On May 17, 2025, at 9:17 PM, sjenkin@canb.auug.org.au wrote:

I’ve not seen any definitive explanation of the Californian Miracle,
it’s incontrovertible in the long-run numbers, before & after Silicon Chips,
presumably due to multiple reinforcing factors, that create & maintain exceptional industries.

i.e. virtuous circles, like Silicon Valley remaining an economic powerhouse,
even as ’technology’ has evolved from Silicon devinces to chips, to software, to Internet Services.

I find Steve Blank’s “Secret History” compelling, if perhaps not entirely exhaustive. I wasn’t there and couldn’t say, but it seems to me like a good explanation for a substantial portion of the story. Steve gives a lot of the credit to Terman’s ability to engage DARPA.