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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

I left Stanford in early 2008 to found a genomics company that has become very successful, testing about 3% of all birds in the United States.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

The concept of 'Voice versus Exit' in political science suggests that when a company or country is in decline, you can either try to change the system from within (Voice) or leave to create a new system (Exit).

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

In the context of open source, 'Voice' would be submitting a patch, while 'Exit' would be forking the project.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

Silicon Valley is shaped by exit, dating back to the founding of Fairchild Semiconductor and the traitorous eight, highlighting the importance of non-compete agreements not being enforceable in California.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

Exit is an extremely important force that complements Voice, as it protects minority rights and provides an alternative to those dissatisfied with the current system. Exit amplifies voice, making it a crucial feature for democracy by reducing barriers to exit, thus empowering democratic expression.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

The ability to peacefully opt out of bad policies is essential, allowing individuals to reduce the influence of those policies without engaging in politics.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

Silicon Valley is emerging as a competitor to the traditional power centers, which I refer to as the 'paper belt', consisting of cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

Silicon Valley is reinventing industries that were once dominated by the paper belt, impacting sectors like education, media, and government regulation.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

Technological advancements often start as luxuries for the wealthy but eventually become accessible to the broader population, reducing prices and improving lives.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

The argument that Silicon Valley is the cause of economic problems is incoherent; instead, the real issue lies with the rising costs associated with the paper belt's influence.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

The ultimate counterargument to the criticism of Silicon Valley is not just to respond with voice but to emphasize the importance of exit in various forms. We want to show what a society run by Silicon Valley would look like without affecting those who believe the current system is beneficial.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

Silicon Valley's ultimate exit means building an opt-in society outside the US that is run by technology.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

The future of mobile technology is about making location irrelevant, not just creating location-based apps.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

Larry Page envisions a part of the world for unregulated experimentation, allowing for innovation without the constraints of current laws.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

In the coming years, we will see an explosion of new countries, with some offering valuable lessons for the rest of the world.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

We can learn from countries like Singapore and Estonia, which have innovative systems that can be adopted without taking on their risks.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

You don't have to fight a war to start a new company; creating peaceful ways to exit and start new countries is crucial.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

Founders like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk are exploring concepts like seasteading and Mars colonies as new frontiers for society.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

You can opt out of the current system to varying degrees, whether by engaging in online communities or using technology to create alternatives.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

Technology, especially mobile, will help reduce barriers to exit, allowing for a world run by software.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

3D printing will disrupt regulations, making it impossible to ban physical objects like medical devices and drones.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

With Bitcoin, capital controls will become obsolete, making it difficult for governments to seize assets as they have in the past.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

The future of medicine will be mobile, allowing individuals to monitor their health through telepresence and other technologies.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

As technology evolves, laws will increasingly be encoded in software, and property rights will become a network effect.

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Balaji Srinivasan

10/26/13

@ Y Combinator

To think big about the future, we need to build technologies that minimize barriers to exit and facilitate relocation.

Balaji Srinivasan at Startup School 2013

Takeaways