Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg believes that being in Silicon Valley to create a startup isn't necessary, or even recommended in some instances. The CEO spoke openly during a live interview at Y Combinator's Startup School over the weekend.
Zuckerberg explains that if he had to start over from scratch today, he would do things much differently. For one, he wouldn't relocate to Silicon Valley but rather stay based in Boston. He believes there are a lot of good resources for new startups in the Valley but it's not the only place to succeed. Yet on the contrary, he doesn't believe Facebook would have "made it" if he stayed in Beantown.
One thing that bothers him about the area is the lack of commitment. Many startups are created with the sole purpose of going public to turn a profit then selling out to move on to the next venture. He believes that many companies that are founded outside of Silicon Valley tend to take things slower and ultimately last longer than others.
Speaking on business in general, Zuckerberg feels that many businesses act too slowly and are scared to take risks. In such a fast-paced world, the biggest risk is not to take any risk and ultimately watching technology and the industry pass you by.
Zuckerberg founded Facebook in February 2004 while attending Harvard and incorporated later that summer. Initially he didn't believe Facebook would even become a real company but now the service has over 800 million registered users.