Valley Psych

Interesting essay on the psychology of Silicon Valley and the notion that there is no problem technology cannot solve.

One therapist, who worked in-house at a large tech company, described the attitude as one of ‘unaware exceptionalism’: the perception of doing something new and radical was often accompanied by a sense of hubris and, in extreme cases, almost an expectation of worship. Positive feedback loop reinforces this: companies, the media, and the public exalts these individuals, further encouraging others in the industry to mimic the behaviour. 

I had opportunity to immerse myself for a very short-while in one of these large tech companies. The experience was quite educational for someone who is very far removed from that eco-system. Everyone is on company kool-aid to make for an immersive work experience I suppose. When these folks come into contact with an outsider, they want to make sure you have a healthy appetite for the said kool-aid. If not they have very little use for you. It is a condition for admittance to the club. 

You need to talk the values of the company (often inseparable from the larger than life cult-like personality of the founder) and and value proposition its product as if it were the one true religion. There is a remarkable degree of conformity to the talking points that are refreshed annually at a huge company-wide jamboree. This is the time and place for the brass to lay out their grand vision and the illumine the path forward. Those are the edicts for the balance of the year and the "messaging" must be repeated verbatim at all times. Talking creative liberties with the words of the grand poobah is most unwelcome. 

Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to observe this group of people off the clock, on their own time, doing their own thing. It would be nice to know if they parked the kool-aid aside when they were able and could be real people like the rest of us. Would be a real tragedy if the kool-aid had permeated their souls.