Comments on: Recession is Good For Technology and Innovation? Are You Nuts?

By: Step Ahead » Blog Archive » Can Good Come From the Recession?

Step Ahead » Blog Archive » Can Good Come From the Recession? — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:29:26 +0000

[...] Which is why I was pretty surprised by the apparent anger and ‘doom+gloom-ery’ in this post. [...]

By: I Say Fuck Negative, Stay Positive | Jacob Morgan's Blog on Social Media, Technology, Marketing, and Life

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:03:48 +0000

[...] a week ago I wrote a post that I realize was perhaps too negative, the post was about the current economic condition and the hardships that we are facing (or are going to face). In retrospect I realize that one of [...]

By: Eric Pratum

Eric Pratum — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:09:06 +0000

I used to work for an Angel investing group and as a result advised a million different start ups, many of which did not even get off the ground. . . like most really. Given my experience with them, I think you are definitely right when you talk about job security. Speculative investments can be very tantalizing during tough financial times because their premiums decrease. However, the number of potential investments also decreases due to the fact that entrepreneurs are less likely to take a chance on their dream if they fear they might not be able to get their jobs back if and when their venture fails. One company that positioned itself great and looks like it will ride this out pretty well is Tatango.

When people say that things are great, I think (or hope) that they mean that it's the right time to re-evaluate your web strategy and make an investment in the future, not that there is a ton of money flowing into technology. Of course, my Microsoft and comScore buddies all say times are great and that their companies are raking in the dough, so who knows.

By: jacobmorgan

jacobmorgan — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:37:47 +0000

hey simon, i wasn't trying to sound down or gloomy, i was just trying to be realistic. in fact i'm actually a pretty optimistic and cheerful fellow.

i have many contacts who are struggling that are in the tech sector and what i hear from the trenches and what i read online are very contradictory.

to me, someone saying that good can from a recession doesn't mean anything because if you think about it, good can come from pretty much anything, it;s stating the obvious.

i know the recession is not a good thing (as does everyone else). i would categorize myself not as angry, but as passionate, passionate about people.

of course we have been through tough economic hardships and i know we will get through this one too, but offering advice and assistance during tough times vs telling people that innovation and technology will flourish are 2 very different things. we're talking about national/global effects here, not just silicon valley. the post from o'reily seems to work within the silicon valley world which is not representative of the rest of the tech space.

sure we will get through this and yes there can be some good that comes from it, but when stories like this make the front page of techmeme while google and apple are getting slaughtered then there's something wrong with the message that's getting sent out.

thanks again for reading and commenting simon!

By: Simon Ashton

Simon Ashton — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:02:37 +0000

Hey Jacob – while I understand your anger, I do think (and hope) that you're wrong on this one. I put my thoughts together here: http://www.simsagency.com/2008/10/can-good-can-...
But basically, saying that good can come from a recession isn't the same as saying a recession is a good thing.
This country, and the world, have been through economic hardships before, but advances in technology have helped pull them out again. I am constantly optimistic about the power of people to do amazing things.