Mecca

Every field, every era, has one.

A place where the brightest minds collide, sparking new ideas and pushing boundaries. Athens had its philosophers, Florence its artists, Paris its writers. These places become like hives, attracting talented people drawn by the energy and opportunity.

The field’s heroes band together and create communities with such fervor that it feels almost religious. As if they’re pilgrims in the holy lands.

A Mecca.

For tech, that place has been Silicon Valley for more than five decades. Since the 1980s, almost every successful tech entrepreneur and company has had ties to Silicon Valley. Sure, today’s world is more connected than ever. We have virtual networks and online communities. But there’s a different kind of energy when you’re physically present, when you can meet a legendary engineer at a coffee shop or bump into your future co-founder at McDonald’s.

It’s like Hamming said. You need to find where the people doing interesting things in your field are, and go there.

San Francisco, here I come.