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Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

dangrover.com

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Re: Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

#11

Post by mikemarotti »

jsherry wrote: post #6

This piece very easily could have been titled "Whistling Into a Tap Recorder" and had sent the same message (and a worthy message at that). After all, neither New York not the East Coast are mentioned until 90% through the article. But then again that title likely wouldn't have gotten as many upvotes on HN b/c apparently everybody likes a rivalry.

Absolutely, that title is just baiting. We're in the internet era now - when can we get over the east vs west or valley vs nyc rivalries? There are bad apples and fools in suits everyone in the world.

Re: Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

#12

Post by dangrover »

krschultz wrote: post #9

Is it just me or does the non-technical co-founder really get killed by most blogs? I have been approached a couple of times by friends with 'ideas', they just need a programmer to build it for them. I respectfully declined each time and remain friends with these people. None of them ever got anywhere with their ideas. They never quit their day jobs, they never read the right blogs and books (even if I suggested, and…

That's the point.

Being good at PR, for instance, is a technical skill that can be demonstrated. It requires experience and knowledge. If you're "non-technical", though, and you don't actually have demonstrable skill in PR, it might as well be an engineer on your team working on PR stuff.

Re: Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

#13

Post by dangrover »

mikemarotti wrote: post #11
jsherry wrote: post #6

This piece very easily could have been titled "Whistling Into a Tap Recorder" and had sent the same message (and a worthy message at that). After all, neither New York not the East Coast are mentioned until 90% through the article. But then again that title likely wouldn't have gotten as many upvotes on HN b/c apparently everybody likes a rivalry.

Absolutely, that title is just baiting. We're in the internet era now - when can we get over the east vs west or valley vs nyc rivalries? There are bad apples and fools in suits everyone in the world.

You're totally right -- did not need to drag that in as prominently. Revised the title.

Re: Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

#14

Post by mdehaan »

3am wrote: post #7
boredguy8 wrote: post #4

[edit: content removed as the site is back up] HNed, it appears. Google's Cache: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...

It's perpetually annoying that people make this an East Coast/West Coast thing (as if "East Coast" can even be generalized about... I'm sure Atlanta has a much in common with NYC as Mountain View has with Eugene). It's very small sample set of people to make any kind of good judgement, and seems to just be catering to stereotypes.

I had assumed this "technical cofounder" thing was a West Coast thing anyway :)

Re: Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

#15

Post by [deleted] »

mdehaan wrote: post #14
3am wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's perpetually annoying that people make this an East Coast/West Coast thing (as if "East Coast" can even be generalized about... I'm sure Atlanta has a much in common with NYC as Mountain View has with Eugene). It's very small sample set of people to make any kind of good judgement, and seems to just be catering to stereotypes.

I had assumed this "technical cofounder" thing was a West Coast thing anyway :)

[deleted]

Re: Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

#16

Post by benblodgett »

3am wrote: post #7
boredguy8 wrote: post #4

[edit: content removed as the site is back up] HNed, it appears. Google's Cache: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://...

It's perpetually annoying that people make this an East Coast/West Coast thing (as if "East Coast" can even be generalized about... I'm sure Atlanta has a much in common with NYC as Mountain View has with Eugene). It's very small sample set of people to make any kind of good judgement, and seems to just be catering to stereotypes.

Yeah I am also constantly annoyed by this, I work out of a coworking space in the lower east side with tons of technical geniuses. It doesn't matter where you live, but who you associate with in that area.

Re: Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

#17

Post by dsandrowitz »

krschultz wrote: post #9

Is it just me or does the non-technical co-founder really get killed by most blogs? I have been approached a couple of times by friends with 'ideas', they just need a programmer to build it for them. I respectfully declined each time and remain friends with these people. None of them ever got anywhere with their ideas. They never quit their day jobs, they never read the right blogs and books (even if I suggested, and…

Absolutely spot-on. I fall more on the non-technical side, but where I fall on the spectrum of tech skills really doesn't matter. All that counts is whether I can articulate my idea to a team (preferably by using my ancient coding skill and some ugly wireframes), work with them to make it a reality, and get shit done.

Re: Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

#19

Post by api »

I ran into a toxic mentality on the East Coast where there was a class division between "thinkers/leaders" and "doers," and doing automatically placed a person into a lower class. The idea was that execution is for little people and ideas and "leadership" are for big people.

I met a bunch of over-stuffed narcissistic and ineffectual big people who could sell like crazy and drum up endless interest by way of their ivy league social networks but would then fall flat on their faces when it came to executing on anything.

Re: Whistling Into a Tape Recorder: What the East Coast Doesn't Get About Startups

#20

Post by sudonim »

api wrote: post #19

I ran into a toxic mentality on the East Coast where there was a class division between "thinkers/leaders" and "doers," and doing automatically placed a person into a lower class. The idea was that execution is for little people and ideas and "leadership" are for big people. I met a bunch of over-stuffed narcissistic and ineffectual big people who could sell like crazy and drum up endless interest by way of their ivy…

That's a dangerous mentality and I hope it's on it's way out. The way I see things is that especially in tech, it used to be that doers couldn't just do. They needed to drum up cash / etc... to facilitate the doing. Now that's just not the case. There's a quote (I believe from reddit) "Pics or it didn't happen". The benchmark as I see it with very few exceptions is "Prototype or you're full of it".

Doers will do and the leaders? They can go and lead each other around in circles.

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