Mayer is definitely a techie. However, she is aiming to conquer the world of social status (which has its own rules which cannot be broken)[1].
> But then, one Friday night in mid-April, Mayer was eating a bowl of pasta in her dorm room and scanning her email when she spotted a message slugged, “Work at Google?” Just as she was about to hit delete—her reflexive response to new recruiting pitches—she leaned over and inadvertently hit the space bar key, opening the email. As she read, she remembered a conversation she’d had in the fall with her mentor, computer science teacher Eric Roberts.
She had just returned from nine months in Zurich, Switzerland, where she was working with 30 other researchers to build a recommender system for the web, similar to the one Amazon uses to suggest books based on a customer’s previous purchases. As Mayer talked to Roberts in his office, he nodded and pointed upward. “There are two guys on the fourth floor who are building what you built,” he said. He apologized for not being able to remember specifics about the company they were forming, except that it had a funny name, but he thought maybe she should get in touch.
...
> The following afternoon, Mayer was interviewed first by Amit Patel, the company’s eighth employee. His opening words to her were, “I’m not sure I’m able to interview you, as I started this morning and I don’t know what we do yet.” He eventually posed a number of general computer science questions about the way memory is allocated in different programs.
What did people think of the article's use of opening night at the opera and symphony as examples of attaining insider social event status in the bay area? I am a bit skeptical of this since opening night is not by invitation only, seats are available to whoever wants to buy a ticket. On the other hand, most charity galas and such that end up on the social register page are also available to whoever has the money to buy a ticket as well.
The thing is, if you have enough money (e.g. work is an option) and are bored, you will want for challenge and diversion. Money doesn't cure the human need to be recognized and to be connected and to be relevant. If anything, it makes it more of an isolated and pure drive.
I know someone who used to be a very successful fundraiser for a museum. The unwritten subtext is if you want to be 'Chair of the ball' is that it is a sizable donation ($25-$50k to start).
Money is the price to entry but navigating the social hierarchy (e.g. socialite) is something that requires acumen, not just money.
I am reminded of a Brasilian girl who moved to our neighborhood/school district in middle school (most of us had known each other since early grades). She invited literally everyone to a big party (not extravagant by any means). Quickly become integrated into the social circles. But her ongoing popularity was more due to her acumen and personality.
> But then, one Friday night in mid-April, Mayer was eating a bowl of pasta in her dorm room and scanning her email when she spotted a message slugged, “Work at Google?” Just as she was about to hit delete—her reflexive response to new recruiting pitches—she leaned over and inadvertently hit the space bar key, opening the email. As she read, she remembered a conversation she’d had in the fall with her mentor, computer science teacher Eric Roberts.
She had just returned from nine months in Zurich, Switzerland, where she was working with 30 other researchers to build a recommender system for the web, similar to the one Amazon uses to suggest books based on a customer’s previous purchases. As Mayer talked to Roberts in his office, he nodded and pointed upward. “There are two guys on the fourth floor who are building what you built,” he said. He apologized for not being able to remember specifics about the company they were forming, except that it had a funny name, but he thought maybe she should get in touch.
...
> The following afternoon, Mayer was interviewed first by Amit Patel, the company’s eighth employee. His opening words to her were, “I’m not sure I’m able to interview you, as I started this morning and I don’t know what we do yet.” He eventually posed a number of general computer science questions about the way memory is allocated in different programs.
http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/adventures-marissa
[1] "Glamour at Google" http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120881523314732607.html