[bksvol-discuss] Another great Silicon Valley Ten Years After Netscape's IPO
- From: "Janice Carter" <Janice.C@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2005 13:08:59 -0700
More press for Benetech and Bookshare.org, featuring Jim and Gustavo!
The local CBS TV News team called on us yesterday for a quick piece on
Benetech and Bookshare.org! You can listen to the interview at:
http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_221222100.html
San Francisco, CA - KPIX(CBS 5)
Ten years ago Tuesday, Netscape held its IPO, marking the start of the
Internet boom.
What a difference a decade makes. The landscape of Silicon Valley has
changed dramatically since then. Traffic has lightened up, the
billboards look different, and in many ways, there is a kinder gentler
Silicon Valley.
In Palo Alto Tuesday, a group of engineers and volunteers scanned books
and applied software so that blind people can listen to them.
"We're all about how to take Silicon Valley's technology and apply it to
these great social things that don't make a lot of money," said Jim
Fruchterman of Benetech.
Benetech is a non-profit, and it's part of a growing community of
Silicon Valley social entrepreneurs.
"Now people are thinking past just getting the most wealth," said
Fruchterman. "They're actually thinking about what can they with that
wealth. And now there are actually a lot of high tech people who are
spending a lot of time thinking about, 'How do I give away my money?'"
Fruchterman received some of his funding from former eBay president Jeff
Skoll. His $500 million foundation has financed hundreds of socially
responsible organizations since 1999.
"I think in a lot of ways actually it is very much from the dot-com
days," said Sandy Herz of the Skoll Foundation. "I think there is this
fundamental belief, this optimism that comes out of technology that
total reinvention is possible... One of the effects of the Internet boom
and bust was that it brought people back to what is it that matters most
at the end of the day."
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