Nullsoft: The death of the last maverick tech company (2004)
Despite the "change the world.. break the rules, etc." rhetoric, Silicon Valley couldn'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'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'll be conformist. YouTube's ContentID system means thousands of legal satire and parody videos are removed every day.<p>Not to mention <i>whatever</i> is/was happening between SV and the intelligence agencies.<p>It'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's no coincidence that they're usually on the periphery of what SV touches.<p>[0] Brian Kennish quit Google and released Disconnect, a privacy plugin for browsers.