European And Silicon Valley Culture Clashes Hit The Mainstage

• Since the LeWeb Conference in Paris has finished up, many Europeans have stated how displeased they were with TechCrunch editor Mike Arrington. The controversy has stemmed from his on-stage behavior and follow up article to the conference, dicsusses the differences between European and Silicon Valley work ethic. To say the least, the conference organizer and web personality Loic Le Meur is not thrilled, and has decided to put a poll up to see whether or not Mike should be invited back next year. Somehow the poll eminates the feeling that he may not want to invite any Americans to moderate next year. Loic’s comments below:

Michael focuses on my “we know how to take quality time in Europe” and my example of a two hour lunch versus five minutes at starbucks if you are lucky. There is a huge difference between being lazy and taking time to know each other. It is one of the main cultural differences I feel everyday as I moved to Silicon Valley: every minute, every coffee, every phone call must have a point. When you call someone in Silicon Valley for anything you will likely get “why are you calling me?” often presented in the polite “how can I help you” formula that Tim Ferriss in his book the brilliant 4 hour workweek book (hilarious this was written by an american entrepreneur) gives as a hint to save time. Don’t even think about starting a conversation in Silicon Valley by “how was your week-end” or “how are your kids”, they all want you to go straight to the point and no time to lose.

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