T L Y Renaissance geeks By Simon Firth Silicon Valley sees itself as the new Florence. If the Valley wants to find a way out of the binary thinking that opposes business success and high culture, it only has to look to Renaissance Florence for help.
Silicon Valley is built on just two industries, computers and biotech.
A program of truly world-class building may be just what it needs to relieve it of its narrow reliance on them. If it goes this route, though, a lot of habits will have to change before it reaches Florentine standards. Florentine businessmen would think nothing of spending a third of their entire wealth on their private residence. Perhaps it's just too early to decide if the revolution emanating from the Valley is truly a new Renaissance. Florence became what visitors see today over many decades.