Silicon Valley’s success in generating and nurturing entrepreneurship and globally dominant technology firms is undisputed. It has had similar global success in dominating the imaginations of policymakers and researchers. In this essay, we examine the myths of Silicon Valley entrepreneurship (SVE), tying them to the American Dream of westward expansion, self-made men, and the California Dream of new ways of life and riches that could be claimed by anyone. We point to parallels between increasingly elitist strands in SVE myths and the Robber Barons of U.S. history. Throughout, we highlight what all these interconnected myths have cast into the shadows on our way to questioning whether it makes sense to continue to hold SVE out as a singular ideal for either policymakers or entrepreneurship scholars. Finally, we point to sources of inspiration toward the development of newer and more inclusive entrepreneurship myths.

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Baker, Ted und Friederike Welter (2024): „Silicon Valley entrepreneurship – Revisiting a popular dream“, in: Journal of Business Venturing Insights 21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2024.e00466.