Silicon Valley became so-named because it was ground zero for the semiconductor industry explosion ignited back in the 1970s. Striking the matches were household names like National Semiconductor, Fairchild and, of course Intel. That era is now officially over.
The last-remaining production fab in the Valley will soon close, drawing to an end a quite remarkable period of unbridled technological change in an area that previously was best known for soft-fruit orchards and nut trees.
That brings me back to the question posed above: if not Silicon Valley, then what? IP Valley? While perhaps accurate, it's hardly catchy. Of course, Software Valley would cover at least the basic skill set that dominates activities today, but wouldn't itself be a catch-all for how the Valley sees itself. VC Valley scans better, but no one - except the VCs, of course - would ever swallow that one. Doubtless, you can all come up with better examples than I, but in these tougher economic times I have a better solution: sponsorship.
Let's sell naming right to the highest bidder, with the proceeds going into the coffers of Santa Clara County for educational purposes. Think of it: "Oracle Valley", or if that doesn't take you fancy, how about "HP Homeland" or just "Google Land"? Possibilities are endless, though heaven preserve us from "Twitter Town", "AOL Alley" or "eBay Bay"!
You heard it here first, folks.
No comments:
Post a Comment