I think what Mike is lamenting is that London isn't succeeding in mimicking the West Coast US (or indeed anywhere US) startup scene which I think is a very vali

I think what Mike is lamenting is that London isn't succeeding in mimicking the West Coast US (or indeed anywhere US) startup scene which I think is a very valid observation. I think the UK has to learn to create an entrepreneurial style of our own and not attempt to transplant something from another culture - two countries separated by a common language etc. There was a post recently on how codified the startup process appears to be getting (sorry couldn't find it) which I think also hints at the problem. Whilst the UK has had it's moments - remember when Acorn and Sinclair ruled the bedroom? - we often revert to the enthusiastic amateur, responsible for the breakthrough but never quite capitalising on it. Indeed Mike uses the word amateurish in describing the scene himself. Also I get the impression that both for cultural and legal reasons the hire-and-fire approach to staffing doesn't happen in the UK which might be a necessary component in establishing an available pool of talent with the right risk mindset. We are also a terribly cynical bunch here in the UK which isn't the ideal frame of mind. For the record, I'm a UK developer working for tech startups in Manchester which is 200 miles north of London (that's regarded as a long way in England) and all of the above is personal conjecture based on 45 years of being a cynical, amateur Londoner who got lost in The North and never went home.