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Peter Thiel has an opinion about Silicon Valley fashion. The tech entrepreneur is releasing his book, Zero to One next week, but an early excerpt reveals his thoughts on startup culture, fashion behaviors included. He writes:
It's a cliché that tech workers don't care about what they wear, but if you look closely at those T-shirts, you'll see the logos of the wearers' companies—and tech workers care about those very much. What makes a startup employee instantly distinguishable to outsiders is the branded T-shirt or hoodie that makes him look the same as his co- workers. The startup uniform encapsulates a simple but essential principle: everyone at your company should be different in the same way— a tribe of like- minded people fiercely devoted to the company's mission.
To sum it up, Thiel is a big believer in the tees and hoodies that have become synonymous with Silicon Valley. So maybe we shouldn't write off the startup trend as style apathy. Those cotton knits may be serving a larger purpose.
· Zero to One [Official Site]
· Can a Thiel Fellow Build a Better Shopping App? [Racked SF]