I'm trying to build my own software that maybe someday people will pay for. I've also worked really hard to reduce my family's hard costs (paid off mortgage and car, grow lots of our own food, full solar+battery off-grid setup, biogas digester for cooking gas, etc).
I started the NOVC Alliance[0] for people like me that want to build software outside of the mainstream SV/VC culture. Think of it as "BPA Free" for software.
Increasingly, I find myself thinking that the right path is not to build software... It's to be good at software and then find a concrete problem and use the fact that you know software to attack it.
... But I'll admit that what those problems are I can't rightfully say.
Among others, Peter Thiel or Elon Musk talk about their disdain for democracy and desire for another form of government very openly; this isn't a secret. If you doubt this, I really recommend researching a bit for yourself.
It's not even the first time we've seen this pattern emerge. The Business Plot of the early 20th century is really something that we should be teaching in high school and we just don't.
Powerful corporations in American history have already demonstrated a willingness to back fascism when they think their their core interests are fundamentally under threat.
Nearly a decade ago I was in in all hands at Google. There was a scandal. I can't remember which one because there were about three of them back to back in a relatively short period of time. And one of the company co-founders, I'm fairly certain it was Larry but it might have been Sergey... Basically responded to a comment from an employee on the scandal with "I want to be focused on creating great things, not on this."
... And the comment put me right back on my heels because, my guy... You are helming a corporation with over 100,000 employees. I don't care what you thought you would be doing at this point in your career. If you are responsible for 100,000 of anyone? You'd best start caring about people problems.
... I think a whole generation of Silicon Valley leadership tripped backwards into becoming partially responsible for / totally enmeshed with other human beings and were utterly unprepared for it. And for all their technical smarts, when it comes to people that grasp for simple solutions. Simple and unworkable.
I agree with Larry or Sergey. Most FAANG employees want to turn every thing into dysfunctional San Francisco where 1000 special interests make all progress impossible. They join and then they each think they should be running things to their specific outlook.
where do you plan to go?
I'm trying to build my own software that maybe someday people will pay for. I've also worked really hard to reduce my family's hard costs (paid off mortgage and car, grow lots of our own food, full solar+battery off-grid setup, biogas digester for cooking gas, etc).
I started the NOVC Alliance[0] for people like me that want to build software outside of the mainstream SV/VC culture. Think of it as "BPA Free" for software.
[0] https://novc.fyi
Very Cool.
I see your NOVC Alliance is all about no VC funding. But what about other investors?
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Increasingly, I find myself thinking that the right path is not to build software... It's to be good at software and then find a concrete problem and use the fact that you know software to attack it.
... But I'll admit that what those problems are I can't rightfully say.
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Lot's of this is pretty open on Garry Tan's twitter feed
Among others, Peter Thiel or Elon Musk talk about their disdain for democracy and desire for another form of government very openly; this isn't a secret. If you doubt this, I really recommend researching a bit for yourself.
It's not even the first time we've seen this pattern emerge. The Business Plot of the early 20th century is really something that we should be teaching in high school and we just don't.
Powerful corporations in American history have already demonstrated a willingness to back fascism when they think their their core interests are fundamentally under threat.
I believe it and I'll tell you why.
Nearly a decade ago I was in in all hands at Google. There was a scandal. I can't remember which one because there were about three of them back to back in a relatively short period of time. And one of the company co-founders, I'm fairly certain it was Larry but it might have been Sergey... Basically responded to a comment from an employee on the scandal with "I want to be focused on creating great things, not on this."
... And the comment put me right back on my heels because, my guy... You are helming a corporation with over 100,000 employees. I don't care what you thought you would be doing at this point in your career. If you are responsible for 100,000 of anyone? You'd best start caring about people problems.
... I think a whole generation of Silicon Valley leadership tripped backwards into becoming partially responsible for / totally enmeshed with other human beings and were utterly unprepared for it. And for all their technical smarts, when it comes to people that grasp for simple solutions. Simple and unworkable.
I agree with Larry or Sergey. Most FAANG employees want to turn every thing into dysfunctional San Francisco where 1000 special interests make all progress impossible. They join and then they each think they should be running things to their specific outlook.
1 reply →
Comment removed - I regret commenting here.