The new new schmooze continued

by Michelle Chihara

Still, it's not better manners that the tech masses are after. In the end, they want what everyone else wants: the money. The Internet millionaires -- those few who actually caught the IPO gold ring -- loom large in the collective imagination of this scene, even for the people who say they like their jobs.

"Jeff Bezos was just a little guy. He went to a regular school," said Ronak Shaw at the first S-1 event, in January. And he doesn't see Bezos as just another talented businessman who hit pay dirt. Bezos is a hero. "Little people are making a big difference. The Internet is making a difference. It's invigorating people," Shaw says. He is currently CIO at a company called Metal Suppliers Online. Would Shaw be anywhere near the metals industry if he weren't working with the Net? "No way in hell."

The start-up dream is so powerful that the fraction of this generation that is living it often works grueling hours in obscure specialties, sometimes for relatively little immediate gratification. Their offices may provide them with in-house pool tables, game rooms, and showers. But they may never see their apartments.

"CyberBrew is a reason for these people to get out of the office," says Leslie Smith, the director of the Massachusetts Interactive Media Council. "Frankly, I think most of these people would still be in the office if they hadn't come here."

As social gatherings for those who never go out, the networking events are a public extension of the already established dot-com practice of making work seem like play. Sure, schmoozers will tell you, they work hard. But their rival company's employees are always working harder. One of the most common plugs for a company is: "We have a lot of fun."

Fun can be a big draw, especially for a generation that works without the promise that employers will shepherd employees into retirement. And sometimes harsher financial realities hide behind a "fun" corporate façade.

As one of the few entrepreneurs still looking for seed money said at last January's S-1 event, "All we have is the culture. We're not getting paid yet."

Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

Michelle Chihara can be reached at mchihara[a]phx.com.