The supposedly egalitarian tech scene has an explicit insider status hierarchy

Evidence

The technology scene has a well understood and clear social hierarchy, notwithstanding proclamations of its inclusiveness or openness. Despite frequent claims by technologists that the scene was egalitarian, during my period of study insiders were happy to describe divisions in great detail. Blogger and marketing entrepreneur Tara Hunt, for example, explained her perceptions of the community to me this way: the “lower rungs of the hierarchy,” she said, are “those who are talking about it.” These are the people who follow the happenings of the community and network in hopes that their plans for a startup might one day come true. Hunt then described the “middle class” as those who are “working on it”—actually creating a startup. (Note her use of “on it” as a universally understood synonym for “founding a startup,” indicating a shared knowledge and priorities.) The lowest in that stratum are those “just doing it for money” or pursuing projects with dubious prospects for success; those who are working on something promising lead that class. “The top, the upper crust, are the people that have done it,” Hunt said. “They had a company people loved. They sold it. They are now doing whatever the hell they please.” — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 180

Categorization

• XREF: The talking/working/having-done-it ladder anticipates modern influencer tiers of aspirant, mid-tier, and top creator rolled into today’s creator-economy discourse. — connects to: Tech status hierarchies are made visible and reinforced through public digital connections — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 202; Elite tech status requires acceptance by a small closed inner network — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 202; Tech scene meritocracy claims mask the need for preexisting elite networks — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 204 (+4 more)
• SHARE: Tara Hunt’s ‘done it / working on it / talking about it’ ladder is a nerdy field-internal formulation a specific person studying status would enjoy.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 180

Broader Connections

• Tech insiders maintain a clear status ladder from talkers to exited founders #expands (0.90)
• Tech status hierarchies are made visible and reinforced through public digital connections #expands (0.85) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 202
• Tech scene meritocracy claims mask the need for preexisting elite networks #expands (0.85) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 204
• Silicon Valley’s meritocratic rhetoric masks real class hierarchy #exemplifies (0.85) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 177
• Elite tech status requires acceptance by a small closed inner network #qualifies (0.80) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 202
• Tech’s meritocracy rhetoric contradicts its actual demographics and practices #exemplifies (0.80) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 645
• Technology scene status is conferred through one’s position in business #qualifies (0.75) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 181