Silicon Valley is a flashpoint for innovation and entrepreneurialism. But, what does Silicon Valley even mean these days? Silicon Valley technically spans the area in the southern San Francisco Bay Area including Santa Clara Valley, San Jose and southern East Bay. What Silicon Valley actually refers to in terms of geography seems moot in an economy when the idea of Silicon Valley is much bigger than the square miles it covers on a map. In reality, when people outside of the area think about it, it includes what’s already mentions and spans north on 101 from Mountain View to San Francisco and East to Oakland and then back down the 880 to Fremont. Silicon Valley IS the greater San Francisco Bay Area and as such, the it has a bigger story to tell beyond its geographical boundaries.
When you have a movement where entrepreneurs are the new celebrities, where tech groupies follow the scene wherever it travels, where story after story about ideas that turn into multi-million dollar (sometimes billion dollar) valuations, exits, and IP uh ohs are relentlessly pushed in your stream, it’s easy to get caught up in the allure of a lifestyle whether or not it’s the reality.
What we often do not see is the true story behind the story.
My guest on this episode of Revolution is West Coast Editor of Business Insider Owen Thomas (@OwenThomas), someone who has a both a respected and controversial history in the world of tech journalism. And, that’s exactly why I appreciate his work. His job is to cover the big companies, big personalities, and big ideas of Silicon Valley and he brings to it a more human perspective.
Not only do we talk about the state of innovation in Silicon Valley and the stories behind the stories, we also take a look at the state of journalism in an era of pervasive social media. As Thomas says, “Your Tweet should not be better than your headline. If your Tweet is better than your headline, you should probably go back and chance it to what you Tweeted.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg…
In case you’re wondering, that’s not a decorative rug at our feet. That’s Owen’s adorable companion, Ramona the Love Terrier. Yes, you can follow her on Twitter @RamonaTerrier.
Subscribe to Revolution on Youtube or iTunes and connect with me: Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Google+
The End of Business as Usual is officially here…
You’ve neglected to mention the influence Howard Hughes had on Silicon Valley’s inception. If you peel back enough layers, and delve far enough back through 21st Century history, you realise that without him SV simply would never have existed…