A modern-day entrepreneur can learn a lot from the Gallic Wars that took place more than 2,000 years ago. For example, about the importance of making the alliances with the allies who won’t let you down nor betrayed at your most vulnerable. This is exactly what happened with the Romans and Gauls.
The Gauls found themselves cornered and were forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. While being chased down by the Huns, these tribes were literally starving. The Romans wouldn’t be the Romans we know if they hadn’t seized an opportunity that presented itself. They made the Gauls to be their allies against the Huns, but at the horrific price. The legend has it that the Gauls had to sell their own children into slavery in exchange for food.
What happened next? The Romans’ style is to switch sides when it suits you. The moment they didn’t longer need the Gauls to fight the Huns, the Romans turned their back on the former allies. The horrors of the famine suffered by the Gauls were simply unimaginable and beyond description. Those starving Gauls who managed to survive burned all Roman settlements they could reach to the ground with no survivors left.
So, what the Romans and Gauls got to do with Silicon Valley? Why should we care in the first place?
Quo Vadis Silicis Vallis?
The modern Silicon Valley (English) or Silicis Vallis (Latin) has a lot in common with the ancient Rome. So much more that are the tech gurus and entrepreneurs, who are living and working there, willing to admit. At the very height of their ultimate power both of these places have sunk deep into the moral and creative decadence. This isn’t an exaggeration. This is the most obvious parallel between these decadent “twins.”
The tech Romans of Silicon Valley have betrayed all entrepreneurship ideals and all of their innovation allies. They feed on the real money and ideas like the parasites while giving nothing in return except the empty promises and hollow dreams.
Stay Away Gauls! Welcome Fools!
Each year we can see the rivers of young entrepreneurs that are soaking the dry ground of Silicon Valley. Pretty soon they become aware what’s going on, but they’re too embarrassed to admit a mistake or they’re already neck-deep into debts. They become a part of the “elite.” Their ideals, innovations, dreams, reputation, everything is for sale. They aren’t waiting for the highest bidder, but the first investor to come their way. Instead of angel investors, they end up with the vulture investors of the worst kind. It’s the investor’s way or the Silicon Valley highway.
Contrary to the popular belief, the Silicon Valley “icons” and “founding fathers” didn’t begin there. By default, they had humble beginnings in their parents’ garages. Let’s mention a few: Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Google, and Amazon. The garage where Steve Jobs gave birth to Apple with Steve Wozniak is now a historic site. Those were the starving Gauls, the greedy Romans took advantage of. The Silicon Valley “golden boys” like to brag about and hide behind these “garage boys.” The tech Romans used the legends to attract the new blood to feed on. The bitter irony is that the original “founding fathers” of Silicon Valley would starve to death and face humiliating bankruptcy, if they were to team up with the tech Romans. Luckily for them, the “plague” corrupted the ideal of Silicon Valley after they successfully developed their ideas.
Burn Silicon Valley! Burn!
These garage boys are the modern day Gauls! Scattered all over the state these starving Gauls are barbarically ambitious and creative. Far away from the shiny Silicon Valley offices and abundance, they are shaking the ground with their innovations and startups.
They don’t need Silicon Valley to succeed, Silicon Valley needs them to become what it once was – a beacon of innovation and progress.
We don’t have the luxury of time to wait for the next mad emperor-investor Nero to burn Silicon Valley to the ground, so we can build it all over again. Another problem is that Silicon Valley Romans won’t gladly trade their shiny palaces for the “comfort” of innovative generators – the good old garages.
There can be no truce with the Silicon Valley Romans!
The starving Gauls won’t trade their children for food, but rather build a better future for all of our children. This is the last call to join the barbaric innovative hordes uncorrupted and uncompromising. Each success takes us one step closer to Silicon Valley. The first to come let set up a siege camp. The last one to come let bring the torch to lit the fire that will burn Silicon Valley to the ground. Our entrepreneurship Phoenix will arise from the ashes of the decadent old Silicon Valley.
There’s too much silicon in Silicon Valley! It’s about time to get back to the basics and our entrepreneurship roots.
No comments