
Means what: PG called nontech founders looking for tech ‘leprechauns’ in a tweet - jelliclesfarm
What does it mean? I understood it to mean that non tech founders mooch off tech founders to find their pot of gold.<p>I was told, ‘that’s not what he meant’. What does it really mean? Did I miss some nuance in the language and took offense where there was none intended?<p>PG tweet on March 28, 2019[..]Some people believe that if they can catch a leprechaun and make him implement their idea, they will become rich. (In California, leprechauns are also known as &quot;technical cofounders.&quot;) #FolkloreThursday[..]
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cbhl
Some non-technical founders do legitimately bring value to a start-up.

From a technical person's point of view, a lot of non-technical folks come
asking with nothing of value to offer to the relationship. No customers, no
market validation, no funding/capital/money, nothing other than an idea that
has been suggested by ten other non-technical co-founders.

This starts pretty early in college/university, and for some folks, in high
school. So much so that there are entire startup programs whose entire value
proposition is to teach business skills to technical people.

This isn't meant to offend you personally; it's based on many folks' personal
experiences of getting burned.

If you're genuinely different, then I suggest hiring someone at market rates
to make your business work.

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jelliclesfarm
I am a farmer. I have field experience and my ideas come out of processes and
experiments on the field..sometimes to the detriment of my bottomline if I
want to test it.(and we can only do it once a year due to farming’s seasonal
nature’).

And yet tech people ‘borrow’ all the time from me because farmers (apparently)
can’t be technical players. It’s unfair. And useless. Because without a domain
expert, if code is tech, it would fail.

It has happened to me at least five times and five times, I have thought to
myself, ’I could have told you that would fail’ if you didn’t ‘borrow’ my
seemingly ‘non technical’ idea.

I have too many frustrating thoughts right now that I feel like it’s in my
best interest to listen to others thoughts rather than vent.

But thanks for your reply. I appreciate the perspective you provided.

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cbhl
I've seen other farmers become co-founders. The domain expertise was
definitely an asset, but (like anyone else) they also needed to learn
additional new skills involved in running a business.

That definitely sounds like an unfair and frustrating experience, and I hope
that you find folks who are more welcoming and accepting to work with in the
future.

~~~
jelliclesfarm
Fortunately I have also had positive interactions and that balances out.

It is frustrating when quotes like PG’s tweet unfairly overinflates mediocre
coders to imagine that no one else brings value. The ‘leprechaun’ comment came
up again today.

Any skill is time and effort. Twenty years ago, I learnt C++ and I started
learning Python last year. But I don’t want to be a coder. I want to be a
farmer. I only want to know enough tech that is relevant to my area. I doubt
if coders would roll their sleeves and drive a tractor for 5 years to
understand Ag and Agtech. Why should farmers be expected to be technical? To
entirely diminish and discount my 7+years of experience in a hands on field
not accredited by some university is basically laughable if it weren’t tragic.
Every year is a year of study in the field. It’s very deflating.

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cbhl
I really think you and pg are saying the same thing?

The dichotomy is between people who actually roll up their sleeves and get
things done, and people who just talk and "play house".

You, like many farmers, are very clearly the former. You want to avoid people
who are the latter, and can generally trust your instincts on that.

When pg talks about "non-technical co-founders" I don't think he is talking
about you. (The way I read "Technical" doesn't just mean coding, it also
includes domain expertise, like farming or being a doctor.) I think he's
talking about kids fresh out of business school who genuinely have no skills
or experience or connections to contribute.

But pg is also known for, well, not being the greatest communicator. So if the
things he says don't resonate with you, don't listen to him! There are so many
other role models to choose from in the community.

~~~
jelliclesfarm
I feel like if people who are influential don’t think twice before they tweet,
the words would be twisted to keep small players like me ‘in our place’.

In Silicon Valley, only engineers are considered ‘technical’. Or so it seems.
It’s deflating. There is this Emphasis on STEM and coding ..as though it’s a
life skill but it’s actually a speciality. For some of us, our abilities veer
elsewhere but we still can’t innovate without technology. But we are
considered as consumers and not partners. I am expected to give away what I
know for free so someone can patch it together to sell it back to me. That’s
what AgTech has become...its a data play now. But we need more. We need
robots. We need hardware. We need creative solutions. Farmers are accused of
being backwards..but that’s not true. We just don’t get enough respect at the
table.

