SPN interviews Malcolm Gladwell at YP Summit
A week or two ago, when Malcolm Gladwell was in town to speak at the Young Professionals Summit, Silicon Prairie News had a few minutes to sit down with him and chat about his thoughts on Omaha, young professionals, and everything in between....
Questions from the interview:
What inspired you to speak to the YPC of Omaha?
What are the advantages of being in Omaha?
What recommendations would you give young professionals about today's economy?
Does today's technology allow more connections?
Encouragement for Omaha?
Hope you enjoy!
A special thanks to our good friends at Torchwerks and Malone & Co. who shot the video and the photos. Great work guys!
ARCHIVED COMMENTS
Great interview!
Wise and inspirational.
Mr. Gladwell makes a keen point that Omaha is not as susceptible to the overly optimistic and perhaps foolishness of the coasts.
The real question now... is how can the entire state of Nebraska, not just Omaha, capitalize on that?
One answer maybe that the ideas that were not funded in the Alley or the Valley and the teams that have boot strapped their ideas here in the Midwest (in the past) are ready to meet. Maybe our entrepreneurs can show others how good ideas can be done with small amounts of cash and a pioneer work ethic.
WHAT ARE YOUR IDEAS? - add your comments below-
Don't get me wrong, Malcolm Gladwell is an awesome thinker...but he didn't really have a whole lot of substance in response to the questions asked in my opinion. I didn't hear something that I haven't already heard.
Also, as Kevin Hagemoser touched on, regardless of the economy, entrepreneurs have shown that with little money, persistence and a good idea, amazing companies can be started. That being said, I see Omaha being neither advantaged nor disadvantaged due to the current economic climate.
I'd be thrilled to see more entrepreneurs come out of the Omaha/Midwest area with awesome technical ideas and/or companies...but the fact remains that there isn't a whole lot of social capital in Omaha making its presence--not compared to the Silicon Valley or New York.
Great job getting the interview guys. Gladwell is right to be skeptical of the value of electronic networking....if it does not lead to face to face interactions. Jeff and Dusty and SPN have, in my opinion, succeeded because they have worked hard so that their electronic outreach has resulted in the development of physical community and face to face encounters. Would love it if Jeff and Dusty could give an update on what kinds of startups have resulted from the community that has developed in Omaha over the last year, at least in so far as SPN has had a hand in it. Finally, we are never going to be NY or SV, nor should we. What Omaha lacks and will lack in Angel and Venture money, I believe we will need to make up for with a spirit where people are willing to help and mentor each other along...if for no other reason than to root fellow Omahans on to do great things.
Great work guys! I appreciate hearing Malcolm speak on these issues, but I think what he's hitting on is the great realignment of what true power and influence shall come from. Like manufacturing and railroad barons of the late 1800s and the collapse of its economies in the latter half of the 20th Century, I think we're looking at the collapse of the economies that weren't real in the beginning of the 21st Century. The same level of greed and exuberance that led to the downfall of the railroads and manufacturing is killing older tech industries, the housing market, et al. In Nebraska we have some foundational opportunities to carve a new niche and new opportunity to do something meaningful. I think Malcolm's entire focus was this point.
Again, great interview and great work!