Silicon Valley — Nowhere Else In The World Is Here!

Last month I completed 3 years in Bay Area, and I thought of putting down in words the experience and learning I’ve had so far. Since day one this place felt like home to me for some reason. Yup, it was love at first sight. For a nerd in his early 20s, it was nothing less than a paradise. From hilly and windy San Francisco to warm South Bay, from heading to work in shorts to the witty programmer t-shirts - I just loved everything about it.

So the million dollar question is - What’s so special about the Valley? What’s the reason Silicon Valley works? This is one of the most widely discussed topics around the world, for many metropolitan areas are trying to replicate this model. According to me, the higher order bit for why Silicon Valley works is the right attitude. People here believe that if there is a problem that exists, we can solve it! There is no such thing as “too hard” or “impossible” when it comes to solving problems. People here are ready to burn the midnight oil to figure out a solution to any problem that is worth solving. This kind of culture didn’t come about overnight, it’s a result of various social and cultural movements seen by San Francisco Bay Area. Thanks to the California Gold Rush in 19th century, it saw an advent of a lot of amazing people (including numerous entrepreneurs) from not just across the US but the whole world. In early 20th century, SF with its military bases was at the center of the World War II and played an important role in dealing with Japan. This led to immigration of people with advanced military technology to Bay Area. Universities like Stanford and Berkeley helped foster this culture of innovation further. Following World War II, San Francisco became a magnet for America’s counterculture. Strong wave of hippie movement and origin of psychedelic rock music resulted in this rebellious culture among people who challenged old traditions, had absolutely no respect for the status quo and were brave enough to think that they can change the world. All of this turned out to be a perfect blend when digital revolution started here in later part of the century. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Is never say die attitude the only thing? Certainly not. There are many other important ingredients that resulted in Valley for being what it is today. Every attractive metropolis area has that one thing it is know for worldwide and its people love talking about. It’s LA for movies/music, NYC for finance and DC for politics. Similarly, Bay Area residents are obsessed with technology. People here love to talk about the latest apps, gadgets and startups in the market. Chances are pretty good that the person sitting next to you in subway might be working on the next big tech thing at a tech giant or a startup. There is a culture of openness and optimism around here that technology when used correctly has potential to solve a lot of world problems, and can make this world a better place. People here can go on and on for hours discussing crazy ideas, most of which would sound stupid at the first go. Although what makes this place unique is that it’s considered perfectly okay if someone fails at what he’s doing. People here respect genuine hard work, and don’t look down upon somebody who tried to solve a problem but couldn’t. People are ready to bet on bigger and riskier long term benefits more often than smaller and safer short term benefits. So when you look at the recent history, personal computer solved the problem of limited computation capability, internet solved the connectivity problem and smartphones solved the mobility problem. Most certainly, next in line is auto industry with innovation in the field of electric vehicles, autonomous driving and connected cars. Like they say, Detroit is moving to Silicon Valley now. In short, people here love to take a problem and use technology to solve it!

“The penalty for failure, for going and trying to start a company in this Valley is non-existent. There really isn’t the penalty for failure either psychologically or economically in the sense that, if you have a good idea and you go out to start your own company, even if you fail, you’re generally considered worth more to the company you left because you’ve gained all this valuable experience, in many disciplines.” — Steve Jobs

A couple of months back I was on the Alcatraz island tour in the city. The ranger guide for the tour briefed us on the history of the island, its prisoners and officers. Before the Civil War era, people from different races were treated differently in the kind of services available to them. The only time this discrimination didn’t exist was when it was time for the music band of the island to practice or perform. The ranger ended on a note that she loves how music brings people from different backgrounds together. A thought that immediately popped up in my head was - isn’t technology doing the same now? People from wide range of caste, color, religion and nationality come together, solve a really tough problem and make the magic happen.

“This is one of the most amazing places in the world. I think that people here are people who all come because they want to do something meaningful, and they want to make a difference and they come from all over the world. I look around the room in a meeting, and there’s people from India, and Pakistan, and China, and Egypt, and Brazil, sitting in the same room on the same team, and the same product and they all came to Silicon Valley because they want to build something great. It’s with those type of people that you figure out how to solve really tough problems.” - Elizabeth Holmes

I’ve not traveled a lot around the world yet, but one thing I know for sure is that no other place can beat the Bay Area weather. It’s incredible here round the year. The mountains, the ocean and gazillions of state-park hiking trails are the icing on the cake. Plus, it’s a food lover’s delight. Italian to Mexican, Ethiopian to Peruvian, French to Brazilian, you name it and we have it here. Unfortunately, all the success of Valley comes with its own set of problems. Affordable housing is unarguably the biggest one faced by residents here. Despite that if you are someone who loves to build things, this place and this experience is something you wouldn’t trade for the whole world.

People often talk about replicating this success elsewhere. They talk about Tel Aviv, Beijing, Bangalore and what not as the next Silicon Valley. And while we have been hearing these talks for over a decade now, everybody knows that none of them come even close. What these people tend to forget is that the secret sauce that makes Silicon Valley great is that it’s one of its kind. If it was so easy to replicate it, there wouldn’t have been anything special about it. Silicon Valley is a story of missionaries not mercenaries. Absolutely nowhere else in the world is here!