As jobs, who needs them?
Or at least, who needs corporate overlords.
One thing that strikes me about Web 2.0 is how lean and mean most of the companies are, even post-VC investment. In the olden days, before the crash, back when the Web was new (what was it like in the 90s, Grandpa?), a company would get a few VC shekels and go on a hiring and spending frenzy. Pretty soon these companies would like exactly like the old school businesses that the founders were originally trying to get away from. These days, get a few million and buy some folding chairs at Target so everyone has a place to sit down. And then get back to work.
Robert Scoble made a good point yesterday about the quality of the people and the nature of work in the Web 2.0 world:
But, I think the future of hiring isn’t going to be hiring people for jobs. It’s going to be hiring people for building huge expansive visions of where this industry should go. You think that Gabe Rivera of Memeorandum is capable of working “a job?” I don’t. Neither is someone like David Heinemeier Hansson or Blake Ross or Mena Trott or Matt Mullenweg or Kevin Burton.
Those folks don’t want to work for “the man.” They wanna improve the world. And, in many ways, those guys already have, so what can a big company offer them?
Add to that list Hugh MacLeod, Jeremy Pepper or Pete Caputa – I’m sure there are others but it’s only my first cup of coffee.
My point is (remember, it’s early… that coffee thing?) what we were promised in the 90s, that the fundamental nature of work has changed, has come true now in the Oughts. In the 90s, Fast Company said quit your job, you can find another one. Now you can just quit having a job.
On a related note – over there on the right you’ll see an ad for Solo Tees. I discovered them through Pete’s blog. The shirts crack me up. Go buy one.
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