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The Startup Backlash

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Re: The Startup Backlash

#3

Post by Fomite »

"The same way that VCs invests in 50 shitty startups and expect to make maybe one phenomenal exit, it’s unreasonable to expect every or even many startups to make something truly revolutionary and socially impactful."

I might agree with this, but if it's the case, then some folks need to stop pretending each and every hot internet startup is Disruptive, Revolutionary and Socially Impactful. And the weight given to What SV Entrepreneurs Think should probably be reduced if most of them are just building better ways to order a pizza.

There's nothing wrong with coming up with a better way to order a pizza. But it doesn't make you a noble visionary of things to come.

Re: The Startup Backlash

#4

Post by akristofcak »

Fomite wrote: post #3

"The same way that VCs invests in 50 shitty startups and expect to make maybe one phenomenal exit, it’s unreasonable to expect every or even many startups to make something truly revolutionary and socially impactful." I might agree with this, but if it's the case, then some folks need to stop pretending each and every hot internet startup is Disruptive, Revolutionary and Socially Impactful. And the weight given to Wh…

Absolutely agreed! Some of the language being thrown around many companies can be nauseating.

I didn't write about this possibility in the article, but there's also a universe of apps/tools/companies which do seemingly trivial things that don't transform anything on the face value and eventually end up being rather impactful. Take Twitter: for the first X years, many people dismissed it as that stupid thing where you write about what you had for breakfast.

Now it's basically a media company. Granted, no lives saved, but a major player in the landscape.

Point being: you can end up doing something truly revolutionary in the end by doing something trivial and useful at first. A better way to order pizza could become a better way to do [something that doesn't sound as banal].

(I would also posit that this kind of serendipity doesn't necessarily make you a visionary.)

Re: The Startup Backlash

#6

Post by danso »

Wow. What a non sequitur at the end:

> That is, until the NSA scandal broke. Nothing made the purported libertarianism of Silicon Valley more laughable and aggregious than the fact that many of these companies are tools of secret government surveillance. This is why I had to include Paul Carr’s article about Silicon Valley’s participation in our security state infrastructure.

This is not even a complete thought, never mind a pretty blithe treatment of the actual issues involved. And also, the companies most under fire, particularly Google and Microsoft, are not "startups"

Re: The Startup Backlash

#7

Post by akristofcak »

danso wrote: post #6

Wow. What a non sequitur at the end: > That is, until the NSA scandal broke. Nothing made the purported libertarianism of Silicon Valley more laughable and aggregious than the fact that many of these companies are tools of secret government surveillance. This is why I had to include Paul Carr’s article about Silicon Valley’s participation in our security state infrastructure. This is not even a complete thought, neve…

Yep. This wasn't exactly an essay, just some thoughts around a "trend" I picked up on (ie the backlash). I could write a whole separate article about the NSA but I let Carr's article speak for itself. The reason for including it was that the NSA disclosures put a different light on the tech vs society question. But yea, it could have been more developed.

Re: The Startup Backlash

#8

Post by Fomite »

akristofcak wrote: post #4
Fomite wrote: post #3

"The same way that VCs invests in 50 shitty startups and expect to make maybe one phenomenal exit, it’s unreasonable to expect every or even many startups to make something truly revolutionary and socially impactful." I might agree with this, but if it's the case, then some folks need to stop pretending each and every hot internet startup is Disruptive, Revolutionary and Socially Impactful. And the weight given to Wh…

Absolutely agreed! Some of the language being thrown around many companies can be nauseating. I didn't write about this possibility in the article, but there's also a universe of apps/tools/companies which do seemingly trivial things that don't transform anything on the face value and eventually end up being rather impactful. Take Twitter: for the first X years, many people dismissed it as that stupid thing where you…

I certainly think it is possible to be doing something "ordinary" and end up having it be something revolutionary at the end. It happens with some degree of frequency.

I just don't think a given location and a few keywords let you claim the revolutionary bit beforehand :)

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