We Don’t Want You Unless You Are Rich Or Look Like You Are Going to Get Rich: Elitist Social Networking at Doostang

 

That wasn’t exactly what the invitation to be friends with someone at Doostang said, but that seemed to be the unstated subtext. I was disgusted to get this invitation yesterday, which appears to be from a legitimate start-up. As a wise venture capitalist once told me, “start-ups are like cockroaches, if you see one, there are usually hundreds more just like it.” So I suspect that we will see more social networking firms aimed at linking together the best, brightest, and snootiest people in the online world.

Here is what the invitation said (with the person’s name and invitation removed – someone I don’t think I've ever met):

I've requested to add you as a friend on Doostang, an invite-only career community started at Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. You can use Doostang to find a job or internship, network, and access valuable career information from peers and industry professionals.

Doostang members have successfully received offers from: Goldman Sachs, Facebook, HBO, McKinsey, Google, Apple, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Draper Fisher Jurveston, Saatchi & Saatchi, NBC, Morgan Stanley, Chanel, Summit Partners, U.S. Congress, Conde Nast, Nike, D.E. Shaw, World Bank, and hundreds more...

It sounds like I am not of sufficient social stature to join Doonstang anyway. I wonder if they would reject me because I never had a job offer from any of those companies, and I went to UC Berkeley and The University of Michigan rather than those elite private schools. And they would probably reject me for sure when they found out that I went to a community college for three years because I got such poor grades in high school. More seriously, I realize that there are elitist networks, and I am probably part of some. But the sheer arrogance of this, as well as what seems to be a barrier to entry for people who aren’t of sufficient status, makes my stomach turn. Their motto is "where talent lives,” but perhaps they should add “and where the unwashed masses can never live.”

For reasons that I can’t explain, it all reminds of my favorite indicator that we are about to make a really dumb decision at Stanford. When someone says “after all, we are Stanford,” I always take it as a sign that we are about to do something that has no logical or factual basis, and is probably elitist as well. It is as if being part of such an elite institution anoints us with magical powers that that make even the most idiotic decision turn out well. Perhaps I am overreacting, but the claim (see their website) that they are an “invite only community career community that connects top talent and leading employers,” followed by logos of various elite companies, made my stomach turn.

Am I being too sensitive? Or do others agree that this in bad taste?

P.S. Ironically, they list Facebook as one of the elitist companies. It is hard to get a job at Facebook, but their success, I would argue, is happening partly because they aren’t elitist at all about who can  join.

Comments

[RG]

Ugh; My name is... and I am an elitist. I value my overpriced credentials. I went to MIT and Chicago and I am different from - well, everyone in the snowflake idea, but who I would have been if I hadn't gone there. MIT especially, I think, where I got permission to be a nerd. I don't apologize for the ways I am different from the "unwashed masses", even though they would have me feel guilty for my geekiness. We may not be better, but we are different, and there is value to having those venues where it's okay to be us.

[GRV]

I attempted to go their website and found that the service is not available as of now. Thanks to Bob?! ;)

[Shauna Axton]

I actually disagree with the take that this an elitist community, though I do agree that the solicitation begs to differ. I joined Doostang a couple months back, and while I'll be the first to admit that I've only seldom visited and haven't gained much in professional opportunities or otherwise, I think it's a good idea. Regardless of which schools created the network, Doostang is the first of its kind that I've seen to cater to students and recent grads looking for a forum to connect and share business opportunities. Sure, LinkedIn and Facebook provide an aspect of this type of interaction, but neither provides recent grads with the support of like-minded individuals that are in a similar (and daunting, to some) life stage. Perhaps my affinity to Doostang is more theoretical than actual, providing the recent grad with a tool to embark on their search for a meaningful career. I certainly know countless individuals who have struggled during this challenging transition.

I should mention that I didn't go to an Ivy League - UCSB hardly shares the level of prestige of Stanford or MIT. I was not put off by the invitation. In fact, I'm pretty impressed with the Stanford/MIT Venture Lab and looked toward Stanford's entrepreneurial programs as UCSB developed its own Technology Management Program. I'd like to think that students and recent grads would welcome any opportunity to interact with smart people offering great jobs. One doesn't have to be elitist to aspire towards a great career (regardless the payout). If I wasn't happily employed, I may look to Doostang as one of many tools to help young people navigate the many career opportunities available to them.

[LivePaola]

Many sites start out positioning themselves like that, only to realize later that the really glamorous people don't have much time to spend online, and that the site needs to open up to get those page views and ad revenues to pay its bills. Look at www.asmallworld.net - it's supposed to be an exclusive network and it carefully doles out invitation privileges, but 9,000 members in a town like Milano (Italy) isn't really that exclusive, is it?

[Rick]

Bob--this is certainly a stomach-turning, disgusting display of arrogance and elitist thinking.

What is also true is that many of the institutions of higher learning which are among the elite--think Ivy League, for example--use this very arrogance as a means of recruiting high-performing students about to enter college.

This is not supposition on my part. My daughter was accepted to an Ivy League school which had touted, during our visit there, not only the value of the education, but the value of the connections you immediately had at your disposal with their name on your sheepskin.

I was put off by that selling point at that time, and I was not at all disappointed when she chose a public institution in our home state, rather than the Ivy League school.

This is not exactly the same sort of thing you describe in telling us about this new social network, but the exclusivity and implied ranking of the populace (there's us, and the rest of the teeming masses, forever separated) is there in both cases.

[Jeff]

Just when you thought the internet was creating a level playing field...

[Otto]

Fully agree! I also second CKG on the insecurity issue. I received the same invite and was wondering whether I had overlooked it in my inbox for, oh, 20-25 years or so.

[Wally Bock]

I like Groucho's line that he wouldn't want to be a member of any club that would have him as a member.

[CKG]

You're not being too sensitive... any time people feel the need to make themselves special by excluding or denigrating others (even implicitly), it's not a good sign. I worked for a wonderful boss once, who had a label for groups that had these characteristics: "insecure units." Such groups tend to value status over substance (often, they aren't sure what the substance is, but they're always very clear on the status), and to be consumed with pretty petty concerns. So, right on (again), Bob.

[dimpels]

Bob, another reason why I like you so much. and will keep reading and supporting you. It is so funny when people act this way. And this in the country where you can be anything you want to be - living the American dream. I'm living it and so grateful for professionals like you that I can look up to and that would be keeping those snobs in line.

Well done. Love your blog.