Paul Graham - Is it possible to create a Sillicon Valley outside of the US?
XTECH
silicon valley needs the rgiht kind of people
neeed rich people and nerds
government would ont work as invseter
start up investers have their money in it
it’s the peopole not the buildings? (against technology parks)
startups don’t need buildings
nerds flock together -> universities
great CS departments
bootstrap by hiring great people and then letting them attract the rest (innovatieplatform)
rich people and investers want to live there
students want to stay after they graduate (!Delft)
(he’s just reading aloud one of his essays)
town with personality? not prefab
town with nerd personality, people walk around smiling (!Delft)
very negative about NY, Vegas etc. takes the nerd PoV
go to Blue counties
towns with active centers (no subursb)
Boulder + Portland
abroad?
10 Deciding Factors
- allow immigration, SV is about immigration
- not in poor countries (india could rise out of it)
- US is not yet a police state, police state also not conducive hacking == dissent
- decent CS universities german and dutch try to assure all universities are equal in quality professors need good colleagues ‘controversial bit’ about the lack of jews in Germany
- you can fire people, rigid labour laws football clubs can hire and fire people at will, nice precedent
- work is less identified with employment
- startups will break laws of business, startups don’t have time to adhere to all laws
- america has huge domestic market (!Netherlands) EU was supposed to be a domestic market different languages, but soon everybody will probalby be going to speak English
- america has venture capital startups beget startups but a slow cycle private universities have VC funds
- dynamic typing for careers people can change more naturally lousy public schools make you wait for college before choosing duplicate SV but better
failings?
too far from SF
constrain the amount of land available, no sprawl
public transportation, consider cars last
lower capital gains taxes
smarter immigration policy, make a technology hub that lets in smart people (!Netherlands)
make great universities
