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You're pointing out the advantages of development as a field and assigning them to Silicon Valley as if the two were identical. Not only that, you're pointing o

You're pointing out the advantages of development as a field and assigning them to Silicon Valley as if the two were identical. Not only that, you're pointing out Detroit et al as though industry were totally location-dependent, without any consideration to one of tech's greatest strengths (for many of us), that you can work in the field from just about anywhere. Accusing Silicon Valley detractors of jealousy and envy contributes absolutely nothing to the discussion, particularly when they are talking about the culture of a place and you are conflating it with an industry.

adventured 13y ago
No, actually what I pointed out is that Silicon Valley has benefited tremendously from riding said field. I did not say Silicon Valley == tech sector; it's the greatest embodiment of it. The only reason Silicon Valley has the culture it does today, is courtesy of the technology sector and the wealth that has come with it. I'm not confusing the concepts, they require each other. The reason FWD.us is able to make waves is because of the wealth and influence the technology sector has made possible. You can attempt to work in a field from just about anywhere, but that's not how most companies are started, that's not how talent pools, that's not how rich geographic ecosystems of labor + capital are formed, and that's not how Big Things happen. You'll also find, education from anywhere is not as beneficial as the total punch of collaboration + social + network value of actually going to MIT or Stanford or Wharton or Harvard et al. There are very good reasons why so many of the great tech companies have come from Silicon Valley. There are very good reasons why - in the age of being able to 'work from anywhere' - Silicon Valley continues to be Silicon Valley. 14 out of the youngest 25 members of the Forbes 400 are products of Silicon Valley.
- nkohari 13y ago
  I launched, ran, and sold a software startup from Akron, OH (an old rubber manufacturing town in the Rust Belt). I'm now the CTO of another startup in Durham, NC (an old tobacco town). Is it easier for a software startup to succeed in Silicon Valley? Probably. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. The most compelling thing about the software industry is that you can start and run a company from literally anywhere in the world. My issue with your mindset is that you're only considering "big" companies. For every Facebook there are hundreds or thousands of startups, many of them profitable or otherwise successful, and many of them not located in Silicon Valley.
  - hpagey 13y ago
    No one hear I think is doubting the fact that companies cannot be built outside silicon valley. They can be and do get built outside SV. But, the point is, large percentage of successful tech companies have originated from silicon valley.
- jbooth 13y ago
  "The only reason Silicon Valley has the culture it does today, is courtesy of the technology sector and the wealth that has come with it." I'd give a fair amount of credit to the universities, the gold rush and the acid craze, too. Tech culture didn't just pop into existence at unixtime 0.
  - theklub 13y ago
    Don't forget, Hewlett Packard - Founded in 1939 in Palo Alto...
  - adventured 13y ago
    I give a big hat tip to universities (as I noted the benefit of going to schools like ... Stanford). Plus, the universities + tech sector have worked extremely well in tandem. They fund each other, one with labor talent, the other with money being donated back.
wslh 13y ago
> ...without any consideration to one of tech's greatest strengths (for many of us), that you can work in the field from just about anywhere. That's not true. You can develop software anywhere but you cannot fully sell, recruit, and support being outside the central economic places. There are exceptions (if buying is just a click without a sales force) but there is a hard limit of scale.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

adventured 13y ago

No, actually what I pointed out is that Silicon Valley has benefited tremendously from riding said field. I did not say Silicon Valley == tech sector; it's the greatest embodiment of it. The only reason Silicon Valley has the culture it does today, is courtesy of the technology sector and the wealth that has come with it. I'm not confusing the concepts, they require each other. The reason FWD.us is able to make waves is because of the wealth and influence the technology sector has made possible. You can attempt to work in a field from just about anywhere, but that's not how most companies are started, that's not how talent pools, that's not how rich geographic ecosystems of labor + capital are formed, and that's not how Big Things happen. You'll also find, education from anywhere is not as beneficial as the total punch of collaboration + social + network value of actually going to MIT or Stanford or Wharton or Harvard et al. There are very good reasons why so many of the great tech companies have come from Silicon Valley. There are very good reasons why - in the age of being able to 'work from anywhere' - Silicon Valley continues to be Silicon Valley. 14 out of the youngest 25 members of the Forbes 400 are products of Silicon Valley.

nkohari 13y ago
I launched, ran, and sold a software startup from Akron, OH (an old rubber manufacturing town in the Rust Belt). I'm now the CTO of another startup in Durham, NC (an old tobacco town). Is it easier for a software startup to succeed in Silicon Valley? Probably. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. The most compelling thing about the software industry is that you can start and run a company from literally anywhere in the world. My issue with your mindset is that you're only considering "big" companies. For every Facebook there are hundreds or thousands of startups, many of them profitable or otherwise successful, and many of them not located in Silicon Valley.
- hpagey 13y ago
  No one hear I think is doubting the fact that companies cannot be built outside silicon valley. They can be and do get built outside SV. But, the point is, large percentage of successful tech companies have originated from silicon valley.
jbooth 13y ago
"The only reason Silicon Valley has the culture it does today, is courtesy of the technology sector and the wealth that has come with it." I'd give a fair amount of credit to the universities, the gold rush and the acid craze, too. Tech culture didn't just pop into existence at unixtime 0.
- theklub 13y ago
  Don't forget, Hewlett Packard - Founded in 1939 in Palo Alto...
- adventured 13y ago
  I give a big hat tip to universities (as I noted the benefit of going to schools like ... Stanford). Plus, the universities + tech sector have worked extremely well in tandem. They fund each other, one with labor talent, the other with money being donated back.

wslh 13y ago

> ...without any consideration to one of tech's greatest strengths (for many of us), that you can work in the field from just about anywhere. That's not true. You can develop software anywhere but you cannot fully sell, recruit, and support being outside the central economic places. There are exceptions (if buying is just a click without a sales force) but there is a hard limit of scale.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]