07.15.14
Six Californias moves ahead: Silicon Valley uber alles
Today venture capitalist Tim Draper, dean of Draper University for Heroes and bringer of BitCoins to Argentine investors who need something like gold to replace their pesos, successfully submitted the necessary signatures to get his Six Californias referendum on the ballot in 2016. This, you recall, the campaign to free the Silicon Valley from the rest of us who aren’t destined to be disruptive world-changing entrepreneurs.
He put 4 – 5 million of his own money into it, considerably less than the 19 million spent on 30,000 BitCoins from Silk Road, which will — one assumes — still have good value after 2016.
“He’s got a pretty high bar to pass,” Corey Cook, director of the University of San Francisco’s Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good, told the San Jose Mercury News. “There’ll be a general skepticism of how dividing the state would improve it.”
And here is another swank video of a perfect Culture of Lickspittle moment, Draper singing “The Riskmaster” backed by WJM, a band of 11-year olds seen much more frequently than might be expected on Bay Area stages if their parents weren’t well-heeled investment managers and disruption consultants.
There is much video on YouTube and a photo spread at the SJ Mercury News here. Jello Biafra wept.
But there is no denying they do one music genre well: Perfect dad rock by 11-year olds for the pleasure of upper class parents throughout San Francisco, San Jose, Mountain View and Menlo Park. It’s a not inconsiderable audience and one that still has money to spend.
Readers will note pictures of the approving fathers and mothers in the Mercury News feature, one “who is managing partner and president of Palo Alto Investors, LLC, an investment management firm founded in 1989 with $1 billion in assets invested in healthcare.”
Another is a principal in something called the W20 Group, the website of which advertises its expertise in “pragmatic disruption” and “entrepreneurs in a state of ‘do’ — blowing up existing models one at a time.”
J said,
July 15, 2014 at 7:44 pm
I love that Draper bothered to buy BTC for probably really close to what it was worth. I guess the bother of an auction was worth the fractional percent he hopes to glean from it. What a joke. Another rich asshole with too much money trying to turn it into more without getting off his fat ass.
George Smith said,
July 16, 2014 at 9:30 am
As a rule, the BitCoin speculators always think it will go higher. And they work the media hard to foster that impression. So, basically, they’re working it. A BitCoin exchange certainly isn’t going to be of much benefit of the people in this reflection.
http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/2/humanizing-argentinasinflation.html
Here’s an interesting paragraph:
“In order to ease black-market demand for U.S. dollars, Argentina allows those with a monthly income of 7,200 pesos ($900) or more to purchase up to $2,000 per month. But buying dollars as a saving measure each time the peso is devalued is not an option for those who live on limited income.
“‘ This is not illogical given that exchange rates are so high,’ said Gabriel Ortiz, a 29-year-old freelance designer from Buenos Aires, in a recent email interview. ‘But a salary of that amount is not very common, so this measurement is mostly benefiting those with higher incomes.’
“Moreover, the volatility of the peso pushes low earners to spend all their disposable income …”
In this environment, BitCoin is for the well-heeled. Same as here, when you get right down to it.
“Lasting price controls” for the average person is more a working consideration, one that — of course — is virulently opposed by any hoarders or BitCoin types.