Why I flee at the sight of black turtlenecks and buzzwords like revolutionary and pathbreaking
We live in the age of mystics, illusionists, and ‘technological’ snake charmers. Every CEO, Innovator, Guru dons the mask of being one. They have the same pattern; each one promises to ignite the stratosphere with a product so revolutionary and profoundly distinctive, that it makes us believe that unicorns are real and climate change is a myth.
Who can forget the legend of Elizabeth Holmes? The feisty founder of Theranos, (A black turtleneck wearing Steve Jobs clone) who fooled an entire army of million-dollar investors overnight, with a half baked product that was poised to revolutionize blood testing forever. Unfortunately, every second startup these days seems to suffer from the same Steve Jobs impersonation epidemic. Swanky offices boasting of making the hottest tech using artificial intelligence mumbo jumbo, (Alas, minus the nucleus of common sense) appear to be the hottest trend today. It’s hard not to get floored.
Uber and Lyft, the scions of the startups gone big, had surprisingly dud IPOs with worrying quarter on quarter losses. It’s bothersome and appalling at the same time — Not just your average Joe, the $2000 Armani suit-wearing brigade of investors fall prey to this hype too. The latest to join the “most promising startup turned zillionaire” hype wagon is WeWork. WeWork’s abject failure to complete an IPO, and its subsequent pulling of the plug 47 days after publicly releasing an offering statement, provides yet another proof that all that shines is not gold — consequently forcing its enigmatic CEO Neumann to resign. Neumann’s valuation fell from $4.1 billion to $600 million, overnight.
Flashy TED talks orchestrated by bathroom slippers and shorts-wearing, eccentric geniuses have attracted a false kind of trust in the so-called ‘disruptive tech’ that the world has gone gaga about. Examples are available by the dozen everywhere, every day. Gone are the days when building tech ran parallel with the need to provide exemplary service while staying robust and honestly profitable. Nowadays, the goal of any tech startup seems to be aimed at roping in the next round of million-dollar investments without focusing on the product itself.
We need to clear our eyes that have been sored out from the continuous razzle-dazzle on display. More importantly, the moment a black turtleneck wearing CEO is spotted, scram!!!