How London’s Silicon Roundabout dream turned into a nightmare - Wired

[editor]

Can't say I ever liked the place:

Silicon Roundabout came to prominence at a time in which people – and politicians – were looking for a sign that the worst of the financial crisis was behind us, a beacon of hope amid the gloom and despair. The fundamentals, admittedly, were there. But boosterism might have ended up spoiling the ecosystem – smothering some of the good work under shrill press releases and glistening real estate gold. And then the vagaries of politics and election cycles cut short any attempt to deal with that.

Today, the challenge is even more fundamental: in the age of coronavirus, does the concept of cluster – of tying your hopes to a place – still make sense? Or is the next technology cluster coming in a Slack channel near you?

How London’s Silicon Roundabout dream turned into a nightmare

Politicians thought they could create a new Silicon Valley in London’s East End. But they ended up making things bigger, not better

www.wired.co.uk

 

[NoXion]

Ehh, the idea of having a technologically-oriented centre of commerce isn't necessarily a bad one. But the fucking Tories were involved, so of course they fucked it up. This is the kind of thing you need to nurture, and the Tories (as well as most of Labour TBF) simply aren't the nurturing type.

 

[NoXion]

Furthermore, there's a certain energy in working face-to-face that simply cannot be matched by a Slack call or Zoom meeting.

 

[Pickman's model]

It was much better before it was silicon roundabout

 

[Pickman's model]

But wherever it is it isn't in the east end

 

[agricola]

Ehh, the idea of having a technologically-oriented centre of commerce isn't necessarily a bad one. But the fucking Tories were involved, so of course they fucked it up. This is the kind of thing you need to nurture, and the Tories (as well as most of Labour TBF) simply aren't the nurturing type.

Emphatically not. That article is a bit annoying though as it seems to suggest it was a fuckup when what happened - rents and prices spiking - was probably always the intention.

 

[SpookyFrank]

The phrase 'silicon roundabout' pretty much tells the whole story tbh. A story of lofty ambitions, hubris, mindless appropriation of outdated buzzwords and a uniquely British brand of miserable failure.

 

[gosub]

Keeps referring to Nathan, (as in Prof Max Nathan) was Nathan Barley unavailable?

 

[Gerry1time]

I went to the Google Campus a few times, it didn't feel like they'd put that much behind it really. I also got to attend a two day event facilitated by the 'Three Beards' once. I'll just leave that last statement at that.

 

[Roadkill]

The phrase 'silicon roundabout' pretty much tells the whole story tbh. A story of lofty ambitions, hubris, mindless appropriation of outdated buzzwords and a uniquely British brand of miserable failure.

It's the 'white hot heat of the technological revolution,' y'know.

Not that regional tech hubs are a stupid idea. C4Di has worked well here. But politicians have always been good at making flagpoles from matchsticks. .

 

[Streathamite]

Can't say I ever liked the place:

How London’s Silicon Roundabout dream turned into a nightmare

Politicians thought they could create a new Silicon Valley in London’s East End. But they ended up making things bigger, not better

www.wired.co.uk

Leaving everything else aside, the article is wildly inaccurate.
1) Silicon Roundabout is as much City, even North London, as it ever was 'East end'. The Old St roundabout's postcode is in fact N1.
2) It became a tech hub more or less by accident waaay before cameron became PM - 2003/4, with firms like last.fm, and some early fintechs
And yes, it's gone sour because the Tories have fucked it all up

 

[Streathamite]

It was much better before it was silicon roundabout

agreed. Worked nearby in the mid 90s, much nicer then