Elite tech status requires acceptance by a small closed inner network

Evidence

As Tristan Walker explained, “I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been immersed in that network, and it’s a very, very small network, but it’s hard to get in that small network.” Those with these connections are often careful to make them public. — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 202

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to network gatekeeping in Milgrom’s law merchant piece — closed entry substituting for screening. — connects to: Silicon Valley’s ascendant tribe is a global network, not a regional elite — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 168; Tech scene meritocracy claims mask the need for preexisting elite networks — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 204; Tech industry success depends on personal connections, not merit alone — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 665 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Tech scene meritocracy claims mask the need for preexisting elite networks #corroborates (0.95) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 204
• Tech industry success depends on personal connections, not merit alone #corroborates (0.90) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 665
• Middle-to-upper-class wealth filters who can build tech elite connections #expands (0.80) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 672
• Tech insiders maintain a clear status ladder from talkers to exited founders #expands (0.80)
• Small networked elite groups can dominate policy debates without being a majority #expands (0.75) — Dieter Plehwe, Quinn Slobodian & Philip Mirowski (eds.), Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, 443