Silicon Valley, an surface area located outside the Bay area of California, has been synonymous with engineering science and innovation since the nineties. During this time this expanse has had its ups and downs, plenty of startup success stories as well as major expansions. How has information technology impacted the area, the people and the software industry? Obviously quite a bit, as we are about to larn… Here are xv interesting facts about Silicon Valley area, companies and those alive there.

Once an area for farming with few residents, information technology was an convulsion and a school named Stanford Academy that would brainstorm brining technological research to the area. Fred Terman was a member of the Stanford faculty and is known as the father of Silicon Valley due to his support and guidance of Bill Hewlett and David Packard, a duo he encouraged to start their own company. Transistors were too being developed and since silicon was widely available, that was used to create the transistors, hence the "silicon" part of Silicon Valley, a term used in 1985 when Don C. Hoefler published a number of articles on the area. It stuck, and equally companies flocked to the area to innovate it became a name that represents opportunity and innovation.

We've got some history, geography and sexual activity in stair wells. Say what! That's right, it's not all coding and ping pong within Silicon Valley. These techies need to get it on but like anybody else. Don't fret, we too take robots and drugs because, let's face up it, it'south pretty much the peanut butter and jelly of Silicon Valley. Here are 15 things y'all probably don't know about Silicon Valley.

15 Started Past HP; Fueled Past Internet Explosion

via venturebeat.com

David Packard and William Hewlett are said to accept been the first to gear up up shop in Silicon Valley, forming HP and setting a precedent for applied science companies, specifically startup companies to operate in Silicon Valley.

However, it was the nineties and specifically the internet that really kick started this surface area as a space for new startups. With its location near Stanford and cheaper (at the time) rent, Silicon Valley was close enough to San Francisco to pull talent, but far enough away to not be priced out for cost conscious startups. Near of the startups from the nineties that settled here no longer be, dying off when the dot-com bubble burst, but some still exercise - well known companies such as eBay, Google and Netflix got their starts during this fourth dimension. Other companies planted seeds for future companies to larn, employ their applied science and recruit talent that was plentiful after the dot-com chimera burst.

14 Once Nicknamed the Valley of Decease

Via UrbanTexture.com

In 1985, prior to the Cyberspace, Silicon Valley (led by HP at the fourth dimension) was given the nickname Valley of Death due to panic over the personal reckoner replacing jobs. Now, we know that although computers tin automate, they still require someone to operate and provide more efficiency versus job replacement. Still, at the time a lot of people were freaking out over these "machines" and how human interaction would no longer be needed.

In add-on to this fun fact, Silicon Valley locals, peculiarly those that have been around for a while, love to discuss popular culture history. The Warlocks, the name of the ring that would later get The Grateful Expressionless, played their first gig at a pizza joint in Menlo Park. The motion-picture show One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest was based on a hospital also located in Menlo Park. Also, the motion picture Dangerous Minds has Silicon Valley roots equally this movie was based on Carlmont High located in Belmont.

xiii Silicon Valley is Made Upwards of thirty Cities and 5 Universities

via huffingtonpost.com

A vast area makes upward Silicon Valley; in fact information technology's nigh 30 cities that include Cupertino, Los Gatos, Mountain View, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and many others. Geographically it stretches from San Francisco to the tip of San Jose, expanding east more each day. Where Silicon Valley officially starts and ends is now more philosophical than geographical. There is an epicenter where most companies are, but others continue to move "nigh", expanding the scope of what is referred to Silicon Valley.

In addition to the cities and towns it's the universities that produce the talent for many of these startups. Stanford Academy, the Harvard University of the West is well known and a destination for many that want to get into applied science. In add-on to Stanford this region too has Northwestern Polytechnic University, Carnegie Mellon University, San Jose State Academy and Santa Clara Academy, all very much full of eager entrepreneurs with startup plans of their own. Essentially, without Stanford there is no Silicon Valley as we know it today, and given the amount of jobs created in the surface area I would not be surprised to run into more colleges and universities pop upwards in the near hereafter.

12 Home to the Largest Number of Millionaires

via businessinsider.com

Innovation and engineering, specially new innovation and engineering, bring two things: take chances and investment. The adventure is whether your visitor can provide a product or service that someone wants to mass produce. Most startups are incubators funded by Venture Capitalists who invest their money hoping to make a lot more money. This is the investment side of it. Also the creators of the software or service ofttimes own shares of the company stock, so if the visitor is purchased or eventually is large enough to go public on the stock market, in that location is a lot of money coming in. This high take a chance versus high render is why there are and so many millionaires in Silicon Valley. In fact, there are more millionaires in Silicon Valley than whatsoever expanse in the U.S.

The boondocks of Atherton, located within the Silicon Valley region, is the most expensive zip code and home to many millionaires as well equally some billionaires. Apparently the boondocks has only one eating place so if you don't like sushi you are likely ordering in frequently.

11 No Bars Most Stanford Academy

via theculturestrip.com

So what does everyone do for fun in Silicon Valley? Well, they mostly work, considering that'due south fun, right? They also play a lot of ping pong if you actually believe that. I believe there are ping pong tables in the offices, only I don't believe anyone e'er really plays. Too much work to do! Typically, if you are in an area with a major higher you caput in that location to leave and unwind, only that doesn't happen virtually Stanford University. Stanford was a dry city up until the twelvemonth 1971. This was due to the strict guidelines put in place by the founder, Leland Stanford.

A college town without a string of bars to go get drunk and hook up with others for regrettable one-night stands? No, someone e'er finds a way and that doesn't mean there aren't some popular bars. At that place are spots such as Oasis and Dutch Goose, but you volition have to travel to the prohibition border where these archetype bars set up shop many years ago to serve those thirsty geniuses.

10 East Palo Alto Has Quite a Reputation

via signsunlimited.com

Non every area of Silicon Valley is an envious place to live. East Palo Alto has quite a reputation that goes dorsum to the nineties when it had the highest murder charge per unit in the land. Really makes me question two things. First, why hither? And 2nd, so Detroit took a year off? Anyway, obviously it'due south not this way now, but information technology's likewise not equally nice as some other places and rent is cheaper. There is also an IKEA here because, well cheaper hire.

If I was starting a metropolis there is no fashion I would put "East" in the name. Expect at East L.A. and East New York, not exactly adept reputations. I've got an idea for East Palo Alto. Get Marker Zuckerberg to fund a Christmas Anthology and have "Born In East Palo Alto" be i of the tracks. What does everyone recollect? Expert idea? No, nothing, is this thing on?

9 No Smog of Fog in Silicon Valley

via openinnovationcentral.com

When discussing California, what cities jump in your caput? Probably Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, right? Probably not Oakland and definitely non Sacramento (hey look at us, we're the capital). Anyway these cities (L.A. and San Francisco) accept smog and fog issues. Y'all don't have any of this in San Jose or the Silicon Valley. You don't have the traffic issues… Oh wait, yeah, the traffic is a nightmare here too. If you don't similar sitting in a highway parking lot, avert California.

Counterpoint: What Silicon Valley doesn't have is the ocean and let'south face it, the Pacific Bounding main is what makes California one of the greatest places to live. In summary, if you are looking to live in Silicon Valley y'all better really desire to work in technology because you lot are non getting the full California experience. Unless you lot are rich of course, because then you lot can make anything work. Best to merely be rich!

8 Peter Thiel: Hero or Villain?

via inc.com

Trump supporter Peter Thiel is one of the smartest business men in Silicon Valley. Whatsoever he invests in seems to be the right move, a motility that typically ends upward making him a lot of money. He did information technology with Paypal and Facebook, taking stake when they were small and so selling one time they got big. He as well has his money invested in many other companies that will probably to make him an even richer man in the hereafter. Thiel has set up the bar high for many investors that come up to Silicon Valley looking to become a billionaire.

Thiel is also a gay man that was "outed" past Gawker. He didn't take well to this and decided to seek revenge past bankrolling lawsuits confronting the website until they somewhen went bankrupt. The straw that broke the camel's back was the 2016 Hulk Hogan lawsuit. Honey him or hate him, Thiel is a major player that has actually created a template for success in Silicon Valley.

7 Companies That Phone call Silicon Valley Home

via businessinsider.com

In America so many major companies have started or operate in Silicon Valley information technology's really a list of who's who in the engineering space. Here is just a sample of major players y'all've heard of, and yeah, they are all from Silicon Valley: Google Inc., Hewlett-Packard Visitor, Intel Corporation, Apple Inc., Facebook Inc., Adobe Systems, eBay Inc., Nvidia, Symantec Corporation, Varian Associates, Yahoo! Inc., Cisco Systems, LinkedIn Corporation, Mozilla Foundation, Xerox PARC, Netflix Inc., AOL Inc., Sun Microsystems, TiVo Inc. and VMware Inc.

Whatsoever questions (I'll let you catch your breath)? That's a serious listing of heavy hitters and what'due south interesting is how some complement others. There are hardware companies, social networks, routers, networking, design, graphics, and search engine companies all located in the same area. Information technology makes sense if you are looking to create something innovative to exist near some of these other companies to form partnerships or peradventure fifty-fifty pull talent.

6 Some Software Engineers Live In Vans

via vans.pbs.org

Real estate is ridiculous and sure, at that place are a lot of people making money, simply at that place are also a lot of entry level tech workers and engineers that just can't afford the rent. They deal with information technology by getting roommates (sometimes several), using corporate housing or other ways such as living in a van. This is a real state of affairs that occurs in Silicon Valley. Apparently the biggest effect is where to park the van. First dominion of living in a van: Don't park the van in the company parking lot. The second rule: Don't park the van in the company parking lot. Third: Don't - well you go the picture show…

Some of the rumored stories include a Google engineer who lived in a truck in the visitor's parking lot (hey, what's the offset rule?) too as a Tesla employee who saved so much money he was able to pay off all of his school loans in five months.

5 Some Tech Workers Have Sex At The Part

via businessinsider.com

Tech companies effort to create an ultra-casual environment where stress is secondary, just let'south face information technology, if yous are a startup it'south all almost stress, especially for the engineers and employees involved in the twenty-four hour period to 24-hour interval. If you lot are spending all your time in this environment you lot are going to need to blow off steam one way or some other. 1 company had to put out an email reminding employees they are non allowed to have sex in the stairwells. Plain it likewise said no smoking, eating or drinking, just it'southward pretty articulate why there needed to exist a note.

How did they know? Well there were used condoms left in the stairwell. Talking nigh not having much time in between coding assignments! Thank God in that location was even time to utilize a condom! At this moment I'd like to point out that the email made no mention of workspaces or offices, then maybe that's allowed? In that location really is just 1 way to find out. Give it a try and see if in that location's a follow upwardly email the adjacent day. It'southward not similar you volition be fired – information technology's difficult to find practiced talent.

4 Robots! Robots! Robots!

via latinpost.com

Information technology'south true; there are a lot of robots roaming effectually in Silicon Valley (and I'm not talking about the engineers). Stay at a hotel in the area and it's not strange to take your h2o delivered to your room past a robot. And then if you like automation you lot are going to really beloved this concept and if y'all are the type of invitee that e'er wants to mutter to a human being being, you are out of luck. Welcome to Silicon Valley, bitch!

The most popular robot, the K5 security robot, was created by a company named Knightscope. This particular robot can exist seen all over the Silicon Valley area; at malls, corporate offices and fifty-fifty company data centers. It uses sensors and cameras to collect data, process and notify homo cops if there is problem. All of this is plainly washed at a fraction of the cost of having bodily security guards. Welcome to the Valley of Expiry!

3 Matchmaking is a Lucrative Business

via newswire.com

If you aren't 1 of the lucky ones getting some in the stairwell y'all may have to look elsewhere to discover love, or satisfaction. In Silicon Valley, according to Pew Research Center, in that location are 140 single men versus 100 single women in San Jose. That's not skilful odds for guys looking to find their mate, especially if you don't want to try and find someone in your function (or stairwell).

In that location are many matchmaking services in the region. Some are standard matchmaking, merely others cater to the wealthy millionaires looking to find their mate, or at least someone to date. One of these matchmaking services named Linx, charges $l,000 for 11 matches a year. That's practiced cash if you can get it. Of grade, you improve be good at what yous do given the odds. The way I see it, why not fly girls in from other areas to "assist" with the operation? Wait, what exactly am I proposing here? Yeah, I'm really not cut out for this business organisation.

2 Mobile Dentistry Is Common Here

via huffingtonpost.com

Innovation isn't merely almost software; it's nearly finding a more efficient way to operate. In Silicon Valley there is a truck that makes regular stops to companies such as Airbnb and Google to service their employees' dental needs. These trucks provide full cleaning every bit well as X-rays. My just initial business is that robots volition be performing the services. Actually, that may be better if your dentist experiences are anything like mine. Information technology'south a benefit to the employees because it'south convenient and a benefit to the company considering they are getting more work out of their employees. It'southward a win/win for both sides if you believe more work is a skilful thing…

Right away my heed wanders to what else could exist delivered via truck. Mayhap matchmakers could but pull up for the employees to elicit their services. How about laundry? What nigh medication or pharmaceutical needs? You know what, what about drugs? No, that's going besides far…

1 Mobile Weed Is Common Here

via thedailydot.com

Then you may not exist near the ocean, just you are still technically in California and that ways marijuana is available. Silicon Valley takes information technology a step further, making delivery of weed mobile, right to your desk. I've worked in places where the arrival of the taco truck is a large bargain and then I can't imagine what this must be similar. Do you call back the weed truck shows upwards and is then followed past the taco truck? That would be absolute nirvana.

Up until recently you needed a prescription from your physician. Good news is there's an app for that! There are startup companies that let you lot video-conference with a dr. who volition approve your prescription. You can then social club (via an app) yous pot needs and wait patiently for the weed truck to make it. After that, hope a taco truck arrives soon… Man, I'm not sure if this is what they meant, but the Beverly Hillbillies were right: California really is the place to be…

Sources: mapsofworld.com, startupworks.co

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