@jason_chen998: Honestly, I feel most Chinese bosses will feel "disappointed" after a trip to Silicon Valley. This doesn't mean Silicon Valley isn't good; on the contrary, it's too good—so much so that it exceeds the scope accessible to an ordinary visiting delegation. Before I went to Silicon Valley, I imagined it was a bustling place. After all, our generation was immersed in the atmosphere of "Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation," accustomed to seeing Zhong...

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Summary

The author shares their experience visiting Silicon Valley, noting that tech giants' campuses are secluded and enclosed, differing vastly from the bustling entrepreneurial atmosphere ordinary visitors expect.

Honestly, I feel most Chinese bosses will feel "disappointed" after a trip to Silicon Valley. This isn't to say Silicon Valley isn't capable; on the contrary, it's too capable, surpassing the range touchable by an ordinary study tour. Before I went to Silicon Valley, I imagined it was a bustling place. After all, our generation was nurtured in the atmosphere of "Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation," accustomed to Zhongguancun Entrepreneurship Street and Garage Coffee. We assumed Silicon Valley, gathering global top tech and talent, should be lined with famous companies, clustered with startups, with various passionate youths sitting cross-legged in cafes and on main roads holding tablets and drawings debating fiercely. A bunch of never-before-seen frontier gadgets appearing in crowded pitch halls. At worst, it should be like the US drama "Silicon Valley" where tech tycoons drive luxury cars out to show off. But when I actually went to Silicon Valley on a pilgrimage, those days were spent constantly self-doubting: "Am I really in Silicon Valley?" Google, Meta, and Apple's closed campuses are built in patches of "remote wilderness." There is almost no entertainment or commerce surrounding them. Driving around in circles, you hardly see anyone on the road. Otherwise, it's all residential areas. As an ordinary tourist with no resources, going to Silicon Valley means you can barely do anything or see anything. Luckily, I had a friend working at Google who helped me apply for visitor status, took me into the park for a full day of deep experience and explanation, I am especially grateful to him. So if you just go to Silicon Valley as a tourist, all big company parks are closed with extremely strict security, and there are no places like Entrepreneurship Streets or incubators where small companies gather, just patches of residential areas and vast empty lands. What are you supposed to do in Silicon Valley?
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