3 ms·

The Bay Area has lost its' soul. I moved here to meet creative people tackling big problems and I've found it's no longer about innovation and risk. Just a big

by nbardy 6y ago

The Bay Area has lost its' soul. I moved here to meet creative people tackling big problems and I've found it's no longer about innovation and risk. Just a big pile of uninspired B2B SaaS companies. SV has become a well oiled money making machine for these kind of companies. If you want to work hard and get rich you come here and follow the grind to get your checks, status, clout, etc... I've found some creative people tackling big ideas, but they are exceedingly rare and largely unsupported by the community. I've met a lot more people who moved out here with big ambitions and have been railroaded down the route of conformity, which makes the most money for VC's. It leaves them without fulfillment or purpose as they grind on products they care little about. SV will continue to produce billion dollar software companies, but I doubt they will produce real innovation over the next few decades. The bay area has conspired to railroad its' potential for greatness towards profitable mediocracy.

fredsters_s 6y ago
I don't disagree, but not sure how you can make that claim given that you didn't ever experience your idealized version (which never existed after the 70s)
thephyber 6y ago
"We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters." ― Peter Thiel I think people love to use "The Bay Area" and "Silicon Valley" and conflate that with "software startups that raise VC funding". Silicon Valley still produced most of the internet (for better or worse) and the only new American mass production car company in my lifetime. Let's not overlook the successes while we are busy complaining about the average (especially because the VC model assumes 900+ failures for every 1-3 unicorn IPOs). Not sure what the next few decades will bring (I'd be pleasantly surprised if the USA doesn't go through an actual revolution), but I'd wager that "real innovation" is still more likely to happen in Northern California than almost anywhere else in this country, even if the establishment VC club doesn't get disrupted.

by nbardy 6y ago

fredsters_s 6y ago

I don't disagree, but not sure how you can make that claim given that you didn't ever experience your idealized version (which never existed after the 70s)

thephyber 6y ago

"We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters." ― Peter Thiel I think people love to use "The Bay Area" and "Silicon Valley" and conflate that with "software startups that raise VC funding". Silicon Valley still produced most of the internet (for better or worse) and the only new American mass production car company in my lifetime. Let's not overlook the successes while we are busy complaining about the average (especially because the VC model assumes 900+ failures for every 1-3 unicorn IPOs). Not sure what the next few decades will bring (I'd be pleasantly surprised if the USA doesn't go through an actual revolution), but I'd wager that "real innovation" is still more likely to happen in Northern California than almost anywhere else in this country, even if the establishment VC club doesn't get disrupted.