Business Precepts for Silicon Valley: Shouting at the Grand Canyon?

July 13, 2023

Note: This essay is the work of a real and still-alive dinobaby. No smart software involved, just a dumb humanoid.

I love people with enthusiasm and passion. What’s important about these two qualities is that they often act like little dumpsters at the Grand Canyon. People put a range of discarded items into them, and hard-working contractors remove the contents and dump them in a landfill. (I hear some countries no longer accept trash from the US. Wow. Imagine that.)

During one visit many years ago with the late industrial photographer John C Evans, we visited the Grand Canyon. We were visiting uranium mines and snapping pictures for a client. I don’t snap anything; I used to get paid to be in charge of said image making. I know. Quite a responsibility. I did know enough not to visit the uranium mine face. The photographer? Yeah, well, I did not provide too much information about dust, radiation, and the efficacy of breathing devices in 1973. Senior manager types are often prone to forgetting some details.

Back to the Grand Canyon.

There was an older person who was screaming into or at the Grand Canyon. Most visitors avoided the individual. I, however, walked over and listened to him. He was explaining that everyone had to embrace the sacred nature of the Grand Canyon and stop robbing the souls of the deceased by taking pictures. He provided other outputs about the evils of modern society, the cost of mule renting, and the prices in the “official” restaurants. Since I had no camera, he ignored me. He did yell at John C Evens, who smiled and snapped pictures.

I asked MidJourney to replicate this individual who thought the Grand Canyon, assorted unseen spirits, and the visitors were listening. Here’s what the estimable art system output:

I thought of this individual when I read “Seven Rules For Internet CEOs To Avoid Enshittification.” The write up, inspired by a real journalist, surfs on the professional terminology for ruining a free service. I find the term somewhat offensive, and I am amused at the broad use the neologism has found.

The article provides what I think are similar to the precepts outlined in a revered religious book or a collection of Ogden Nash statements. Let me point out that these statements contain elements of truth and would probably reduce philosophers like A.E.O. Taylor and William James to tears of joy because of their fundamental rational empiricism. Yeah. (These fellows would have told the photographer about the visit to the uranium mine face too.)

The write up lays out a Code of Conduct for some Silicon Valley-type companies. Let me present three of the seven statements and urge you to visit the original article to internalize the precepts as a whole. You may want to consider screaming these out loud in a small group of friends or possibly visiting a local park and shouting at the pedestal where a Civil War statue once stood ignored.

Selected precept one:

Tell your investors that you’re in this for the long haul and they need to be too.

Selected precept two:

Find ways to make money that don’t undermine the community or the experience.

Selected precept three and remember there are four more in the original write up:

Never charge for what was once free.

I selected three of these utterances because each touches upon money. Investors provide money to get more money in return. Power and fame are okay, but money is the core objective. Telling investors to wait or be patient is like telling a TikTok influencer to wait, stand in line like everyone else, or calm down. Tip: That does not work. Investors want money and in a snappy manner. Goals and timelines are part of the cost of taking their money. The Golden Rule: Those with the gold rule.

The idea of giving up money for community or the undefined experience is okay as long as it does not break the Golden Rule. If it does, those providing the funding will get someone who follows the Golden Rule. The mandate to never charge for what was once free is like a one-liner at a Comedy Club. Quite a laugh because money trumps customers and the fuzzy wuzzy notion of experience.

What’s my take on these and the full listing of precepts? Think about the notion of a senior manager retaining information for self preservation. Think about the crazy person shouting rules into the Grand Canyon. Now think about how quickly certain Silicon Valley type outfits will operate in a different way? Free insight: The Grand Canyon does not listen. The trash is removed by contractors. The old person shouting eventually gets tired, goes to the elder care facility or back to van life, and the Silicon Valley steps boldly toward enshittification. That’s the term, right?

Stephen E Arnold, July 12, 2023

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Business strategy, News

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.