I was happy to be around, if not involved. Startup School afterparty at Anybots was a dream. Trevor even pinched me with his new robot (at my request).
There were posers even back then, though. I remember one guy getting very drunk, saying “Ok, this is it,” and walking up to pg to pitch his startup. I’m not sure who I felt worse for, him or pg.
Fun times for a 22 year old nerd on his first trip to USA. I grew a thick skin fast.
The fact that a random kid from Europe could even get a chance to show up and speak to all those amazing people ... priceless. Just wish I had had the chops to do more with the opportunity.
> You’re an idiot
That seems awfully rude of them. They don't sound like very pleasant people.
If A being rude to B, there's a good chance B will walk away, even if B could argue their point.
If the situation is such that B can't walk away -- meaning that A has power over B -- then A being rude in that context is not only unpleasant, but possibly also an abuse of power by A.
(Only if it’s true though! A surprising number of founders try to BS their way, which is always a mistake.)
They are not testing for such things. Sometimes over drinks, someone might say something, possibly rude, possibly just perceived as that. I wouldn't perceive it as rude if someone said to me 'Kid, XYZ is dead!'. It's just a statement.
There are not 'introduction of variables' here.
Also, I would perceive it a rude to meet someone in a social situation and have them 'pitch' to me. That part of 'always hustling' in every social setting is one of the reasons I will never move back to the Valley.
It's just not something that people outside the game would handle well.