Nullsoft: The death of the last maverick tech company (2004)
Despite the &quot;change the world.. break the rules, etc.&quot; rhetoric, Silicon Valley couldn&#x27;t be more different today.<p>I find it hard to imagine a Google employee releasing an ad blocker[0], or Popcorn Time raising a Series A round, or startups shipping crypto that breaks the law, or a startup selling offensive security software (there&#x27;s a reason that business has been pushed overseas)<p>Today, startups that push the boundaries on bad laws and regulations are more likely to be roundly criticized than praised.<p>DMCA notices are automatically complied with without question via automated systems. The tech companies have <i>become</i> the media companies. Founders in file sharing or media make a point in investment pitches that they&#x27;ll be conformist. YouTube&#x27;s ContentID system means thousands of legal satire and parody videos are removed every day.<p>Not to mention <i>whatever</i> is&#x2F;was happening between SV and the intelligence agencies.<p>It&#x27;s pretty hard today to find projects or communities that have similar levels of energy and disregard for rules. When you do find them it&#x27;s no coincidence that they&#x27;re usually on the periphery of what SV touches.<p>[0] Brian Kennish quit Google and released Disconnect, a privacy plugin for browsers.