johnmichaeleden
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I understand where you're coming from, and definitely agree that too many people will absorb time opportunistically without giving back much in return. But if a random catch up over coffee or beers or whatever is mutually beneficial, why the hell not? Meet with a stranger, if that stranger is high quality and can kick back some good ideas your way.
The link provided above is not correct. This is the correct link: http://blackbird.vc/
This is a very poignant piece given what's happening in SV.
I think the only unanswered question is whether the engineering talent that you get from an a-hire on average exceeds that you can get on the open market. Don't misread me - I'm not saying this is the case. But some of the price points for startups that haven't been super successful would look more justifiable if this were true.
@HealyHoops @DougLudlow How does something this silly get published? Is there an editor at Pando?
I swear, every time I read something on Pando there's some comment moored in ignorance, racism, or idiocy: fomented cabbage? Really? Do you know anything about the history of Korea at all? Some of the best scientists and engineers in the world.
@paulcarr @Nathan_Pensky @mchasewalker Yes Paul, it's called the movie ticket. That's where a human being, gifted with ordinary intelligence and common sense, is placed on notice that the entertainment product about to be delivered is to some degree a work of fiction.
@sarahlacy Sarah - Can you, in one crisp sentence, please explain what normative principle Sorkin (or anyone else in Hollywood) is breaking when a fictional interpretation of a historical personage or events is released as a big budget flick? Seriously, so we're all on the same page about what the alleged sin is here. (And incidentally, I think the fictional Zuckerberg character in The Social Network struck me as not an unrepentant jack^%$, but rather as someone with vision who was green in a number of ways. I'm sure the real Zuck is in many ways different than the fictional one. But I'm not sure the world walked away thinking that Zuck isn't a human being worth getting to know. In fact, I bet the converse is true - Sorkin humanized him for a large group of Americans in a way no amount of quick news reading on the net ever could.)
@JeffAtlee Excellent observation. It's funny that no one here would spill any ink arguing that Charlie Wilson's War isn't a fully accurate depiction of historical events. Yet the minute a Silicon Valley celebrity's life becomes the inspiration for a movie, all of the gadflies come out of the woodwork to play.
Let me play devil's advocate: Why SHOULD a biopic about Jobs necessarily tell us all we need to know about what made him successful at Apple? I'm asking because you assume this premise on without defending it, and I'm not sure that any film maker - Sorkin included - is going to be able to tell such a subtle story in a big-budget commercial film.
Farhad,How exactly will this suppress the overall market for acquisitions? Even if promising targets are more skeptical of Facebook's potential to grow, that doesn't mean anything for the appetite of other large companies looking for top tech talent via acquisitions. John
I'm torn when it comes to Thiel's theory of our education regime. On the one hand, I think he's absolutely correct that there is a large delta between (1) expected returns (even from places like Princeton, Yale, Stanford) and (2) the actual average lifetime returns. Further, I agree with him that universities - the elites, publics and expensive non-elite privates - go to great lengths to divert attention from these facts by pretending that a college education is a guarantee of middle or upper-middle class success.On the other hand, there are a raft of skills that are hard to impart to large groups of people without some type of structured learning environment. It might be possible to envision new ways to train engineers, scientists, artists, designers, and everyone else that makes the modern economy function. But once you step outside Silicon Valley, I think you'll find that the signaling function played by the bachelors, masters and professional degree system is pretty much still dominant. It might be extremely valuable to blow that regime to bits, but if that's what Thiel is advocating, it would be awesome to hear some detailed arguments about how to accomplish that lofty objective.
I do not understand the underlying logic here: Is taking a low salary assumed to be a signal of, or proxy for, all the characteristics that make a good start up CEO? If that's the assumption, I am not convinced. Of course, I wasn't there and therefore did not hear Thiel unpack his theory for the audience. But in my experience (3 start ups), taking a low salary wouldn't be the first proxy I'd think of for the web of moral and professional characteristics a great start up leader should have.