While I agree with much of what is expressed in this article, it also seems a bit self aggrandizing in tone. Similar to what I experienced living in SV, frankly. It seems that to be legit, someone else must not be. Everyone needs a villan, and in this case, it's the system.
Apart from that, it's a worthy read to get to the end where the author speaks of many great people, and yes, innovators, in SV. While I don't agree with all points (Amazon is not innovative? Explain that to me), I do recognize that SV was overtaken by greed, and that innovation has suffered in light of this. Perhaps that was inevitable. What made SV great was that everyone with an idea and an ambition wanted to be there (nevermind it was in large part because the funding was there). Community is necessary to spark innovation, and SV is at its best when it is fostering that, as with the examples at the end of the article.
The philosophy of decentralization is much bigger than a blockchain. What it really means is that innovation would no longer be locked away in universities and government research labs and expensive office parks. The truth is, innovation is within you. It is in your community. You do not need to be a CEO or a Venture Capitalist to be innovative. Innovative ideas do not necessarily lead to billion dollar companies. You probably already know somebody who has good ideas, and you probably have some yourself. Why not invest in them? Why not invest in yourself? Investment does not have to be a term sheet with preferred stock and expensive lawyers and complicated taxes. The first person that invested in me gave me $1200. No questions asked. We didn't sign anything. They didn't even understand what I was building. They simply saw I believed in it. I later made that person a lot of money.
While I agree with much of what is expressed in this article, it also seems a bit self aggrandizing in tone. Similar to what I experienced living in SV, frankly. It seems that to be legit, someone else must not be. Everyone needs a villan, and in this case, it's the system.
Apart from that, it's a worthy read to get to the end where the author speaks of many great people, and yes, innovators, in SV. While I don't agree with all points (Amazon is not innovative? Explain that to me), I do recognize that SV was overtaken by greed, and that innovation has suffered in light of this. Perhaps that was inevitable. What made SV great was that everyone with an idea and an ambition wanted to be there (nevermind it was in large part because the funding was there). Community is necessary to spark innovation, and SV is at its best when it is fostering that, as with the examples at the end of the article.