Silicon Valley's unspoken rule: sell the vision before the product proves it — Paris builds the opposite way
julianweisser · x · 2026-11-10
A thread on unspoken startup culture norms: in San Francisco, founders are expected to sell the vision early — announce before the product is polished and raise big rather than timidly, since 'thinking small' costs them attention and credibility. Paris is the inverse: build quietly, keep burn low, show the product to a few people only when ready; loud promotion of something imperfect feels like overselling. Core insight: in SF attention is a mechanism to reach a great product; in Paris a great product is the mechanism to earn attention.
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