New York City is the Future of the Web
November 17, 2009
I'm here at the Web 2.0 Expo in NYC today, my first big tech industry conference in a long time, where I'm also excitedly getting ready for my keynote tomorrow.
But one of the things I'm most proud of is that has something of a valedictory feel to it, as we note that many of the best, most interesting, most subversive and disruptive startups in the world are based here. From Foursquare to Hunch, Kickstarter to Square, Etsy to the newly-funded 20×200 (they're hiring!). That's not counting the dozens of tech-based media businesses that have spring up in the wake of Gawker and Huffington Post. And best of all, I think many of them have been influenced by the seminal NYC Web 2.0 startup, Meetup, which not only helps knit our startup community together, but introduced many of the elements of social responsibility and an old-fashioned We Make Money business model that distinguish New York startups from those in Silicon Valley and elsewhere.
(Update: To my chagrin, I forgot Outside.in, another great NYC startup that I've found inspiring. I'm sure there are more omissions, too, but I'll add 'em as they come to me.)
New York City startups are as likely to be focused on the arts and crafts as on the bits and bytes, to be influenced by our unparalleled culture as by the latest browser features, and informed by the dynamic interaction of different social groups and classes that's unavoidable in our city, but uncommon in Silicon Valley. Best of all, the support for these efforts can come from investors and supporters that are outside of the groupthink that many West Coast VC firms suffer from. When I lived in San Francisco, it was easy to spend days at a time only interacting with other web geeks; In New York, fortunately, that's impossible.
Am I biased? Sure. But are there half a dozen startups anywhere in the world as interesting and full of potential as these new NYC efforts? Isn't it exciting that these are all built around the full potential of the open web, instead of merely trying to be land grabs within the walled gardens of closed platforms? I'm more optimistic about the environment and opportunity for starting new ventures than I've been in ages, and for me the fundamental reasons why are demonstrated best by startups that could only happen in New York City.
Plus, we have bagels. Delicious bagels.
2:14 PM
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I'd toss in Tumblr and Boxee into that line up as well but only to drive home the point that NYC has become fertile ground for innovation in the tech space.
And the USERS live here!
i dont think thats going to happen, web does expand, never seems to be concentrated
Well said. Party I think NYC will succeed because it is a city. There is a certain kind of creativity and dynamism you can only get with the density and interconnectedness of a real city. If you haven't seen it already, here are some good thoughts on the subject that came out recently: http://blog.irvingwb.com/blog/2009/10/innovation-entrepreneurship-and-the-evolution-of-cities.html
I think you raise some great points and certainly New York City is amongst the great cities of the world and full of smart, talented and motivated people.
However, I also found a few of your comments to be of the feather-ruffling variety.
Perhaps this post was intended only for your NYC readers, in which case, it's a success. However, if you are trying to persuade other readers of your point, you might want to stay away from phrases like "unparalleled culture." Certainly NYC has a culture unlike any other city, which makes your statement technically correct, but there is an air of superiority to it that is off-putting, at least to me.
I also found your statement that "When I lived in San Francisco, it was easy to spend days at a time only interacting with other web geeks; In New York, fortunately, that's impossible," to be a bit misleading. I assume that you're saying that because it was so easy to spend time only with "other web geeks," that is why you did so, whereas in NYC, you're actually forced to interact with other types of people. I just wish you would take more ownership of that decision. I live in SF and interact on a daily basis with a myriad of personalities and passions, very few of which have anything to do with Silicon Valley or the geek culture that exists here. If you were motivated to surround yourself with other people besides web geeks when you were in SF, you easily could have. That was your choice, and though I am glad NYC forces you to surround yourself with people outside of that world, it was always available to you here.
I know that I'm coming to this with a bit of defensiveness... after all, SF is the place I call home. However, I did live in NYC for just under ten years, so I think I can speak somewhat intelligently on behalf of both cities.
Mostly, I think you're the best and I'm glad you start these types of conversations. And I appreciate that you are honest about your bias.
It sounds like AMAZING things are coming out of NYC, just as they are out of SF and Silicon Valley and I look forward to what the future brings for web geeks... and the rest of us. :)
Hi Anil -
I completely agree with you about the vibrancy of the New York City startup community. Hopefully you'll get to take a look at www.oyster.com at some point - possibly for choosing a hotel. DC and Boston coverage coming soon for those trips up and down the east coast.
Elie
Wait, SquareUp is New York based? From what I've heard they have one part-time employee in New York and like 7 full-time employees in San Francisco (not counting Jack)...
You're right about the tech bubble / group think in San Francisco, but there are some advantages to that culture too. Point taken though :).
Anil, it was great meeting you at the W2E and hearing all about Expert Labs. Hopefully we'll be able to connect again soon. Your post was great and really highlights how you don't have to be in the "valley" to do tech.
I'm an SF guy but NY native and on this trip back a NY entrepreneur declared "ny start-ups are exciting now because they're designing for users." Notion was that most entrepreneurs had previously done stints at banks or media co's and were developing companies based on their previous employer's view of the world rather than customer driven approach.
Anyway, you had me at "delicious bagels"
Thanks for the article Hi Anil. I'd also recommend London as a great place for the Web. Why? Because it's a great city trying to make itself more attractive to people to live in. Whether it has as much opportunities for start ups as New York is a different question...