Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
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Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
1–10 of 29 posts
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#2The headline is a relevant one, but the article seems to focus on dress sense and accent? Imitation of success stories occurs in every walk of life - it just happens to be Silicon Valley people in this industry.
It's quite possible to be unique and have your own voice even if you are inspired by dressing and talking like Steve Jobs.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#3The headline is a relevant one, but the article seems to focus on dress sense and accent? Imitation of success stories occurs in every walk of life - it just happens to be Silicon Valley people in this industry. It's quite possible to be unique and have your own voice even if you are inspired by dressing and talking like Steve Jobs.
24 yo from London here. That language is completely standard to me. I've been saying awesome with a straight face for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure it's the best way to have made the point.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#4[deleted]
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#5The headline is a relevant one, but the article seems to focus on dress sense and accent? Imitation of success stories occurs in every walk of life - it just happens to be Silicon Valley people in this industry. It's quite possible to be unique and have your own voice even if you are inspired by dressing and talking like Steve Jobs.
24 yo from London here. That language is completely standard to me. I've been saying awesome with a straight face for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure it's the best way to have made the point.
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Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#624yo from London here too. The author's point was:
'Whats toxic is that this then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, teams get funding because they look/sound the part. This means that there are more teams that succeed that fit the stereotype and on we go creating Tigertailz instead of the Beatles.'
Morgan is using metaphors to show how UK startups need to be themselves. Instead of aping US startups as much as possible in every way they can (for example: dress sense and language), they need to be themselves, focus on developing their own styles whatever that may be.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#7The headline is a relevant one, but the article seems to focus on dress sense and accent? Imitation of success stories occurs in every walk of life - it just happens to be Silicon Valley people in this industry. It's quite possible to be unique and have your own voice even if you are inspired by dressing and talking like Steve Jobs.
24 yo from London here. That language is completely standard to me. I've been saying awesome with a straight face for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure it's the best way to have made the point.
Agreed, and I don't want to just be a bore. Doesn't it seem odd to assume that UK people are talking with American accents just because of US startups too? How about TV, music & movies?
Being constructive, a better argument is that UK companies often seem to be waiting to grow to a certain point in order to move across to America. Or, to use the music analogy in the link, "make it big" in the States. Like many British bands, sometimes it's best just to be a big fish in a small pond rather than trying to crack America. That's my takeaway.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#8The headline is a relevant one, but the article seems to focus on dress sense and accent? Imitation of success stories occurs in every walk of life - it just happens to be Silicon Valley people in this industry. It's quite possible to be unique and have your own voice even if you are inspired by dressing and talking like Steve Jobs.
I think the author is trying to adress what he sees as almost a cargo cult mentality. Dressing and looking like Steve Jobs is cool for aesthetic reasons, the man has a distinctive look. Steve Jobs isn't successful because of how he dresses, though.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#9Maybe this article is just highlighting one of the effects of the internet. Easier long-distance communication means more people are exposed to foreign language and ideas, especially between technologically literate English speakers. How long did it take for the phrase 'epic win' to spread across the globe?
I'm not sure this guy understands how much of the English-speaking internet is produced by Americans, especially relating to technology. I'm from the UK, and a huge proportion of my media comes from the US (hasn't this been the case for a really long time anyway?) Even programming language tutorials have words like 'awesome'. The Brits aren't faking it, they've adopted that language because they've heard it so often.
It's silly to tell people to stick to one set of social norms because of their place of birth. Every culture is a mishmash. And anyway, the internet is making culture less dependent on geographical location.
Re: Why UK startups should stop trying to be US startups
#10I've worked in Shoreditch for over 6 years. The startup people here don't dress like they do in Silicon Valley. And people in the UK use the word Awesome all the time. It might be an Americanisation but it's not on account of people trying to be like Twitter, it's because of the A Team and Knight Rider.
If people are asking whether they should spell it colour or color, that's probably the reason they are not doing well! What a ridiculously pointless thing to worry about.
For me there is an elephant in the room regarding UK startups not achieving the same sort of success as they do in the US. It's quite simple. People in the UK are far more risk averse than people in the US. It's a completely cultural thing, and it's not going to change any time soon.