Technologies build on other technologies to compound growth. It’s no coincidence that of the companies with the highest market capitalization within the US, the first non-tech company is the eighth one down: Berkshire Hathaway. Nor is it a coincidence that tech startups can take their valuation into the 10 digits in a flash on the backs of other tech companies. This pace of growth can only be afforded by the innovation of new technology.
I was going through a row of photography books in an antique store when I got a call from Bucky Moore, our lead investor and a board member. “Let me know if you need anything from me. This is getting serious,” he said. He seemed concerned. It was Sunday, March 22nd, right after the shelter in place order went in effect here in California. The next day, COVID-19 was no longer just in the news, it was everywhere.
“Ev, do you have time later today to discuss the new web GUI for the command line terminal?” said the Slack message. It came from Alex, our user experience chief and the product in question is the SSH client. Part of me was worried. The command line environment had a sanctuary where I found peace and happiness away from the world of browser-based tools.