Last Day in the Valley

This morning it was really cool to visit Tune In Radio, a huge competitor for LastFM, and after that we went to visit the EIP for Target Corporate. I found both of these companies to be of huge interest after identifying the similar characteristics shared between the employees providing my tour and myself.Target was really exceptional after connecting with the employee, Shawn, who was a Curry College alumni. His detailed insight answered many of my intriguing questions including, why target? His response was that target really allowed entrepreneurs to do and develop any project they wanted to in their area of expertise. Afterwards I walked around San Fransisco's finest shops and thoroughly enjoyed all of it. My cousin and I grabbed dinner after I had not seen him in almost half a year, so it was really cool to hangout with someone who is for the most part been out of ones life. Tonight at dinner the team and I had to reflect on how awesome this trip turned out to be; after all, we all became relatively close to each other after all we have been through.

Day 5

So today the class went to Apple where we were given a guided tour by Tom Rapini's father, who works at Apple. He showed us the giant construction site across from the secondary office, also not far from 1 Infinite loop, which is the main headquarters not too far. Afterwards, we went to Facebook where we were given a guided tour of the inside of the campus, the cool thing about this was that it literally looked as if we were walking down a division one college campus. There were barber shops, restaurants, a health clinic, name it and they have it. I had a really great trip later in the day when we explored the WakaTime founder's startup after having some food and beverages poolside at the hotel. Its been truly a solid week, I mean I dont know many people who visit and meet with exectuives from Google, Facebook, and Apple all in one week but I'm one of them, so kudos to me!

Day 4

Well another day exploring the city. I'm sure my professors are starting to see the side of me thats "warming up" to them, as my humor comes out more and more. Today we visited Google and I happily took a goole bike from the facility in my revenge for asking us to leave the campus. I had a nice Starbucks coffee afterwards and than ate a burger at a local bar which looked appetizer. Today we went to BoxFish, but oh wait I forgot about something. You see, today we attempted to broaden our professors musical horizon, as it turns out theres no interest for Bobby Shmurda or Odd Future, but than again thats just us. To be honest I don't think Ive laughed so much in a car, especially the time spent in todays rides. So back to what I was saying, we than went to Crimeo and BoxFish. Both places seemed really interesting, and so did the people who worked there. I mean its not everyday you can talk to a Russian and and Irishman and learn something from them. Untill next time.. ;)

Day 3

Well today was a little different, we visited founders of a company which has always been a dream of mine after visiting another dream, Stanford University. The campus was worth about 2 billion back when 20 million was used to found it. The founders was very humble and I was pleased he was interested in me, as he seemed true to his ideology. I thought the museum of computer science was also interesting. In-N-Out gave me a full stomach and an energy for more. Overall its been a solid day as I was pleased the professors made dinner for us as well, that was key.

Day 2

The second day here in Silicon Valley was 200% better than the first, and that being said I don't want to discredit the first day I was here, because it was awesome. Monday was filled with following two different executives from VMWare and NetApp. Personally, if I were to work for one of those company's I would choose VMWare because of its huge green campus and ability to sustain a highly productive culture in such a relaxed environment really appeals to me. The day was filled with some nice features that I must to also confessing appreciation in. For instance at NetApp I gave me business card to a senior manager who added me on LinkedIN within the first thirty minutes following, as this also was indicative of the high energy culture in the valley, as it is expected to tackled invitations and challenges with urgency. As a matter of fact when I asked Chris from NetApp what the company's core values were he mentioned one of the first ones was urgency, so it is relieving to know that even someone who talks to you for fifteen minutes will still exhibit those characteristics listed in the core values of a company, especially when the company has more than 2,000 employees. I'm excited and happy to know that the

First day here

California is a funny place when touring just the area of Palo Alto. You can basically see the nicest and cleanest neighborhoods of the US while also seeing that for the majority of the population in PA, dressing spiffy really is not expected or shown. There are some quirky rules for traffic, for instance one cannot turn right on red, and the fines for such violations are subject to the neighborhood your in. For that matter, the penalties are random numbers like $381.00, whats with the extra dollar? Also, the area has its own perfect culture. The streets are always clean, the universities and high schools are prestigious as can be, and the cars driven are all relatively new and somewhat fancy. Palo Alto is almost like a little bubble of heaven with some kinks here and there. I do find interest in all the startups throughout the town as it is very interesting how these companies found there ability to adapt and survive in an area where the restrictions and regulations are so harsh.

Response to Chapter 14, 19, & 22

When I first picked up this book I thought I would be reading some boring old book on technology, and as it turns out its not half bad. The book details many recent aspects since it document's events leading up to two years ago which I found much interest in. As a business major I was more interested in the last readings in chapter 14 of A History of Silicon Valley since its focus was on investment banking and law.

Chapter 14 explains the importance behind having lawyers and investment bankers supporting the engine of venture capitalists, as they should. One quote that really stood out to me is in fact on the very first page of the chapter, as it captured my attention. The quote discusses the importance of investment banking by quoting VC Tom Perkin's who said "They're a necessary evil." This quote almost made me laugh because when you think of anyone who is working with millions and millions of dollars, you almost create this money hungry Wolf on Wall Street character in your mind, so implying there is evil behind it makes you think its almost comically written for the next portion your about to read. However the true evil behind them is that since most of these banks are dominated by conglomerate corporations such as Goldman & Sachs, there is in fact a huge piece of wall street that plays into it; so much that the lawyers defending these companies almost had there own treasury stocks, if you will..

Later in chapter 19 the book details the early failures from an analytical perspective. One attempt in the case studies was to document the failure of Apple making, what you could call the very first iPad in the 1990s. However this 6,000 product was in fact called Figaro, and the demand curve for technology had not grown enough to create the desire for people to drop that much money on Figaro. Personally, I found it really interesting to find Apple taking its projects to abandoned warehouse, because its almost as if they are SEAL team 6 briefing before a meeting. Its funny how the book phrases its facts to appear almost comical. Later in chapter 22 the book details the failures of electronic startups in the valley. It is said that "25% of these startups would fail after two years" but interestingly enough the startups that did well were the ones that shared the same man manufacturers in other countries.

"Silicon Valley really is more innovative, study finds" - Blog Response

     Lisa M. Krieger expresses her passionate appreciation in an informative article regarding the unstoppable momentum Silicon Valley has made through its high energy in start up companies. Silicon Valley is a Mecca for startup, surely, there has to be a secret to why so many startups are successful. "Startups in Menlo Par, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale have 20 times the average quality of the median and 90 times that of the lowest ranked cities in California" (Krieger 1). Scott Stern, co-author of the MIT and National Bureau of Economic Research stated "We have a habitat here that creates a supportive environment, and we have the infrastructure -- the VC, the lawyers, and accountants," said Scott. Krieger allows Stern to take the lead in her article, expressing that the close vicinity between the lawyers, accountants, and other assets really add an incredible amount of value to the area, creating an eco-system of closely tied powerhouses. This monstrous powerhouse, in my personal opinion, is what drives the energy of the valley. Its a self defined environment, totally cool, and impeccably driven.
       I would like to adress this notion that is mentioned in the article however. The assumption is one can measure growth of these startups by "meaning". For instance, if your measuring true growth by the characteristics that define a company, and linking them to the amount of an IPO, to find a correlation; there is an expectation to find meaning. The entrepreneurial hotspots represent a great depiction of the evolving cloud of energy that lingers on top of the valley. Krieger elaborates throughout the article inferring Stern and his colleague's philosophy on measuring "meaningful growth" will change how Silicon Valley is approached by other startups, and change how entrepreneurs start their journey. However, I'm not really sold on the whole idea that high quality startups are absolutely revolved around the laboratories, because many start ups are not founded off the principle of getting assistance from conglomerates of databases across the neighboring fence. What I'm saying is, is I find it to be a very logical and concise article; however it bulges with bias because it does not establish more than 5 groups that have tested this theory to its limits.
       On the flip side, Krieger elaborates further with more than credible sources referencing the anticipation MIT has to get their hands wet in the area. Its an interesting inference, and after digging deeper through this article you since Cambridge's intention to congregate with executives from Silicon Valley. My take on the issue? I dig it! I think any business person would do it, but not any person would know how to do it! MIT is one of the most prominent institutions in the country. This goes back to my previous point, start ups do not revolve around laboratories, they successfully operate off quantitative analytics and data. MIT is more data and research driven from a quantitative perspective.
All-in-all the article is a good one, and I am eager to see how the energy of silicon valley correlates, hopefully positive, with the newest intentions of MIT. MIT really has few failures once a strong evaluation is done. I'm sure the future is going to be full of new things from the joint-efoo

A few things you shouldn't really know about me, but Im going to say anyways

Well I could tell anyone about all the times I've been hunting in TX, or all the crazy college shenanigans I have accumulated throughout the years, but that wouldn't be very helpful now would it, so I'll tell you who I really am. I am a sophomore future oriented in an exciting way that relates to both technology and business, with a wide ranging intellectual curiosity that continually feeds my educational interest and ability to relate well with people. Other than that boring and long statement, I have a personality. I have a passion for business, and I also have a passion for technology. So what do you get when you combined all of those? Well just the coolest guy in town...just kidding! I like to have a great time, and at the end of the day I like to watch FOX News, rather than pick up an article from People Magazine. I'm a huge believe in Jesus Christ, and a firm believer in ensuring that my life is aligned with his goal.

Coming from Texas, I have a huge passion for hunting, and yes it is a sport. We're not entitled savages running around wild with guns as we please in the lone star state. We have rules and regulations for the sportsman hunting on his property. In fact, I recently enjoyed what you could call a rite of passage, for a young man from Texas. Over this past winter break, I successfully and cleanly killed my first deer. Now, the word, cleanly, yes let me explain what I mean. When your going to take an animals life to put food on the table, and yes I mean we only hunt to eat, you need to do it quickly and with a clean shot. Precisely what I did. I cant express how eager I was to do such a thing, because I had dreamed of being the young man that I am wandering through the woods with my rifle, and using my own knowledge from previous hunts, to successfully accomplish what had been desired for a decade or so. I was proud, what can I say?

Other than that tidbit about my life, I really can only say I don't plan on asking for a job when I'm out of college, I plan on giving people one. I plan on taking after my grandfathers idea and starting my own business, specifically technology related, but thats for another time to talk about. Im not sure I can trust elaborating on my business related aspirations on a blog. It just may be that good, but who knows, theres a long way ahead.