Zuckerberg's exposure to "social components" was merely an extension of his attending a top [non-tech] school. I still think your argument about being surround

Zuckerberg's exposure to "social components" was merely an extension of his attending a top [non-tech] school. I still think your argument about being surrounded by people somehow making you more suited to building a social app is weak. Like I said, I'll agree that New York has hackers. I'll stand by my assertion, however, that they tend to leave if they're looking to launch a startup. Especially given YC's dominance of the angel game and their requirement that successful applicants move to the valley. You could be right that the founders of the Next Big Thing are currently toiling away in obscurity, but I doubt it. There's a hacker mindset that's relatively adverse to large corporations. Also, while Andreesen may be a legitimate example, the game has changed significantly since the early 90s. There's a huge free-for-all right now in the startup biz, and it's all happening in the valley. Ultimately, however, we aren't talking about right now. We're talking about the future. What does it take to make a community? Talent, and the attraction thereof, sure. But it also takes culture. It takes a certain kind of zeitgeist, one which is friendly to irresponsible nerds who would rather shoot for gold than get a real job. New York simply doesn't have this culture. It's too conservative, too greedy. New York is the Mecca of the Almighty Dollar, and Silicon Valley is the Mecca of the Nerd. Barring some huge cultural shift, I don't see that changing.