> Today Silicon Valley sounds more and more like the old money club of Wall Street

... or Holywood, where VCs (producers) minimize risk by funding well-known formulas betting that a blockbuster will save the summer, while talented programmers (actors) get any job out there, stay a few months, cash in and go to the next gig. A bunch of other untalented wannabes (biz devs, MBAs, PRs) act as talent scouts, schmoozing at "parties" (meet-ups) trying to find the next fresh-out-of-the-boat programmer to exploit.

In that sense, I believe NYC and other areas provide a much healthier environment for true "indie" productions (aka customer-centric development)