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The Secret History of Silicon Valleywriting

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2007-01-01 · 1 min read · Edit on Pyrite

Overview

"The Secret History of Silicon Valley" is a lecture series by Steve Blank, first given as a talk at Google in 2007. It traces Silicon Valley's origins not to semiconductors and garage startups but to WWII electronic warfare and Cold War military technology — challenging the conventional narrative of the Valley's founding.

Core Argument

Blank argues that Silicon Valley was built on military technology spending:

  • Frederick Terman of Stanford (who mentored Hewlett and Packard) was both the "Father of Silicon Valley" and the "Father of Electronic Warfare"
  • The defense electronics industry — companies like ESL (where Blank worked), founded by William Perry (later Secretary of Defense) — provided the technical talent, institutional knowledge, and funding that seeded the Valley's commercial technology industry
  • The conventional narrative of Silicon Valley as a purely commercial, civilian innovation ecosystem obscures its deep roots in military and intelligence technology

    • Personal Connection

    Blank's first Silicon Valley job was at ESL, which was precisely the kind of defense technology firm that the "Secret History" describes. His career began in the world the lecture documents — military electronic systems — before crossing into commercial technology.

    Significance

    The "Secret History" is significant for the Blank KB because it reveals the depth of Blank's connection to the military-technology ecosystem and explains why his later government programs (Hacking for Defense, Gordian Knot Center) represent a return to his roots rather than a departure from them. It also connects the Blank narrative to the broader military-strategic tradition that includes Boyd and Wardley.

    Sources: steveblank.com/secret-history/, Google Tech Talk (2007)

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    Steve Blank

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