Silicon Valley replaces inherited East Coast status with achievement-based meritocratic status

Evidence

The mythology of Silicon Valley success holds that those who “make it” do so due to their excellent ideas and ability, because the tech scene is a meritocracy that rewards intelligence and hard work. Paulina Barsook writes: “Philosophical technolibertarianism gives one pause because it colors, deeply and widely and mostly unconsciously, a zillion personal and institutional decisions. The notion that because one is rich one must be smart, however fallacious, is deeply embedded: People can equate piles of money—or the promise of it—with good sense, wisdom, and savoir faire.” This meritocratic notion of wealth through accomplishment was often contrasted with an archaic view of the East Coast as peppered with prep schools and debutante balls. Anu Nigam said, “There’s no past legacy like in the East Coast, or tradition. It’s who you work with, who you know, what have you done.” Sarah Lacy concurred: “When I hear ‘social status’ I think of like a very East Coast notion of it. I just think it’s so different here. It’s so wrapped up in achievement.” Dan Nye, describing what made San Francisco unique, said, “On the East Coast you frequently start the conversation with what prep school, what college, where did you spend your summers—there’s less of that out here.” — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 661

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Weber’s status vs class distinction and Bourdieu’s cultural capital — the East Coast/West Coast contrast is a lived instance of status acquired vs ascribed. — connects to: Silicon Valley’s ascendant tribe is a global network, not a regional elite — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 168; Silicon Valley grants status through affiliation or self-proclaimed blogging legitimacy rather than credentials — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 480; Tech scene meritocracy claims mask the need for preexisting elite networks — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 204 (+1 more)
• DEFINE: Frames the field’s core contrast: meritocratic ‘achievement status’ versus inherited ‘ascribed status’ as the scene understands itself.
• QUESTION: Marwick will likely complicate this self-mythology — worth tracking how the meritocratic claim actually masks networked privilege within the scene.

Broader Connections

• Tech scene meritocracy claims mask the need for preexisting elite networks #complicates (0.85) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 204
• Silicon Valley grants status through affiliation or self-proclaimed blogging legitimacy rather than credentials #complicates (0.75) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 480
• Silicon Valley’s anti-conspicuous consumption ethos protects the myth that success reflects merit alone #complicates (0.75) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 367