Twitter sent me something useful: Demo vs. TechCrunch50

Amid Conference Halls and Keynote Speakers, a Rivalry Forms
Brad Stone, NYT 8/17/08

Okay – so anyone who reads TechCrunch and/or has worked in the “tech vertical” and/or has worked in Web 2.0 startup land and/or has any experience in consumer technology public relations and/or has ever BEEN to one of these dang conferences could have predicted from a mile away that when Michael Arrington & Jason Calacanis & crew announced TechCrunch 40 was launching last year just a week after DEMO that this “public scrum” was coming. Especially when it was announced that TechCrunch50 would be at the *same time* as DEMO this year.

My favorite part? When Michael Arrington, notorious for making public relations interns cry, says “Being in the mud is particularly where I like to stay.”

Wait, did Arrington just call himself a pig? Too good, too good… You know I’ve been spending the past week thinking about how some of the more famous “geek girls” are just rampant attention whores with little or no substance behind them; and, I actually should start considering that this might be occuring because it’s the model which so many guy geeks are following currently. They are just emulating trends. After all, it is widely acknowledged that Arrington & Calacanis are two of the biggest publicity whores in the Silicon Valley. Fuck they talk more crap than all the Julia Allisons and iJustines and LonelyGirl15s of the world put together.

And, then become legitimized & feared because they put together some conference that venture capitalists come to… Or, write a blog so notorious for saying bad things about companies and products that it’s an actual shock when you see a review or post endorsing something as good.

Anyhow – I’ll just go back to the Web 2.0 corner with the rest of the startup peons – as clearly I am not trying to antagonize the big fish (*readIdontwantMichaelArringtontomakemecryagain*) but I just found the Times article which Calacanis tweeted hilarious. And, that Brad Stone wrote it – I remember watching my boss pitch him trying to get him to cover Yelp when I was at the PR Agency that shall not be named – it’s such an incestuous little cesspool here in the Bay Area – it cracks me up.  Always reading about the same five people doing the same five things.  It’s really funny that with as much emphasis that is put on the importance of the Tech and Web 2.0 industry here in the Bay Area, in reality most people across this country haven’t even heard of TechCrunch or pay attention to techblogs any more than necessary to pick out a new cell phone or TV or computer.  Everyone here is so self important, it’s great and weird and laughable at the same time.  We are like a microcosm of Hollyweird; but, with laptops.

Post Script: You know those two have to be as happy as pigs in shit about that article. Just appropriate thoughts given MA’s quote about mud. LMFAO

4 Comments

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI