“Greed Trumps Race”: How To Be A Successful (African) American in Silicon Valley

[water]

Logical fallacy: Appeal to extremes
(also known as: reductio ad absurdum [misuse of], slippery slope fallacy [form of])

Description: Erroneously attempting to make a reasonable argument into an absurd one, by taking the argument to the extremes.

http://www.logicallyfallacious.com/index.php/logical-fallacies/30-appeal-to-extremes

Example #1

all that matters is who you know. Just ask Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Jeffrey Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Donald Trump.

I learned this lesson the hard way.

Example #2

This is what I am talking... it's who you know.

I could have the greatest merchandise ever. It could be a wonder and benefit to all who have it. It could be the finest material and superior workmanship. It could satisfy every requirement that a customer would have.

But, because it is not blessed by Obama, some celebrity, or whoever you worship, then all that HARD WORK is meaningless!

However, if I offered total shit, cheap Chinese-made crap that is made in sweatshops or on poorly constructed assembly lines, but Obama blesses it, or Jordan, or some celebrity, magically everyone wants it. It doesn't matter if it's garbage, if it won't last, if it doesn't do the very thing for which it was designed, all that matters is that it has been endorsed.

The idea guys get slaves to do the HARD WORK, while they take all the credit.

That is the way the world works.

The goal of success is not to avoid hard work, it is to enjoy the fruits of hard work.

Your argument is another logical fallacy.

successful = avoid hard work

Therefore avoid hard work = success

Circular Reasoning – supporting a premise with the premise rather than a conclusion.

The whole goal of the successful is to AVOID HARD WORK as much as possible.

Another logical fallacy: affirming the consequent
Affirming the consequent, sometimes called converse error, is a formal fallacy, committed by reasoning in the form:
If P, then Q.
Q.
Therefore, P.
An argument of this form is invalid, i.e., the conclusion can be false even when statements 1 and 2 are true. Since P was never asserted as the only sufficient condition for Q, other factors could account for Q (while P was false).

HARD WORK don't mean shit! Relationships matter most! WHO YOU KNOW!

If you had your own business, I wouldn't have to explain this to you.

Golf clubs, social organizations, fraternities, lodges, guilds, private clubs are all examples of people building relationships so they don't have to do the hard work.

But, you just keep on believing those fairy tales that HARD WORK is what it takes to be successful in business.

That is why you think HARD WORK is all that it takes. Well, dummy, you can work your ass off and still fail, but relationships will carry you through.

That is my free advice for the day.


As one multi-millionaire told me (very established in Detroit, remember Don Barden), I don't know any rich black man in the United States who is not a front for some white boy.

You know the right people and anybody can be "rich" in this country.

The only HARD WORK is finding the right person.

Cruise is basically logic deficient.


No one is arguing that hard work is the only ingredient.

Meanwhile Cruise is saying that hard work is NOT required for success.

Cultivating relationships is hard work.

Creating markets for your product is hard work.

Customer development is hard work.

Problem/solution fit is hard work

Execution is hard work.

Is it the ONLY ingredient?

Or course not.

But then no one was arguing that hard work is the only requirement.

Conversely Cruise is saying that avoiding hard work is the key to success.


And that white boy who told you that bullshit has you drunk on the wine of white supremacy.

Do you actually believe him with his bullshit about "I don't know any rich black man in the United States who is not a front for some white boy.
"?


You can't be this gullible man

 

[oolong tea]

Sucess need not start from ground up. Working hard at being the middle man earns that cake. Look at that devil P diddy: dude is probably one of the few brothers who studied the game he was involved in. And put in seventeen hour days achieving that end. He didnt write rhymes, he sponsored brothers that did, and preyed on them. Whatever skills he lacked, he acquired because brothers failed to do their homework.

 

[water]

This shit is so true.

Silicon Valley is about creating something from nothing

Blacks are a creative people, and writing software is an art. Its creation is a near-pure translation of thought into value. Raw materials, land or money, which were historically difficult for African Americans to acquire, are not needed to write software. Open source and software-as-a-service create an environment that allows even more efficient creation of products and companies.


The software business allows people to start with nothing yet finish with everything.
There are hundreds of examples of this. One study showed that immigrants founded 25 percent of U.S. venture-backed public companies even though they only represent 8.7 percent of the U.S. population.[vii] The background image on my phone is a photo of a bank advertisement that says “two-thirds of the world’s billionaires made their fortunes from scratch.”

I beseech you to make answers, not excuses. Make product. Make customers. Make revenue. Make value. Those are way more fun to make than excuses. Let’s get to work.

 

[doggface]

I think you answered your own question fam.

Success doesn't have to be defined as the startup that lands the huge round of funding making techcrunch front page. That's nice as hell but there are some other levels as well...

Making legal money on your own terms and earning as much or more than you were slaving for someone else can be seen as success.

Creating jobs and financial stability for yourself and others can be seen as success.

Shit working on a side project that covers your bills each month so that your 9-5 work checks can go into the savings account is a level of success. All in how you define it like you said.

The attitude that Cruise has is weak imo. That's the typical mentality that has cats giving up before they even get started.

Well said!

When you can go full retard into a project... and not have to worry about how the bills are going to be paid... it helps...

Read steve jobs book on his life and see how having financially stable parents.. not rotten rich helps...

when he didn't like something the money was there for him to do other things

Also... he ended up growing up in tech world capital... and meeting people the average person never will

oh ... he also had world class ambition and was smart ... so it's all connected

would steve jobs be steve if he grew up in the projects... same brains and ambition ,but no money.. and didn't live in a tech environment from a young age ?


Many people don't know this but warren buffet got a 100k loan from a family member to invest look it up... wonder how much that would be today

so yes he's still one of the best investors of all time... but he needed money to invest no ?

Overall this is pretty much exactly what I was getting at. Those guys would likely still have some level of success, but I doubt they would have accomplished as much as they did without that support system.

 

[Chitownheadbusa]

I see the thread is about to get derailed with a bunch of long ass replies of blah blah.

Im not about to type info pertaining to some of the people that they mentioned in the article....mainly because im more interested in hitting this weed thats in front of me......but ill advise some of you to research the journeys of the Black people in which theyre referring to. A lot of what was said in that article doesnt apply to a lot of them.

"My point is that in many cases people spend too much energy complaining that the playing field is not completely level instead of spending that energy playing on the field and leveraging the opportunities. ”

^^^
This is actually the most poignant message in the entire article. Remember that!!!!

 

[ShortyCumStain]

no fam... ur biz is prolly suffering cuz ur coats look like this:

Yo!!! Sweets For Da Sweet.

 

[Mean Money Greene]

5 star thread.....Its not about working hard, its about working SMART

 

[RepostKing]

subbed

 

[brickwall92]

Well said!



Overall this is pretty much exactly what I was getting at. Those guys would likely still have some level of success, but I doubt they would have accomplished as much as they did without that support system.

Many success stories tend to only focus on the successful person and not the people who helped them...

Focusing on steve jobs again would he have met Steve Wosniak if he was from the projects ? Steve jobs would have been successful regardless...brains ,drive etc... he would have still rose and did something great in sales

Warren Buffet brilliant financial mind... without that infusion of cash from his uncle does he become as successful ? 100 k back is more money now... and anyone who knows stocks... know that besides picking the right stocks... the amount of money you can invest plays a bigger part in amazing wealth

If all of buffets family was poor or barely getting by like many other families back then... does he make it to the top 3 richest ? he wouldn't have the infusion of cash to invest... same brain

Think about applying for a job online... compared to your dad being great friends with the Ceo of the company.. or being a top executive there

Black people can build wealth in America... I just think the greed beats race is bs.... just like many people really believe it's not about race anymore ,but about green...

Look at the people in America with the most green percentage wise ? forbes 400 ? green and race are still intertwined for now

Thankfully the world is bigger than America

 

[Cruise]

Logical fallacy: Appeal to extremes
(also known as: reductio ad absurdum [misuse of], slippery slope fallacy [form of])

Description: Erroneously attempting to make a reasonable argument into an absurd one, by taking the argument to the extremes.

http://www.logicallyfallacious.com/index.php/logical-fallacies/30-appeal-to-extremes

Example #1




Example #2




The goal of success is not to avoid hard work, it is to enjoy the fruits of hard work.

Your argument is another logical fallacy.

successful = avoid hard work

Therefore avoid hard work = success

Circular Reasoning – supporting a premise with the premise rather than a conclusion.




Another logical fallacy: affirming the consequent
Affirming the consequent, sometimes called converse error, is a formal fallacy, committed by reasoning in the form:
If P, then Q.
Q.
Therefore, P.
An argument of this form is invalid, i.e., the conclusion can be false even when statements 1 and 2 are true. Since P was never asserted as the only sufficient condition for Q, other factors could account for Q (while P was false).















Cruise is basically logic deficient.


No one is arguing that hard work is the only ingredient.

Meanwhile Cruise is saying that hard work is NOT required for success.

Cultivating relationships is hard work.

Creating markets for your product is hard work.

Customer development is hard work.

Problem/solution fit is hard work

Execution is hard work.

Is it the ONLY ingredient?

Or course not.

But then no one was arguing that hard work is the only requirement.

Conversely Cruise is saying that avoiding hard work is the key to success.


And that white boy who told you that bullshit has you drunk on the wine of white supremacy.

Do you actually believe him with his bullshit about "I don't know any rich black man in the United States who is not a front for some white boy.
"?


You can't be this gullible man

Here you go jumping in that pulpit to show that you have all the answers and everyone should bow to your knowledge.

If someone spends all their time thinking of ways to avoid doing work, is that HARD WORK?

First, how do you define HARD WORK? Spending 17 hours a day telling people what to do is not the same as actually doing it.

One involves just running your mouth.
The other involves real effort, sacrifice, and energy.

Look at Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Bezos, Ellison, Dell, or who have you. Do you think they are getting their hands dirty and spending hours sweating over product? They stopped doing that long ago.

That is the difference between the workers and the owners.

The workers try to figure out ways to make more work for themselves.
The owners figure out more ways to get other people to do their work.

When you're young and full of energy and ideas, you think it's cute to spend all this time doing HARD WORK and busting your ass.

When you get older, you realize that is a stupid ass way of doing things.

So, you go right ahead and think you have all the answers and keep doing things the dumb way.

I know business is about people, not about HARD WORK and patting yourself on the back on how you are so much better than everybody else because you sacrificed, and risked, and worked hard.

Your type will always be around which is why there will always be people who make dollars off your back.

 

[water]

Brickwall, why are you citing examples outside of Silicon Valley?

Did you not understand the sector he is talking about?




Warren Buffet?


Really?

What software he made?


Come on brothers, we understand what you are trying to say but some of you are way off.

Living here, i would say finding a co-founder is the most pressing problem with African Americans in SV.

It is a difficult problem for everyone but moreso for African Americans because we are so few. However that is changing.

We are organizing and meeting and really bonding, developing the trust that it takes to go into business as partners. The trust that will enable you to almost die for the vision of your startup as a team.

Funding is not as critical as you could bootstrap a prototype and demonstrate traction.

SV is a very open yet cliquish place.

You need to network, network, network and build credibility.

You build credibility by doing, not by going to a golf course.

This is SV, come on people.

 

[water]

Look at Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Bezos, Ellison, Dell, or who have you.

Do you think they are getting their hands dirty and spending hours sweating over product?
They stopped doing that long ago.

That is the difference between the workers and the owners.

Again you contradicted yourself.

You are trying to make a point about not working hard.

Yet you said they stopped.

Stopped what?

Stopped working hard.

Then I will ask you....... why?

Cause they are enjoying the fruits of their hard labor.


Anyway, Cruise........ do you have any experience in software or have you ever tried to do business in Silicon Valley?

From what experience do you speak?

You do see the thread title says "How To Be A Successful (African) American in Silicon Valley"

With what authority do you speak?

 

[Cruise]

Again you contradicted yourself.

You are trying to make a point about not working hard.

Yet you said they stopped.

Stopped what?

Stopped working hard.

Then I will ask you....... why?

Cause they are enjoying the fruits of their hard labor.


Anyway, Cruise........ do you have any experience in software or have you ever tried to do business in Silicon Valley?

From what experience do you speak?

You do see the thread title says "How To Be A Successful (African) American in Silicon Valley"

With what authority do you speak?

Yes, I may have just a little experience.

And yes, at one point Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and all the rest were busting their asses and spinning their wheels.

Then it dawned on them that busting your ass is not the path to success.

And that is the point I keep trying to make and so many seem to miss.

There comes a time when a person stops thinking like a worker and starts thinking like an owner and realizes this HARD WORK shit is for the birds.

Some people just want a task, told to do it, and get a paycheck.

Others, want to call the shots, give the orders, and have others do the work.

If you keep thinking that HARD WORK is going to make you a success, it is going to be a hard, rough, nearly impossible climb.

Silicon Valley should be a prime example of that.

Does anyone know who created FTP, SMTP, HTTP, or TCP/IP? Someone worked hard on all that stuff, and what did it get them?

Now, look at Gates and (formerly) Jobs. Did they create any of the internet infrastructure. Nope? Then why are their billions totally dependent on it. Because they realized you don't need to bust your ass creating it, just exploit it.

DAMN, it's like I have to teach you guys Business 101.

 

[water]

Yes, I may have just a little experience.

And yes, at one point Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and all the rest were busting their asses and spinning their wheels.

Then it dawned on them that busting your ass is not the path to success.

And that is the point I keep trying to make and so many seem to miss.

There comes a time when a person stops thinking like a worker and starts thinking like an owner and realizes this HARD WORK shit is for the birds.

Some people just want a task, told to do it, and get a paycheck.

Others, want to call the shots, give the orders, and have others do the work.

If you keep thinking that HARD WORK is going to make you a success, it is going to be a hard, rough, nearly impossible climb.

Silicon Valley should be a prime example of that.

Does anyone know who created FTP, SMTP, HTTP, or TCP/IP? Someone worked hard on all that stuff, and what did it get them?

Now, look at Gates and (formerly) Jobs. Did they create any of the internet infrastructure. Nope? Then why are their billions totally dependent on it. Because they realized you don't need to bust your ass creating it, just exploit it.

DAMN, it's like I have to teach you guys Business 101.

Oh my God

You have a comprehension problem. I see it clearly now.

"Does anyone know who created FTP, SMTP, HTTP, or TCP/IP? Someone worked hard on all that stuff, and what did it get them?"


Have you ever heard of committees? What you listed are protocols and specs and these have to be worked on by committees like Internet Task Force etc


Stop your bullshit.

You don't have a point.

First you say hard work does not lead to success. Then you said Bill Gates and Steve Jobs busted their asses but stopped.

Then compared what they were not working on with what they were working on to try to justify some fucking point no one made (makes no sense).... why would you be successful working on some shit you are not working on?

Now you are trying to move the goalpost and say that working hard forever does not lead to success.


Dude stop.


You are derailing the thread.

This is my last response to you.

The fact that you said that you "may" have some experience working in Silicon Valley........ WTF does that mean?

It is clear what your objects are after this thread and the other racist thread.

Fuck the back and forth with you cause you have people who are interested in gaining insights and you are fucking up the thread.

If you have nothing to contribute, then why fuck up the thread?

 

[Cruise]

Oh my God

You have a comprehension problem. I see it clearly now.

"Does anyone know who created FTP, SMTP, HTTP, or TCP/IP? Someone worked hard on all that stuff, and what did it get them?"


Have you ever heard of committees? What you listed are protocols and specs and these have to be worked on by committees like Internet Task Force etc


Stop your bullshit.

You don't have a point.

First you say hard work does not lead to success. Then you said Bill Gates and Steve Jobs busted their asses but stopped.

Then compared what they were not working on with what they were working on to try to justify some fucking point no one made (makes no sense).... why would you be successful working on some shit you are not working on?

Now you are trying to move the goalpost and say that working hard forever does not lead to success.


Dude stop.


You are derailing the thread.

This is my last response to you.

The fact that you said that you "may" have some experience working in Silicon Valley........ WTF does that mean?

It is clear what your objects are after this thread and the other racist thread.

Fuck the back and forth with you cause you have people who are interested in gaining insights and you are fucking up the thread.

If you have nothing to contribute, then why fuck up the thread?

It's funny how once again you are jumping in the pulpit to dictate what is and what is not happening without letting anyone decide for themselves.

If you want to fuck up the thread, that's on you.

All I did was make a post that HARD WORK is not the answer.

You and that other dummy went way out on a tangent talking about my business, other threads, and irrelevant shit.

One minute you are saying it's more than HARD WORK. The next you are saying it is only HARD WORK.

You are the idiot who keeps changing their position as you get exposed for your ignorance.

I have always stated that relying on HARD WORK is going to lead you nowhere. That is not the key. But, you keep doing what you do best. play stupid.

Committees do not create jackshit. Some poor slob (or slobs) has to actually do the HARD WORK to actually make it happen. Otherwise, it is just nothing but hot air.

I mean DAMN, are you just intentionally trying to be dense. When the fuck has a committee ever actually done anything? They get some poor slob to do the work and then keep them from getting any credit or any financial benefit. I'll ask again, who actually created those protocols. Give me some names? Do you know them? Exactly!

It is not the HARD WORK. Anybody can work hard.

Only a few know how to exploit hard work. And, they get their chances by knowing the right people to get in the right position.

That's the thing about BGOL. I have learned there are too many clowns who want to play business, but don't actually know how to do business.

 

[water]

bump

 

[water]

bump

 

[Mello Mello]

Subs

 

[soulcontroller]

 

[kenbgco68]

Subbed for reading later, but it's something I'd like to look into this year.

 

[Dallas Bueller]

Successful White Entrepreneur/Investor weighs in on the race issue...

 

[Ming Fei Hong]

no fam... ur biz is prolly suffering cuz ur coats look like this: