    - pmoriarty 8y ago
      Why are people allowed to drive without a license plate at all?
      - badfrog 8y ago
        You need to be able to drive before your plates are mailed to you (or you pick them up at the DMV). Usually you're required to use a temporary paper license plate... maybe California is different on that? And 6 months is a really long time, something like 14 days should be plenty of time.

yourbandsucks 8y ago

Even the rank and file are completely self-deceiving by repeating all the bullshit in between cashing their checks. Choose one: 1. Own it (finance) 2. Change it (go into teaching or something) 3. Lie about it (tech)

randomacct3847 8y ago

I feel like it’s just more of a personality thing than anything else...people who are attracted to high finance are attracted in part by the perceived lifestyle, and there’s peer pressure to live up to it. People who grew up as nerds and work in software probably never grew up obsessing over being rich enough to afford a Lambo or designer clothes, but if they did get rich they probably have a nice home and a Tesla or BMW.