<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfMessage"><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div>On 18 May 2025, at 14:44, r.stricklin <bear@typewritten.org> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div><meta charset="UTF-8"><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;">I find Steve Blank’s “Secret History” compelling, if perhaps not entirely exhaustive. I wasn’t there and couldn’t say, but it seems to me like a good explanation for a substantial portion of the story. Steve gives a lot of the credit to Terman’s ability to engage DARPA.</div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><br></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><a href="https://steveblank.com/secret-history/">https://steveblank.com/secret-history/</a></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><br></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><br></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;">ok</div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;">bear.</div></div></blockquote></div><div><br></div><div>Ric,</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks for the great reply.</div><div><br></div><div>Like Unix, there were a lot of actors who contributed to the success of Silicon Valley, all on the critical path.</div><div><br></div><div>Terman & his work with Stanford is a big certainly part of the story, but I don’t agree with the Stanford view that they were wholly, or mainly, responsible for Silicon Valley.</div><div>Terman tried very hard to sell his model after 1966, but nobody could see how to implement it - suggesting to me it was only possible within the context of California.</div><div><br></div><div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Carolyn Tajnai, 1996</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>From the Valley of Heart's Delight to the Silicon Valley</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>CSL-TR-97-713</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><http://i.stanford.edu/pub/cstr/reports/csl/tr/97/713/CSL-TR-97-713.pdf></div></div><div><br></div><div>California grew rapidly before and outside Silicon Valley, Hollywood springs to mind.</div><div>It’s grown faster than every other US State and all other nations, at least from 1900-2000.</div><div><br></div><div>While it’s population has grown largely from immigration,</div><div>the GDP per person has also grown faster than elsewhere.</div><div><br></div><div>The “mainly” Stanford / Terman hypothesis isn’t the whole story IMHO,</div><div>because the prior 50+ years of growth in California shows somehow it was “special”.</div><div><br></div><div>Other people point to the climate, cheap Real Estate, lots of jobs, business opportunities, good pay and other factors… </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>[ there was a significant ‘barrier to entry’ for settling in The West - the high cost of getting there ]</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>[ Most / all of the Immigrants from ‘back East’ were educated middle class with savings & ambition ]</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>[ New York, in comparison, had immigrants living in slums and working for subsistence wages, ]</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>[ NYC was a recreation of the Feudal social hierarchy they’d fled. Very few got rich, nearly none without money ]</div><div><br></div><div>None of those reasons is necessary & sufficient, IMHO.</div><div><br></div><div>California also has progressive politics, even under Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenegger.</div><div>The state has been a leader in pollution & environmental laws since the 1960’s.</div><div><br></div><div>Although the term, “vigilante", was coined in San Francisco before it had strong law enforcement,</div><div>was part of “The Wild West” where cowboys carried firearms and <span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">‘</span>settled differences’ by shooting,</div><div>California now has stricter gun laws than most states and lower rates of gunshot deaths.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><<a href="https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/">https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/</a>></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Perhaps the stronger environmental laws is partly explained by a Constitutional protection preventing ‘capture’</div><div>of the legislature & judiciary by Political Parties & elected officials, allowing the citizens to force change directly:</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Citizen Initiated Referenda / Initiatives [ links below ]</div><div><br></div><div>This forms part of the context of California, something different about its culture, but isn’t “the One thing”.</div><div><br></div><div>As I said, I’ve sifted through a lot [ for me ] and not been able to find a definitive casual link,</div><div>leading me to think it’s a constellation of reinforcing conditions that created & sustained Silicon Valley.</div><div><br></div><div>Stanford & Terman were necessary in this, of course. Thanks for the comments & good links.</div><div><br></div><div>cheers</div><div>steve j</div><div><br></div><div><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">================</span></div><div><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div><<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_ballot_proposition">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_ballot_proposition</a>></div><div><br></div><div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>There are three forms of direct democracy in California state elections: </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>mandatory referendums (part of the Constitution of California since 1856), </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>optional referendums, and </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>initiatives.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The initiative and optional (or facultative) referendum were introduced as Progressive Era reforms in 1911, </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>by a constitutional amendment called Proposition 7.</div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>History of California Initiatives</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><<a href="https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/resources-and-historical-information/history-california-initiatives">https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/resources-and-historical-information/history-california-initiatives</a>></div><div><br></div><div>================</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Gregory Gromov in “El Dorado” notes another contributing factor - banning of ‘anti-compete’ clauses in employment contracts.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><<a href="http://silicon-valley-history.com/">http://silicon-valley-history.com/</a>></div><div><br></div><div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>With this catalyst of scientific and technological process acting locally in just one American state, </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>a very special law was enacted in California in 1872.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The law in question declared null and void any contract between a business owner and employee </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>if said contract in any way restricted the employee’s freedom to change employers, </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>even if that meant joining the former employer’s competition.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In other words, any previously signed agreements—for example, an employee contract signed upon hiring—</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>that could in any way limit the employee’s right to freely choose his or her place of work </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>were deemed unenforceable in this 1872 law. </div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>More specifically, those clauses that were in conflict with this law were deemed unenforceable.</div><div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>As a result of this cascade of direct and indirect consequences from the application of this law in Silicon Valley, </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>today a number of generally operating U.S. legal standards, including some of the most important, </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>are practically blocked (“de facto” canceled).</div></div><div><br></div><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">================</span><div><font color="#000000"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br></span></font><div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">--<br>Steve Jenkin, IT Systems and Design <br>0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915)<br>PO Box 38, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA<br><br>mailto:sjenkin@canb.auug.org.au http://members.tip.net.au/~sjenkin</div>
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