Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation • Hacker News Board

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#61

Post by iamleppert » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 3:07 PM UTC

I don't know what's more sad, the fact that NJ killed its own tech scene or that the revival efforts shining example focus on a "company that helps people make money on videos they post on social media".

That's certainly a far cry from inventing the transistor and pioneering radio. Yep, NJ is still (for now) dead to tech.

It reminds me of Columbus, Ohio, which used to be a big Internet and tech hub. Now, only burnt embers and dilapidated warehouses of prior successes remain. The only tech jobs are the fading and hold-over "IT Administrators" at lackluster companies like Nationwide and random health companies.

There have been a few scattershot efforts, very familiar to what is happening in NJ to try and get entrepreneurs to "startup" but it's not about the tech anymore. The real creative soul, and passion, love of science and wonderment of the natural world, which is really what fuels tech, is long gone. I'm sorry but social media marketing is a business, not real innovative technology.

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#62

Post by Dowwie » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 3:27 PM UTC

It's worth noting that today New Jersey votes for its next governor (primary). Phil Murphy took the time during his campaign to acknowledge the NJ Tech Meetup community (at Stevens Inst. in Hoboken) and has expressed an interest in supporting entrepreneurs. We'll see how the elections go this year and what the next administration does.

I'm a NJ native (NYC metro area), active contributor to open source tech communities, and tech-preneur.

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#63

Post by losteverything » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 3:29 PM UTC

How come nobody's mentioned pharma in Jersey's tech history?

I can't help but think like Yogi Berra when I look at my own trajectory. Tech overpaid me and tech displaced me. The winds blew west? Will they blow west again for the west coast departure and leave the USA entirely?

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#64

Post by losteverything » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 3:34 PM UTC

Dowwie wrote: post #62

It's worth noting that today New Jersey votes for its next governor (primary). Phil Murphy took the time during his campaign to acknowledge the NJ Tech Meetup community (at Stevens Inst. in Hoboken) and has expressed an interest in supporting entrepreneurs. We'll see how the elections go this year and what the next administration does. I'm a NJ native (NYC metro area), active contributor to open source tech communiti…

Primary, not general

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#65

Post by Dowwie » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 3:37 PM UTC

losteverything wrote: post #64

Dowwie wrote: post #62

It's worth noting that today New Jersey votes for its next governor (primary). Phil Murphy took the time during his campaign to acknowledge the NJ Tech Meetup community (at Stevens Inst. in Hoboken) and has expressed an interest in supporting entrepreneurs. We'll see how the elections go this year and what the next administration does. I'm a NJ native (NYC metro area), active contributor to open source tech communiti…

Primary, not general

updated

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#66

Post by dmix » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 3:39 PM UTC

iamleppert wrote: post #61

I don't know what's more sad, the fact that NJ killed its own tech scene or that the revival efforts shining example focus on a "company that helps people make money on videos they post on social media". That's certainly a far cry from inventing the transistor and pioneering radio. Yep, NJ is still (for now) dead to tech. It reminds me of Columbus, Ohio, which used to be a big Internet and tech hub. Now, only burnt e…

> Some cultural differences were also shaped by the law. New Jersey has strict anti-competitive laws that make it hard to take what you learn at your job and create a new company.

This is probably the biggest influence. SV is built on people who starte working at HP, Microsoft, or Google, then left to found their own company - or straight out of college for the lucky/rich kids like Zuckerberg and Gates. Then there is the wealthy ones who 'made it' sticking around and financing the next generation.

This is very likely the entrepreneurial, internally competitive, and experimentally financed system that was never properly established in NJ. New Jersey had their successful golden era, then instead of fostering the next one they focused only on the big companies, acted protective/insular as big companies do, and got government policy to protect their interests from the young upstarts - instead of fostering them.

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#67

Post by mdellavo » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 3:41 PM UTC

meggar wrote: post #4

So there's silicon alley in NY, silicon prairie in the midwest, silicon forest in portland, what do we call Jersey?

The area carved out by Routes 78, 24 and 287 was once called the research triangle of NJ

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#68

Post by cylinder » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 3:53 PM UTC

briandear wrote: post #60

throwawaymanbot wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps, But, I'm wagering that with NYC pricing out anyone but wall st banks, the pressure will build and it will change out of necessity. NJ shall be remade and reborn!

Not with the insane property taxes and other regulatory friction. Highest property taxes in the country. It also has some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country as well. Health insurance is also higher than in neighboring NYC (at least the last time I checked a few years ago.) All of the Democrat candidates for NJ governor want to raise taxes even more. NJ also has the most underfunded public pension syst…

Yeah, any engineer would look at the government situation closely. No thank you to NJ. I'm not going to voluntarily take on that ridiculous pension burden.

Houston is a quiet tech hub, it's completely overlooked. But if you're building robots wouldn't you want to sell to the industry that actually uses them and has lots of money to spend? However, Houston has livability issues, and the nice places to live aren't that cheap especially when you factor in property taxes. Still better than NJ.

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#69

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 3:58 PM UTC

bogomipz wrote: post #10

Also central to New Jersey's weight as an innovation hub was Princeton University - where Alan Turning met and studied under Alonzo Church.[1]. Also worth mentioning is the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, N.J where Kurt Gödel remained a faculty member until his death in 1978.[2] Alfred Einstein also spent the last two years of his life working at the Institute. Imagine the conversations Einstein and Gode…

[deleted]

Re: Before Silicon Valley, New Jersey Reigned As Nation's Center Of Innovation

#70

Post by mathattack » Tue, Jun 06, 2017, 4:04 PM UTC

The magic of silicon valley is an ecosystem where both people and money flock to the hottest ideas. Big companies like AT&T and GM are the antithesis to this.