Still, you may have heard about friction between these companies and their geographic homes. The woman whose Google glass was snatched from her face by people who didn't want to be captured on video while out carousing. The protesters who don't want Google buses co-opting scarce parking, bus zones and traffic lanes. The people who object to Twitter getting tax exemptions in return for deigning to have their offices in San Francisco. And there are quite a lot of people who don't like the fact that Facebook exists primarily to mine their personal information and sell it to advertisers. I won't even provide a link for that one, you can... google it.
And you've possibly heard about the demographics, that these startups are predominantly young, male and white or Asian. If you study these companies' web sites or corporate profiles, or even their own statements, you will find things like "Among us, we have eight kids and 15 tattoos. We are the proud parents to six cats and 19 dogs" and "We’ve downloaded well over 1800 apps and have thousands of photos on our cameras (mostly of the aforementioned kids and dogs)." The degree of conformity, insularity and narcissism rivals that of any old boy network you'd care to name, but now instead of a Skull and Bones tattoo, it's some cultural-tourism artifact. If you've ever seen a twenty-something white guy with a Polynesian tattoo, you know what I'm talking about.
It's easy to say, and it's often said, that if you have a problem with any of this, you are:
- Standing in the way of progress
- Playing a victim card because you can't get a good job
- Irrelevant because you're not part of this exciting time in tech
I think there is another problem, though, that isn't being talked about much. It's that Web 2.0 is as much of a bubble as Web 1.0 was.
Web 1.0 companies were woefully short of sound business planning, but at least they provided useful services. Pets.com delivered pet food. Various grocery companies delivered groceries. Kozmo.com reputedly delivered anything. The whole party collapsed because they couldn't make money doing it, but people recognized what was being offered, and they wanted it, and they used it to the point where the companies couldn't afford to keep going with all those free deliveries.
Web 2.0 companies deliver social media, which of course I love, I am using it to publish this article. There are also a lot of companies that provide B2B and SaaS services, which might be a bit harder for the lay person to understand. And if you are looking for a job in this market, you may be mystified trying to understand exactly what these companies actually do.
There is marketing, of course. Cloud-based, SEO, B2B and SaaS as mentioned, enterprise software. No doubt all these things mean something to other business people. My wife, who has a degree in Media and Communications Science, tells me that many companies' marketing initiatives have to do with improving their visibility in Google searches. But I use Google search all the time, and I've never heard of many of these companies. What are they selling, and to whom?
There is marketing, of course. Cloud-based, SEO, B2B and SaaS as mentioned, enterprise software. No doubt all these things mean something to other business people. My wife, who has a degree in Media and Communications Science, tells me that many companies' marketing initiatives have to do with improving their visibility in Google searches. But I use Google search all the time, and I've never heard of many of these companies. What are they selling, and to whom?
Unless you believe in the Illuminati, the New World Order and a shadow economy in which "they" buy and sell us to each other (sounds likely now that I mention it), it's hard to understand exactly what is underpinning all this high tech productivity.
Then there is the work culture itself. In looking at the employee reviews for one fast-growing company, one finds tidbits like:
This model seems as unsustainable to me as Web 1.0. To put it more bluntly, I think the emperor has no clothes. There is no there there. The bubble will burst. The only question is, when?
Then there is the work culture itself. In looking at the employee reviews for one fast-growing company, one finds tidbits like:
Compensation is lower than other companies, but that is part of the start-up culture.
Low compensation and a lot of hours
The only con about [redacted] is low compensation. It can be frustrating working long hours and knowing that you are not being rewarded for it in a monetary form.
- Lifestyle??? - this is your lifestyle. ;)My favorite review, though, was the one that provided this list of "pros":
- Increased our free kitchen food from just coffee to tons of Costco goodies including string cheese, cereal, yogurt, spicy cheetos, kit kats and moreAnd here is the only "con" this reviewer listed:
- Added bike share program, bar, massage chair, new foosball table, yoga class, professional training opportunities
- Increased the number of women in our company
- Work with people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicity
- Throw pretty awesome celebrations including Halloween parties with a bouncy castle/slide and 200 person party on a cruise around the bay
Long hours are sometimes required, but it's no different than pulling all-nighters to get papers done in college so not a huge complaint.So essentially you are expected to work long hours for low compensation and be happy because you get string cheese, cereal, cheetos and candy and get to play in a bouncy castle. Is this a career, or is it a sweatshop with the rewards of a preschool?
This model seems as unsustainable to me as Web 1.0. To put it more bluntly, I think the emperor has no clothes. There is no there there. The bubble will burst. The only question is, when?
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