That makes sense. Sweden and some of the other Nordic countries seem to crank a lot of them out.
It is a bummer that a lot of startups, regardless of geography, feel the need to move once they hit a certain level. It produces brain drain and is a missed opportunity to bring economic growth to their home regions.
Why do you think this is (avoiding any anti-refugee sentiment in other comments on the thread)?
I used to live in Europe and worked with many Europeans while living in the Bay Area. It seems like lots make the jump stateside. Having universal healthcare seems like it would be a big incentive to take entrepreneurial risk vs. our situation here in the U.S.
I found that doing activities not related to nerd culture really helps you connect with non-programmers. Dancing, sports, volunteering (aside from Code for America, which is great, but filled with programmers) all help.
Also, regularly socializing with non-programmers seems to be a check against some of the anti-social habits we're all prone to pick up
Clicked on the article hoping for something substantial about policy to clean up fecal matter on San Francisco streets. Instead got:
"
a distinct work-life balance has been replaced by free food, ping pong, and services that do your laundry or drive you to work. This puerility is internalized so profoundly that it extends to corporate hierarchies and the way essential tasks are discussed. Software engineers are often colloquially referred to as “rock stars” or “ninjas” in job postings, and childish jargon is pervasive.
"
Which is ridiculous considering the article is about poop and gun cartoon depictions.
I'll go ahead and say the United States is the greatest country the world has ever seen. It's not perfect, but once you live in other countries for a bit, even if you enjoy the experience, you appreciate the U.S. a lot more.
This is a very good comment and perspective. I am not a vet and don't have anything close to the experiences that it seems that you have. That being said, many of my friends and roommates from college are in active duty military positions, and it's scary to hear when they're being deployed.
Even though a program like this might save some lives in the short term, training machines that don't have empathy and can be programmed for whatever means to kill seems like a Pandora's Box that we should be damn sure we want to open before actually doing so.
Also, my apologies for the less-than-respectful replies that you are getting. You should not be chastised for respectfully sharing an important opinion, and their behavior is unbecoming of what we should expect of American citizens.
Don't get down on yourself, man. I went through a job search last year and applied to ~400 companies and got strung along by several start-ups, one of which even said they were very impressed and asked when I could start, only to change their mind the next day.
Eventually, I found one that was a great fit, and I've been here for over a year and am extremely happy. What I've seen at least in the Bay Area startup scene is that many companies have unrealistic expectations and are waiting for unicorn candidates that magically fit all of their wildest dreams.
If you were at a company that started from nothing and became successful, a startup that has sense should be interested in you.
/r/mma is an absolute gem. /r/BlackPeopleTwitter is great as well.
I'm also getting tired of these apology tours from SV people. The biggest flaw they have (aside from collecting scary amounts of data) is seemingly taking a too-rosy view of people. It'd be more refreshing for somebody to stand up and quote a somewhat notorious fighter by saying, "I'd like to take this chance to apologize... to absolutely nobody."
I have a daily shot of espresso at the office at 8am. It tastes good and helps me focus. Sometimes there's a happy hour on Friday. I don't drink, but some of my coworkers do in moderation.
I'm sure there is a drug/party/binge drinking culture in some companies in the Bay, but it's the mildest I've seen in any industry/geography so far.
I'm a bootcamp grad and am about to finish my first year as a dev at a well-known, medium size start-up in San Francisco.
The advice the author gives is spot on. Taking the time after finishing the program, working through multiple algo textbooks, and taking an online course on data structures and algorithms definitely helped seal the deal.
To those deriding bootcamps, you are missing out on lots of great developers. The trick is to determine whether the individual worked hard during/after the bootcamp.
Lastly, if you're considering a bootcamp, do your homework, pick a good one, and work relentlessly (I was there generally 8am-11pm every day). It has turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life.
What's up with all these sensational articles about Silicon Valley? Maybe the lifestyle is different as a VC, but as an engineer, this seems so disjointed from reality that it's almost farcical. I can barely get some of my coworkers to stop talking about code for more than a breath. There's no way that they're engaging in any of these activities.
Can anyone vouch for this behavior being prevalent? To me it just seems like a result of psychology where people think that others have more interesting/fulfilled social lives than they do despite it not being actually true, but maybe I live under a rock.
Furthermore, there are a ton of small VCs and startups in the valley. Of course a small percentage will do sketchy stuff. This is true everywhere and would really only be a problem if it was widespread or common amongst the major players and served as a meaningful barrier to entry. The only firm mentioned by name, Binary Capital, looks like a two or a one person shop, and I assume doesn't have much market power.
I appreciate it when people tell me that I'm wrong in a respectful manner and with solid reasoning to back it up. It's impossible to be right 100% of the time, and the only way to improve is when someone or something points out when you've erred. If Alice was respectful and knew when to let things go in the example, I would want her as a teammate any day of the week.
It seems the gut reaction in tech is that conflict is bad, but conflict is inevitable. It is better to respectfully resolve conflicts than try to avoid them at all costs IMO
Given the choice between having to constantly fight the masses and having to sometimes fight a state that was designed to safeguard freedoms but sometimes infringes upon them, I'll take the latter.
From time to time, I see very out of shape people in the gym. The only thought in my mind when I see them is, "Good on you, goddammit." However, I don't say that aloud because I don't want to put them on the spot. If anyone says anything negative to you for working out, screw them. There are far more people who would rather have you work out and be healthy than not. Please rack your weights though! Haha
It is a bummer that a lot of startups, regardless of geography, feel the need to move once they hit a certain level. It produces brain drain and is a missed opportunity to bring economic growth to their home regions.