Zuckerberg: If I Were Starting A Company Now, I Would Have Stayed In Boston • Hacker News Board

Re: Zuckerberg: If I Were Starting A Company Now, I Would Have Stayed In Boston

#91

Post by _urga » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 10:25 AM UTC

There are first-order consequences to things and there are second-order and n-order consequences. For anything, especially chess, the first-order consequences may well be attractive, but that's not enough to make a decision.

Sometimes, it's better to be an outsider than an insider, you can be advantaged through being disadvantaged, and sometimes, the best way to find milk and honey is to wander the desert.

The Beatles listened to American music from another continent over radio, completely in the dark, working in Hamburg, Germany.

Daniel Lanois, producer of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, spent years in Canada, working in a basement, honing skills, plenty of solitary confinement.

Warren Buffett, made it a point to work from a small converted bathroom in his house in Omaha, rather than on Wall Street.

Mark Shuttleworth ran Thawte from a garage in Cape Town, at a time when South Africa had amongst the worst Internet connectivity. Broadband is still an order of magnitude more expensive.

Amazon, Microsoft, and 37Signals were founded and remain outside the Valley.

Re: Zuckerberg: If I Were Starting A Company Now, I Would Have Stayed In Boston

#92

Post by lukejduncan » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 1:52 PM UTC

nhangen wrote: post #8

I saw the talk, and felt his point was hypocritical. He said that FB couldn't have made it outside of the valley, but that knowing what he knows now, it probably could were he starting it today. In other words, he needed the valley when he was young and inexperienced, but it's not necessary if you have the experience and connections already. [Edit: The reason I'm saying it's hypocritical is because his point was init…

He started off by saying there were two forms of the question: 1) If I knew what I know now and 2) If I were starting from scratch all over again.

By case he responded: 1) I'd have probably stayed in boston, I like the culture (paraphrased) 2) I'd be here. There's no better way to do it if you don't already know everything

Re: Zuckerberg: If I Were Starting A Company Now, I Would Have Stayed In Boston

#93

Post by danssig » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 1:55 PM UTC

jrockway wrote: post #5

One reason to live in the Valley is the opportunity to exercise outdoors in shorts and a t-shirt 365 days a year. That's why I want to move out there, anyway. Winter is highly overrated.

Winter is not all bad. There are no annoying insects bothering you at 10 below.

Re: Zuckerberg: If I Were Starting A Company Now, I Would Have Stayed In Boston

#94

Post by gbog » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 2:05 PM UTC

ComputerGuru wrote: post #43

timsally wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would imagine you're being downvoted by people who don't know what winter in Chicago is like. ^^

I, and many other true Chicagoans, am very much proud of our winter weather, thank you very much.

It's become Tea party here, with old ladies talking bout weather.

Re: Zuckerberg: If I Were Starting A Company Now, I Would Have Stayed In Boston

#95

Post by jrockway » Mon, Oct 31, 2011, 4:01 PM UTC

grandalf wrote: post #28

jrockway wrote: post #5

One reason to live in the Valley is the opportunity to exercise outdoors in shorts and a t-shirt 365 days a year. That's why I want to move out there, anyway. Winter is highly overrated.

After dark in SF it gets pretty cold... a t-shirt may work if you're going for a very hard run, but I'd recommend a hoodie just in case.

When it's below freezing in Chicago, I wear a wool baselayer, a long-sleeve fleece-lined running shirt, and a very light windbreaker. When it's 45, I wear a t-shirt and shorts :)

Re: Zuckerberg: If I Were Starting A Company Now, I Would Have Stayed In Boston

#96

Post by GFischer » Tue, Nov 01, 2011, 6:38 PM UTC

ghshephard wrote: post #77

pg wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It didn't seem to me that he was complaining about founders selling companies quickly so much as employees flitting from one to the other so fast. In my experience, founders in the Valley are more likely to have the confidence to turn down acquisition offers than founders outside it. All the examples you list are Valley startups.

He's absolutely correct about employees flitting from one to another quickly - that is a valley culture thing. Part of that is because there are so many opportunities in the valley - There are probably a hundred plus companies that I could reasonably expect to find gainful employment as an network infrastructure manager in the valley. It's also considered completely reasonable behavior to work at a company for 3-5 ye…

"It's also considered completely reasonable behavior to work at a company for 3-5 years, and then move onto the next one."

I believe this is the norm outside the Valley as well.

I'm trying to find a blog post about how, after 3 years at the same job, the challenge diminishes and it makes more sense to switch (if management doesn't recognize the need for growth).