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I am beyond jealous. That instructor list is unreal. Students at Stanford get another peg up on the starting ladder... (Also there is only 90 universities sign

I am beyond jealous. That instructor list is unreal. Students at Stanford get another peg up on the starting ladder... (Also there is only 90 universities signed up for watch parties, yet copy lists "hundreds")

sama 12y ago
it's online! don't be jealous; watch the talks.
- guybrushT 12y ago
  And just because of that (i.e. making it available online) I cannot even begin to describe just how much good this might do in the world. I could expand this sentiment to every teacher or lecturer who has chosen to put their video online, especially the great ones. They have done a great service to the world (probably beyond what they may themselves realize). I recently met an undergrad student in India who considered Steve Huffman to be his guru (he was a fan of his Udacity course, and so am I, btw) and swears by everything Steve taught him. And, Steve probably does not even know that he has a fan following in a small town in India :)
- crazypyro 12y ago
  Oh I definitely will! Its hard to argue that its a true substitute for face-to-face encounters, especially with some of the guest instructors. I don't mean to diminish the value of the online class at all.
- samstave 12y ago
  When do we hear if our application to attend Startup School coming up is accepted/rejected?
  - katm 12y ago
    You'll hear by Friday night.
- reduce 12y ago
  Unfortunately, there's a huge difference in the psychological impact of seeing role models in-person, versus only on a screen. I've experienced this many times while living outside of the US, in recent years. All of the people you'll read about in blogs, or see in videos -- they're perceived like movie stars or legends that must have been greatly distorted on their journey to the opposite end of the world. Keep in mind that many small countries have never seen a single big tech-startup success happen within their borders. Even suggesting a remote possibility of successes, will be met with the argument that every successful person they've ever known hasn't followed what they call the "American" startup way. In-person role models -- can't underestimate the psychological impact.
  - kijin 12y ago
    > many small countries have never seen a single big tech-startup success happen within their borders That sounds more like a difference caused by economic and cultural circumstances than whether you've met a rockstar in person. If Country X is unable to produce viable startups, it's probably because it doesn't have the economic and cultural infrastructure to support startups yet, not because Peter Thiel has never graced that country with a royal visit. > every successful person they've ever known hasn't followed what they call the "American" startup way. Of course they haven't. The "American startup way" is optimized for the specific economic and cultural circumstances that are only found in certain parts of the United States. Some aspects of it may be generalizable, but most of it isn't. Following it to the letter in any other country will probably earn you nothing but ridicule and bankruptcy.
    - reduce 12y ago
      The countries I'm talking about have produced many startup founders. They move to the US and never move back. The successful role models don't exist in that country, because as soon as people start becoming successful they move out and never return.
  - yen223 12y ago
    There's a quote from Lost which seems apropos - "It's one thing to believe it, it's another to see it". That's the effect I get from reading about all these stuff online.
angersock 12y ago
Eh, these folks use the same programs we do, the same hardware we do, and compete in the same markets we do. There's no reason to be jealous...if you spend your time doing actual business while they're taking classes, you'll win.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- Nicholas_C 12y ago
  You're forgetting the absolutely incredible intangible value and legitimacy of having Stanford on your resume.
  - jacquesm 12y ago
    Your customers have absolutely no idea of what is on your resume.
    - quaunaut 12y ago
      This is a hell of a quote.
    - Nicholas_C 12y ago
      If you're selling anything to a business and they've done any kind of research on you they will. And VCs definitely know. Sharing the same alma mater with a VC could make all the difference in funding.
      - sillysaurus3 12y ago
        Being able to raise funding is nice, but I could do that too, and I didn't attend Stanford. The only question that matters to investors is, "Will the next Google or Facebook come out of Stanford?" If the answer is "No," then everyone investing in Stanford-related startups will lose. There's a higher chance that the right talent, idea, and motivation might come together at Stanford, but it's far from likely. I don't know too much about elite universities, but the fact that Facebook originated from someone attending Harvard and Airbnb originated from an RISD alum is evidence that any university has a fair chance of starting the next hot company. Maybe even someone who hasn't attended university at all might start it. Imagine if Google wasn't able to raise funding because someone was prejudiced against where the founders went to university, or whether they attended university. How different would the world be? That's why it's mistaken to place so much emphasis on Stanford. It shouldn't matter, except insofar as there's a lot of talent there.

sama 12y ago

it's online! don't be jealous; watch the talks.

guybrushT 12y ago
And just because of that (i.e. making it available online) I cannot even begin to describe just how much good this might do in the world. I could expand this sentiment to every teacher or lecturer who has chosen to put their video online, especially the great ones. They have done a great service to the world (probably beyond what they may themselves realize). I recently met an undergrad student in India who considered Steve Huffman to be his guru (he was a fan of his Udacity course, and so am I, btw) and swears by everything Steve taught him. And, Steve probably does not even know that he has a fan following in a small town in India :)
crazypyro 12y ago
Oh I definitely will! Its hard to argue that its a true substitute for face-to-face encounters, especially with some of the guest instructors. I don't mean to diminish the value of the online class at all.
samstave 12y ago
When do we hear if our application to attend Startup School coming up is accepted/rejected?
- katm 12y ago
  You'll hear by Friday night.
reduce 12y ago
Unfortunately, there's a huge difference in the psychological impact of seeing role models in-person, versus only on a screen. I've experienced this many times while living outside of the US, in recent years. All of the people you'll read about in blogs, or see in videos -- they're perceived like movie stars or legends that must have been greatly distorted on their journey to the opposite end of the world. Keep in mind that many small countries have never seen a single big tech-startup success happen within their borders. Even suggesting a remote possibility of successes, will be met with the argument that every successful person they've ever known hasn't followed what they call the "American" startup way. In-person role models -- can't underestimate the psychological impact.
- kijin 12y ago
  > many small countries have never seen a single big tech-startup success happen within their borders That sounds more like a difference caused by economic and cultural circumstances than whether you've met a rockstar in person. If Country X is unable to produce viable startups, it's probably because it doesn't have the economic and cultural infrastructure to support startups yet, not because Peter Thiel has never graced that country with a royal visit. > every successful person they've ever known hasn't followed what they call the "American" startup way. Of course they haven't. The "American startup way" is optimized for the specific economic and cultural circumstances that are only found in certain parts of the United States. Some aspects of it may be generalizable, but most of it isn't. Following it to the letter in any other country will probably earn you nothing but ridicule and bankruptcy.
  - reduce 12y ago
    The countries I'm talking about have produced many startup founders. They move to the US and never move back. The successful role models don't exist in that country, because as soon as people start becoming successful they move out and never return.
- yen223 12y ago
  There's a quote from Lost which seems apropos - "It's one thing to believe it, it's another to see it". That's the effect I get from reading about all these stuff online.

angersock 12y ago

Eh, these folks use the same programs we do, the same hardware we do, and compete in the same markets we do. There's no reason to be jealous...if you spend your time doing actual business while they're taking classes, you'll win.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
Nicholas_C 12y ago
You're forgetting the absolutely incredible intangible value and legitimacy of having Stanford on your resume.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  Your customers have absolutely no idea of what is on your resume.
  - quaunaut 12y ago
    This is a hell of a quote.
  - Nicholas_C 12y ago
    If you're selling anything to a business and they've done any kind of research on you they will. And VCs definitely know. Sharing the same alma mater with a VC could make all the difference in funding.
    - sillysaurus3 12y ago
      Being able to raise funding is nice, but I could do that too, and I didn't attend Stanford. The only question that matters to investors is, "Will the next Google or Facebook come out of Stanford?" If the answer is "No," then everyone investing in Stanford-related startups will lose. There's a higher chance that the right talent, idea, and motivation might come together at Stanford, but it's far from likely. I don't know too much about elite universities, but the fact that Facebook originated from someone attending Harvard and Airbnb originated from an RISD alum is evidence that any university has a fair chance of starting the next hot company. Maybe even someone who hasn't attended university at all might start it. Imagine if Google wasn't able to raise funding because someone was prejudiced against where the founders went to university, or whether they attended university. How different would the world be? That's why it's mistaken to place so much emphasis on Stanford. It shouldn't matter, except insofar as there's a lot of talent there.