Yes it’s interesting that so many new sites have come from former PayPal employees, but would it hurt to do an article like this about non-sillicon valley companies? It could be summed up as follows:
1. You need a strong network to succeed.
2. People that used to work at PayPal have a strong network.
3. People that used to work at PayPal are succeeding.
Shocking I know. Haven’t we heard enough about these overly hyped ex-PayPalers. With the exception of YouTube, none of them have really rocked the world in any noteworthy ways. The others have built great networks not great technologies. I’ve heard enough of this, I’m ready to hear what’s coming from places not called silicon valley.
The lesson this piece seems to send is that it matters less what the product is and more who’s behind it. A sad state, but that’s reality. And that lesson is part of the reason I’m trying to help get the Ohio tech community to come together. I may not like the lesson, but it’s one that people outside the valley need to learn.
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NYT - It pays to have firends in the valley
GigaOm - The PayPal Mafia
Valleywag - By our powers combined, we are Captain PayPal!