--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always been very tech-focused…" description: "\"I have always been very tech-focused, which you may almost say is the traditional CEO in Silicon Valley.\" — Michael Birch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/michael-birch-42994_almost_i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-whi_1721126.jpg" --- # I have always been very tech-focused, which you may almost… ![“I have always been very tech-focused, which you may almost say is the traditional CEO in Silicon Valley.” quote by Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/michael-birch-42994_almost_i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-whi_1721126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/michael-birch-42994_almost_i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-whi_1721126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/michael-birch-42994_almost_i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-whi_1721126.jpg) > “I have always been very tech-focused, which you may almost say is the traditional CEO in Silicon Valley.” [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker identifies himself as a tech‑centric leader, reflecting the typical Valley CEO profile. **In simple terms:** Tech‑focused CEOs are common in Silicon Valley. Key Takeaway Embrace your tech strengths while broadening perspective. Themes leadership technology Silicon Valley CEO culture Mood reflective analytical Type leadership career When to use this quote - startup fundraising - product development - team building - public speaking Key Concepts innovation entrepreneurship identity Questions to Reflect On - How can a tech‑centric CEO better understand non‑technical teams? - What non‑tech skills should a CEO develop? A Different Perspective Tech focus may limit empathy for non‑technical stakeholders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ceo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceo/) [Silicon valley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silicon-valley/) [Tech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tech/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [I think like a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. Failure is a great teacher. At the same time, you must remember, success will never last... Whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadashi-yanai/i-think-like-a-silicon-valley-entrepreneur-failure-is-a-great-teacher/) [Tadashi Yanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadashi-yanai/) > [Silicon Valley is the best place to start a tech company in so many ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklas-zennstrom/silicon-valley-is-the-best-place-to-start-a-tech-company-in-so-many/) [Niklas Zennstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklas-zennstrom/) > [The tech industry - and, more specifically, Silicon Valley - continues to stumble forward in earnest about how few women are represented in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/the-tech-industry-and-more-specifically-silicon-valley-continues-to/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I've been reading a lot about Silicon Valley history recently and was struck by just how core the lack of unions has been to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/i-ve-been-reading-a-lot-about-silicon-valley-history-recently-and-was/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [Some people have blithely dismissed growth in markets like China and India, saying Silicon Valley will always be the hub for tech: that everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/some-people-have-blithely-dismissed-growth-in-markets-like-china-and/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [Diversifying our tech talent pool is an imperative for the tech sector. More diverse engineers and entrepreneurs will bring about a new type of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/diversifying-our-tech-talent-pool-is-an-imperative-for-the-tech/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [Silicon Valley isn't the only game in town. Tech is increasingly decentralized. Around the world, new tech centers with younger companies are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holmes/silicon-valley-isn-t-the-only-game-in-town-tech-is-increasingly/) [Ryan Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holmes/) > [You might call me a tech intermediary. I know how to talk to the people in Silicon Valley and then take that information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/you-might-call-me-a-tech-intermediary-i-know-how-to-talk-to-the/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I think 'Shark Tank' is targeting companies that are really trying to raise their very first dollar. A lot of them aren't really tech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mcclure/i-think-shark-tank-is-targeting-companies-that-are-really-trying-to/) [Dave McClure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mcclure/) > [I think if there's any difference between me and a traditional CEO, it's that I've been unwilling to change myself or shape my personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mason/i-think-if-there-s-any-difference-between-me-and-a-traditional-ceo-it/) [Andrew Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mason/) > [I think of a traditional CEO as being divorced from customers. A lot of consumer company CEOs - they're not really interacting with consumers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/i-think-of-a-traditional-ceo-as-being-divorced-from-customers-a-lot/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [If you go back to the '50s and '60s... there was zero tech in S.F. It was all in the Valley... and it crept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kapor/if-you-go-back-to-the-50s-and-60s-there-was-zero-tech-in-s-f-it-was/) [Mitch Kapor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kapor/) > [Silicon Valley is like Wall Street in that it will fill and pursue market opportunities to their logical extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/silicon-valley-is-like-wall-street-in-that-it-will-fill-and-pursue/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [Silicon Valley does not breed great technology. Instead, the smartest people from around the world tend to move to Silicon Valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-collison/silicon-valley-does-not-breed-great-technology-instead-the-smartest/) [Patrick Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-collison/) > [Sometimes it feels hard to remember that Silicon Valley is an actual place, a collage of parched suburbs, and not just the collective noun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/sometimes-it-feels-hard-to-remember-that-silicon-valley-is-an-actual/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) ## More by Michael Birch > [I wanted to build something that was a system - that was mechanical and would propagate itself like a virus. I needed a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-wanted-to-build-something-that-was-a-system-that-was-mechanical-and/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [Myspace was always a bit edgy. People identified it with edginess and music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/myspace-was-always-a-bit-edgy-people-identified-it-with-edginess-and/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [When I was a kid, I really liked playing chess, which is pretty geeky; I just enjoyed it - thinking, exercising my mind. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/when-i-was-a-kid-i-really-liked-playing-chess-which-is-pretty-geeky-i/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [I don't have any great ambition to go out and make money. But I am still fascinated in starting up businesses and starting it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-don-t-have-any-great-ambition-to-go-out-and-make-money-but-i-am/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [People can live without a Facebook account: my 13-year-old daughter has cancelled her account because it's not cool anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/people-can-live-without-a-facebook-account-my-13-year-old-daughter/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [If you are going truly viral, you don't need press. I mean, MySpace grew for a very long time without any press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/if-you-are-going-truly-viral-you-don-t-need-press-i-mean-myspace-grew/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [The problem with Myspace was always that it was never as strong a product as it needed to be. It left itself vulnerable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/the-problem-with-myspace-was-always-that-it-was-never-as-strong-a/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [Birthday Alarm was a very simple site based on being reminded of your friends' birthdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/birthday-alarm-was-a-very-simple-site-based-on-being-reminded-of-your/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [I built websites for myself. I didn't want to work for anyone else. I came from a science background, so I approached things fairly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-built-websites-for-myself-i-didn-t-want-to-work-for-anyone-else-i/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) [Explore all 10 Michael Birch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [My favourite designers always create a strong silhouette, like McQueen and Tom Ford and Alaia. I like structured things that you can throw on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/my-favourite-designers-always-create-a-strong-silhouette-like-mcqueen/) [Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/) > [Harry Truman wrote scathing letters, but he almost never sent them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/harry-truman-wrote-scathing-letters-but-he-almost-never-sent-them/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [It's almost inevitable there's going to be an escalation on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-luther/it-s-almost-inevitable-there-s-going-to-be-an-escalation-on-both-sides/) Bill Luther > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cena/if-you-watch-wrestling-you-now-know-the-hip-hop-culture-is-being/) [John Cena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cena/) > [Almost every Monday I have a charity thing. I like that. I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/almost-every-monday-i-have-a-charity-thing-i-like-that-i-do/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) Farnaz Fassihi > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. I got on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-kidder/i-d-had-episodes-before-but-i-swept-them-under-the-carpet-this-time-i/) [Margot Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-kidder/) > [I was hit by a car. I almost died. My show was taken away from me. I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always been very tech-focused, which you may almost say is the traditional CEO in Silicon Valley.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Birch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-which-you-may-almost-say-is-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Almost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-which-you-may-almost-say-is-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/michael-birch-42994_almost_i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-whi_1721126.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/michael-birch-42994_almost_i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-whi_1721126.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7c/michael-birch-42994_almost_i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-whi_1721126.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have always been very tech-focused, which you may almost say is the traditional CEO in Silicon Valley.” — Michael Birch", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Birch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have always been very tech-focused,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-which-you-may-almost-say-is-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-have-always-been-very-tech-focused-which-you-may-almost-say-is-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```