The rate at which people swap jobs here is more than material for a Doonesbury comic strip. The job change culture plays a powerful role in accelerating the development of new technology, helping the region and enriching individuals. But it also can slow down companies, which must spend heavily to hire and retain talent. Silicon Valley's perpetual-motion job machine could foreshadow similar changes in the Washington area, traditionally a place where loyalty and longevity count. Traditionally, the style of Washington area companies has been shaped by the interactions with the government, he said.
Reliability is a virtue.
Delivering a smoothly working product is the goal. Rapid-fire change, especially in personnel, sends up warning flags. Those values fade, however, in a commercial world where getting a product to market first matters more than meeting government specifications. Silicon Valley is intimately acquainted with the roller coaster ride of start-ups. Since David Packard and Bill Hewlett started their company in a Palo Alto garage in 1939, the Valley has been a crowded hothouse of new ventures.