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You're missing the point. The problem is, we're focused on trivial bullshit. Parking, car services, groceries, housekeeping. We're blessed with the most power
by autism_hurts 12y ago
You're missing the point.
The problem is, we're focused on trivial bullshit. Parking, car services, groceries, housekeeping.
We're blessed with the most powerful software, hardware, all infinitely scalable and at the lowest cost ever (open source, AWS, cloud, whatever) and we're building bullshit lifestyle apps.
We're a long way off from the 70's and 80's. Steve and Woz's "bicycle for the mind" - Google's "information instantly for everyone" - we're building toys for the rich.
Make no mistake, Uber is for the rich. Taskrabbit is for the rich.
Average household income in the US. Remember, HOUSEHOLD. Is something like ~52K.
Do you think what you're working on will help that $52K household? Because Uber won't. Taskrabbit won't. Your new social network won't.
I know there are outliers. Theranos. 23andMe. Tesla (once it trickles down).
But most of us on here? We want a gadget, some sort of highly-viral network effect app that nets us a liquidity/exit event.
We don't care about income inequality, sexism, or the (middle) class. We want our stupid fucking house in Palo Alto, our Tesla S, and fuck all for anyone outside the bubble.
Maybe step back and decide if you're just selling digital sugar water or if you're actually going to change the world.
- Karunamon 12y agoWhat do you think the Google X's and the Teslas and the Rosa Labs' of the world are doing? Your kind of argument takes the same kind of judgmental tone i'd expect from someone criticizing what particular charity you decided to donate to, as if choosing to donate money to feed the children vs doctors without borders vs NPR vs the local animal shelter... is some kind of value judgement. Really, it isn't. You're advocating a moral imperative which does not exist in the real world. You don't get to pooh-pooh someone that actually does something which solves some kind of problem as not solving the right kind of problem (and expect to be taken seriously, anyways). No piece of code any of us can write is going to solve the problems of: >income inequality, sexism, or the (middle) class. And as to not caring, speak for yourself.
- autism_hurts 12y agoGoogle X hasn't shipped a product. Let me know when they do. I won't hold my breath. I mentioned Tesla. Unfamiliar with Rosa. I am being judgmental, because if most of us are honest with ourselves it's what is the motivation in the Valley. Where do you live, where do your kids go to school? East Bay? East Palo Alto? Doubtful.
- Karunamon 12y agoYou mean the usual motivation of creating a business at the end of the day is some kind of profit? Color me fucking shocked! What makes you think SV is unique in that regard? At the end of the day, a corporation's job is to generate profit. If that is not their job, they are a nonpofit or similar. We live in a capitalist society. There's no sense hating the player when you can hate the rules of the game.
- wcummings 12y agoThe author is cherry-picking, there's loads of tech startups that aren't "lifestyle apps." They're not outliers, it's just that a lot fewer people are interested in reading about payroll companies as compared to SnapChat
- autism_hurts 12y agoAgreed completely, but look at what is systemically rewarded in SV.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]