What Silicon Valley can learn from Wall Street's disaster

What can Silicon Valley learn from Wall Street?  If you're on Twitter today, the answer to this question would be, "put us in charge."

Not a good idea.

A lot of the folks tweeting this morning level an interesting type of criticism at Wall Street.  Those Wall Street people and their pals in Washington are not ethical.  They're not fair.  They don't share.  They want the system to serve them.  They are inept leaders.

I'm not sure we in Silicon Valley are in a position to lead the charge on ethics, leadership or self absorption.  That's because, as we learned earlier in this decade, we suffer the same maladies as our buddies on Wall Street.  Many of us do not share credit with others for their contributions to a team effort.  We don't invite new blood into our cozy circles.  We often work with hidden agenda.  We get in line only when a bigger bully lowers the boom.

We in Silicon Valley talk about collaboration but we have a lot to learn about what collaboration means.  We suffer just as much from the seductions of elitism -- being invited to the right parties, knowing the right people.

So I suggest that we in Silicon Valley look at our own behavior.  And remember that a lot of us are here because we did business with Wall Street and benefited greatly from the experience.  We just might be Wall Street.  Without the $700 billion.  So let's eat some of that dog food we're selling on Twitter and in the blogs.  Let's start spreading the wealth, whatever the currency.

Comments

[Ryan Graves]

great that you are bringing a reality check to the valley. it's always a good thing to reality check any group, although it's difficult to reality check from within. much respect.