I know, it’s hard to believe but I swear Steve Rubel said something relevant. He’s dead on and it reminds me of his writings from a couple of years ago. I would have missed it completely if Dave Winer didn’t link to it. What a great way to start the morning.
The bubble really began in earnest on October 9, 2006 when Google bought YouTube. That’s when every person with an entrepreneurial itch woke up and smelled the hype and money. Prior to then, startups were more focused on the entrance, not the exit. But the Google YouTube deal and many others that followed (including big time investments) really opened up the floodgates to money and it changed the attitude of the web.
The problem: The people behind these companies are so wrapped up in the unrealistic expectation of becoming rich (the exit) the entrance (making a quality product or service that users will appreciate and has longevity) is ignored. One of the reasons the guys and I started 3by9 was due to the lack of honesty about anything internet related anymore. We talked about that in the podcast (not work safe…there’s cursing in that podcast).
This weekend I ventured out (in a night social setting) for the first time in months because I’ve been recuperating. My friends and I were invited to a party in an area we normally do not socialize in. There was a wide age range at the party - between 21 and 50+. I think I had one alcoholic drink the entire evening because I wanted to soak in my new surroundings. The trend was to get drunk and act like kids. An example, fake tongue kisses. Drunk, the female sticks her tongue out, the guy leans in for the “kiss” (that never happens) and they take a picture. My daughter and her friends outgrew that last year. Now I understand when people say they don’t feel comfortable around people who don’t drink. They claim it’s to understand the “jokes”. No. It’s to excuse the fact they are about to revert to childhood. The 20 year olds in my party were just as stunned as I was at the behavior these kids who call themselves adults were displaying so it wasn’t an age thing. The general assessment was it was “okay” (but pathetic) if the person was under 25 but over 25 was ridiculous. These people honestly didn’t know how to act in a social setting and once sober, makes the excuse “I had too much to drink, whoops!” - acknowledging their behavior was messed up.
The people acting like kids are the ones that want to start a businesses and cash out quick. They put as much thought into their startup as they do when they socialize. There is a huge difference between having a good time and reverting to child-like behavior just like there is a huge difference between focusing on the exit instead of the entrance. They take their immature behavior (meaning: emotionally undeveloped; juvenile; childish), start a company that is so focused on making a quick buck it sucks, fill it with their immature friends, find some other immature people to support their lack luster effort, then they pray. Or never excels in the first place.
“You never learn anything hanging with the same people.” - Dave Winer
I wonder how long it will take these people to realize they first have to grow up and to do that they have to shed their immature behavior? The immature, unrealistic behavior doesn’t stay parked in the club…it’s littered in everything they do. Which is why they think a half-ass effort will really work. Which is why those half-ass efforts are supported for a hot minute by immature people who don’t see the half-ass effort. Which is why most, even if they receive that venture capital, never get that unrealistic exit they were expecting. Instead of drinking vodka and gin they should have been drinking Kool-Aid - that’s the kiddie drink.
Here’s an example: Tom, the MySpace founder, is lying about his age and has been lying from the beginning. If you read the comments on Tech Crunch you’ll immediately be able to tell the kid from the adult. This comment sums it up pretty good:
I’d agree that this isn’t earth-shattering news, but it *is* interesting (at least to me). It raises the question of why this dude felt the need to lie about his age. Is there some sort of real or perceived age bias out west? If so, then I’ll make a point not to move there! I’m 39, I live in the midwest USA, and no-one seems to care about age here. You can either get the job done or you can’t. To be honest, my age means that I’ve been able to acquire more experience and develop more skills than most people younger than me. Why would I want to hide that?
It’s not the age, it’s the behavior, the frame of mind…the maturity. That is what is the basis on how well a job gets done. The internet is filled with crap because the people behind those startups lack the right frame of mind, the maturity to successfully launch and maintain a business.
Sorry kiddies, only grown-ups can sit at the grown-up table.
