Most likely, you have never heard of Marc Canter, now 52. But he belongs to that class of unheralded technologists who have played critical roles in the development of Silicon Valley. He has had moments of success, and many near-misses.
But over the past two decades, he has become a fixture of the local tech scene, hijacking conversations at conferences, advocating open technology standards, envisioning a multimedia and social media future long before most, and delighting in his ability to provoke.
And now he's leaving.
For Ohio.
Like most folks who heard the news, I was dumbstruck. Ohio? So I tracked him down at his home in Walnut Creek last week to get to the bottom of this mystifying move.
I know more about this boomerang migration tale than I am able to spill here. My reason for sharing is the notion that Silicon Valley needs new markets for ideas. We are seeing brain circulation with India, China, Israel, Australia, and Ohio. Both Ireland and Northern Ireland are trying to cash in on their diaspora connections in Northern California. Cantor just might be the bow of a titanic wave. I hope we don't drown.
2 comments:
I don't know. We've got capacity for a bit of a deluge, methinks.
Marc has a bunch of friends in similar situations. If his personal network is any indication of what the economy is like in CA, then Jim is right, apres moi, le deluge!
Post a Comment