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If I had a dime for every time someone wrote "X is the new Silicon Valley"... Silicon Valley is a place of innovation therefore by saying a place is Silicon Va

If I had a dime for every time someone wrote "X is the new Silicon Valley"... Silicon Valley is a place of innovation therefore by saying a place is Silicon Valley 2 you are automatically aknowledging that the new place is a sequel and not an innovation. Stop trying to copy innovation, to be innovative you have to "Sing your own special song". The team of Skype and Kazaa did incredible work, they did P2P early and still P2P has not really been used widely in mainstream software nowadays. It's likely in 5 years no-one will even remember Klarna, don't compare it to Skype or Spotify. Last weeks Square bought Afterpay. This article is clearly just a marketing stunt to hype Klarna IPO. I despise both Afterpay and Klarna. They allow people to buy things they don't need. This is just US credit card debt in a new package 2.0 Don't waste money on brand expensive clothes especially if you can't pay them all at once. I have been wearing the same model running shoes from Decathlon that cost 20$ for the past 6 years (buying a new one where the previous one tears down).

rjzzleep 5y ago
These words don't really mean anything. Hamburg is the next Silicon Valley, depending on which useless Hamburg startup you ask. Berlin as well. London has the Silicon Roundabout. Louisiana and Texas the Silicon Bayou. Just google "next silicon site:country" and you'll find some hits.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
Chris2048 5y ago
> I have been wearing the same model running shoes from Decathlon that cost 20$ for the past 6 years what? Do you run in them?
- kaesar14 5y ago
  Either this person does not run or they have serious foot issues.
  - Bootvis 5y ago
    I'm reading this as: GP is rebuying the exact same model every so many kilometers and throws the old shoes away.
- giorgioz 5y ago
  I also run in them. As I said already: "buying a new one where the previous one tears down" I do not use the same pair for 6 years, I use the same model of shoes and remove the wasted time of choice and fashion.
moss2 5y ago
You not liking something (Afterpay, Klarna) has no bearing on whether or not it will be remembered in 5 years.
- giorgioz 5y ago
  Absolutely. I also do dislike Klarna and I believe the chances it will not be remembered in 5 years are higher than it will be remembered.
swiley 5y ago
I wonder if I'm the only one that hears "x is the new Silicon valley" and thinks "high housing prices and naive SEs everywhere, so somewhere to avoid."
jollybean 5y ago
"you are automatically aknowledging that the new place is a sequel and not an innovation." Ouf I don't think this is a good statement. We admire Silicon Valley because it produces innovation, not because it, and of itself, is an innovation. Copying it is a good idea where it makes sense. The Western University system was spread throughout the world in the 19th century, and then took off in the 20th century. Those Centers of Excellence (and Innovation) are basically foundational and critical institutions without which countries would not advance. They were 'copied' and modelled after much older institutions. If a country can 'copy' the Silicon Valley in such a manner that it yields benefits, then this is a good thing, not something to be avoided. That said, it's to complex to copy and probably cannot be copied. Anymore than anyone can copy Shenzhen. Some principles can be grafted but need to be done so contextually. Also, Sweden is nothing like the Silicon Valley, rather it's a country that's producing some good startups. Most notably, Sweden doesn't have the underlying tranches of incredible knowledge in actual silicon, hardware, it's not building operating systems, it has good schools but not the best, (The Valley has Berkley and Stanford which are 'pillars' of the critical mass) Sweden not hugely over represented in terms of IP or intellectual contributions. I think the UK / London area contributes a little more heavily in those areas. Sweden is just a well run country that has well educated people, confident, articulate, outward looking, organized, a history of excellence, a strong sense of identity ... and so they've made some good startups. With some ideas about Venture Capital Financing, and grafting some business models that have proven well in the US over to the EU, they've done a good job of it. But I don't actually think it's like the Valley at all.
busterarm 5y ago
> Silicon Valley was a place of innovation ftfy. In general I agree with your sentiment but it's not the "innovation" that people are trying to copy. It's the loose regulatory environment and easy access to willing financiers that allow experimentation. Not many other cities have been able to cultivate an enivronment of billion-dollar bets on things.
- input_sh 5y ago
  I'd also add that you need at least one pretty good technical university nearby to lure talent from. Stockholm does indeed have one (KTH). Other candidates would be Zurich, London, Munich, or somewhere near Delft.
  - busterarm 5y ago
    Copenhagen has DTU and a small number of companies that hire from it. It also feeds some of the hiring in Malmö.
  - ivan_gammel 5y ago
    Not really, as long as you can bring needed talent to your location. I have barely seen graduates of Berlin universities on the job market, but Berlin startups are a thing and we have plenty of big names here. „Weltstadt“ can be attractive itself. On the other side, St.Petersburg does have at least one great technical university (ITMO), but is it more vibrant and innovative?
  - amelius 5y ago
    Is Delft related to ASML?
- giorgioz 5y ago
  Trying to cultivate a "billion-dollar bets" is like trying to cultivate GROWN-UP SEQUOIAS. First of all you have to start with seeds and probably if you are new gardener you should start with something smaller and easier. People want to copy the Silicon Valley of today without the decades of smaller and organic growth. Rome wasn't built in a day. Rome started as a bunch of farmers on a hill next to a river. The Silicon Valley started around a tech university where geeks really wanted to build stuff so much they did in their parents garage. The money is only the petrol added to an existing flame.

rjzzleep 5y ago

These words don't really mean anything. Hamburg is the next Silicon Valley, depending on which useless Hamburg startup you ask. Berlin as well. London has the Silicon Roundabout. Louisiana and Texas the Silicon Bayou. Just google "next silicon site:country" and you'll find some hits.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

Chris2048 5y ago

> I have been wearing the same model running shoes from Decathlon that cost 20$ for the past 6 years what? Do you run in them?

kaesar14 5y ago
Either this person does not run or they have serious foot issues.
- Bootvis 5y ago
  I'm reading this as: GP is rebuying the exact same model every so many kilometers and throws the old shoes away.
giorgioz 5y ago
I also run in them. As I said already: "buying a new one where the previous one tears down" I do not use the same pair for 6 years, I use the same model of shoes and remove the wasted time of choice and fashion.

moss2 5y ago

You not liking something (Afterpay, Klarna) has no bearing on whether or not it will be remembered in 5 years.

giorgioz 5y ago
Absolutely. I also do dislike Klarna and I believe the chances it will not be remembered in 5 years are higher than it will be remembered.

swiley 5y ago

I wonder if I'm the only one that hears "x is the new Silicon valley" and thinks "high housing prices and naive SEs everywhere, so somewhere to avoid."

jollybean 5y ago

"you are automatically aknowledging that the new place is a sequel and not an innovation." Ouf I don't think this is a good statement. We admire Silicon Valley because it produces innovation, not because it, and of itself, is an innovation. Copying it is a good idea where it makes sense. The Western University system was spread throughout the world in the 19th century, and then took off in the 20th century. Those Centers of Excellence (and Innovation) are basically foundational and critical institutions without which countries would not advance. They were 'copied' and modelled after much older institutions. If a country can 'copy' the Silicon Valley in such a manner that it yields benefits, then this is a good thing, not something to be avoided. That said, it's to complex to copy and probably cannot be copied. Anymore than anyone can copy Shenzhen. Some principles can be grafted but need to be done so contextually. Also, Sweden is nothing like the Silicon Valley, rather it's a country that's producing some good startups. Most notably, Sweden doesn't have the underlying tranches of incredible knowledge in actual silicon, hardware, it's not building operating systems, it has good schools but not the best, (The Valley has Berkley and Stanford which are 'pillars' of the critical mass) Sweden not hugely over represented in terms of IP or intellectual contributions. I think the UK / London area contributes a little more heavily in those areas. Sweden is just a well run country that has well educated people, confident, articulate, outward looking, organized, a history of excellence, a strong sense of identity ... and so they've made some good startups. With some ideas about Venture Capital Financing, and grafting some business models that have proven well in the US over to the EU, they've done a good job of it. But I don't actually think it's like the Valley at all.

busterarm 5y ago

> Silicon Valley was a place of innovation ftfy. In general I agree with your sentiment but it's not the "innovation" that people are trying to copy. It's the loose regulatory environment and easy access to willing financiers that allow experimentation. Not many other cities have been able to cultivate an enivronment of billion-dollar bets on things.

input_sh 5y ago
I'd also add that you need at least one pretty good technical university nearby to lure talent from. Stockholm does indeed have one (KTH). Other candidates would be Zurich, London, Munich, or somewhere near Delft.
- busterarm 5y ago
  Copenhagen has DTU and a small number of companies that hire from it. It also feeds some of the hiring in Malmö.
- ivan_gammel 5y ago
  Not really, as long as you can bring needed talent to your location. I have barely seen graduates of Berlin universities on the job market, but Berlin startups are a thing and we have plenty of big names here. „Weltstadt“ can be attractive itself. On the other side, St.Petersburg does have at least one great technical university (ITMO), but is it more vibrant and innovative?
- amelius 5y ago
  Is Delft related to ASML?
giorgioz 5y ago
Trying to cultivate a "billion-dollar bets" is like trying to cultivate GROWN-UP SEQUOIAS. First of all you have to start with seeds and probably if you are new gardener you should start with something smaller and easier. People want to copy the Silicon Valley of today without the decades of smaller and organic growth. Rome wasn't built in a day. Rome started as a bunch of farmers on a hill next to a river. The Silicon Valley started around a tech university where geeks really wanted to build stuff so much they did in their parents garage. The money is only the petrol added to an existing flame.