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Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

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Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#51
post #45

I think it’s important for anyone getting to this page to read his whole thread, which is more nuanced than suggested by the sensational title. The point he seems to be making is that it’s better for startups that aren’t looking at being unicorns to look at other locations where they might have a better chance of success.

What's the point of being a startup not looking at being a unicorn? I genuinely do not understand how somebody can cap off their ambitions like so.

Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#52
Though the point it more about funding and founders, seems like a salient point for developers too.

You can learn a lot, really fast, and with very long odds maybe get a nice reward in the Bay Area.

Or you can choose a slightly more boring path with a startup almost anywhere else with a normal 9-5 schedule, pretty good pay, and a low cost of living.

Quality of life is likely better in most other cities as well, the only downside being concentrated tech talent in Bay Area.

Unless you're working at one of the mega companies, how much of a benefit is it really for developers to live there?

Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#53
post #31
post #27

I see that myself. And I mean this as absolutely no offense to anyone in the area. I've met incredibly intelligent people there, among the best. Though, I believe the very best are distributed throughout the world, and command the ability not to move. All that said, first, well, the silicon part is all but gone. I find the signal to noise ratio pretty low. For every 10x developer, there are 50 people who did a bootca…

That is only one aspect and I think a minor one. What made silicon valley is access to capital, proximity to stanford and a feedback loop of successful entrepreneurs using their experience to create the next generation of successful entrepreneurs

I wonder why Boston hasn't risen further, with Harvard and MIT both at their doorstep along with a lot of other really great universities and good companies.

Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#54
post #27

I see that myself. And I mean this as absolutely no offense to anyone in the area. I've met incredibly intelligent people there, among the best. Though, I believe the very best are distributed throughout the world, and command the ability not to move. All that said, first, well, the silicon part is all but gone. I find the signal to noise ratio pretty low. For every 10x developer, there are 50 people who did a bootca…

Where in Northern Virginia?

Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#55

I wish he shared more reasoning in why he decided in 2017 being the pivotal year. I mostly agree with 2017 being a bad year for the bay area startup as that was the period where a lot of the top startups like airbnb, uber, and theranos were getting significant negative outlooks, and probably some others that I have forgotten about.

> like airbnb, uber, and theranos

One of them is not like the other

Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#56
post #13

One of the biggest reasons so many startups moved (or started) in the Bay Area was because VCs didn't bother traveling and funded mostly local companies. Has that changed?

I believe it has. We work with a few coastal firms where we were among their first non-traditional tech hub investments and conversations suggest many are looking for gems in new places.

Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#57
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This works if your remote team members live close to each other. Which is possible for some teams but doesn’t apply universally

No no, I mean a coworking space just to get out and socialize with other knowledge workers. Doesn’t need to be geographically close to other coworkers.

I get the idea, but at least I bond with coworkers by working together.

Just sitting in the same area with some other remote workers that I had nothing in common with would probably just be weird.

Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#58
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is only one aspect and I think a minor one. What made silicon valley is access to capital, proximity to stanford and a feedback loop of successful entrepreneurs using their experience to create the next generation of successful entrepreneurs

I wonder why Boston hasn't risen further, with Harvard and MIT both at their doorstep along with a lot of other really great universities and good companies.

There are lots of places with a wealth of well educated talent and poor to non-existent amount of startups coming from there. Access to capital is probably the largest factor.

Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#59
post #27

I see that myself. And I mean this as absolutely no offense to anyone in the area. I've met incredibly intelligent people there, among the best. Though, I believe the very best are distributed throughout the world, and command the ability not to move. All that said, first, well, the silicon part is all but gone. I find the signal to noise ratio pretty low. For every 10x developer, there are 50 people who did a bootca…

Where in Northern Virginia?

Ashburn, Tysons, Reston, Sterling, McLean. Where the original kings of the internet existed. The area is full of talent, though not as flashy as the bay area.

Re: Sam Altman: Bay Area is no longer the obvious place for startups

#60
post #51
post #45

I think it’s important for anyone getting to this page to read his whole thread, which is more nuanced than suggested by the sensational title. The point he seems to be making is that it’s better for startups that aren’t looking at being unicorns to look at other locations where they might have a better chance of success.

What's the point of being a startup not looking at being a unicorn? I genuinely do not understand how somebody can cap off their ambitions like so.

Working for yourself. You only need so much money to be happy. And statistically speaking, you’re not going to be a unicorn. You’re more likely to fail entirely. But if you make a nice business out of it that you can go to each day and be happy, you enjoy the work, and have your bills paid comfortably, that’s enough for a lot of people.

Hustle and grind in moderation.

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