The day I met the computer programmers of Hollywood, California, 1988


I've met some incredible people in my life, including my boss at Blue Cross of California, in Los Angeles (who is standing next to me there), but what really amazed me were the computer programmers that we went and visited one day in the Hollywood Hills in 1988. And for a long time I didn't want to think about them, but today I do, because I think that I finally understand. Let's go.

We were invited to give some feedback on some computer software that was being designed for the up-and-coming "desktop publishing" industry. At the time, there were lots of competitors, unlike today with Adobe InDesign being just about the only one (sorry, Quark!). And it all had to be created from scratch, in code.

They worked in a big house in the Hollywood Hills. They could come and go as they pleased, and as I recall there was a pool that they could use anytime. The house really didn't have much furniture, some couches, and mostly work stations where the guys worked. And they were all young men, none of them as old as I was (I had just turned thirty) and they were the type of people who built the computer world as we know it today, computer software, the internet, you name it.

And they were the nerdiest bunch I'd ever seen, even more nerdy than my high school friends, who were VERY nerdy. My boss and I showed up in shirts and ties, which is what we wore to work, but these guys had no dress code at all. They were just too brilliant to give them a lot of silly rules. And they were just amazing.

You know what they did - they sat at computer terminals and typed in code, line after line after line, and made things happen. Our modern world is based on what these young men did, while they munched their cold pizza, and drank their Pepsi. I remember seeing slightly horrified by the sight of them, as they seemed to be the most socially-awkward human beings I'd ever seen, and I'd seen a lot. My bias against "computer people" was influenced by my girlfriend at the time, who had to interact with the computer support staff at Blue Cross, and was totally grossed out by their behavior.

It was obvious that the computer programmers of the Hollywood Hills were highly valued. I have no idea what they salaries were, but I'm sure it was much more than mine was. And they didn't have to follow any rules at all, they came and went as they pleased, and of course no dress code, and no supervisor breathing down their necks.

We got a quick demonstration of the software that they were working on, made a few comments and suggestions, and left. I used to wonder about these people, and worry a bit, but looking back now I know that there was no reason for that. They were doing what they did best, were happy, well-rewarded, and nowadays they can look back and see the world that they created.

I'm glad to have had the opportunity to see them. They were amazing, and I know that giants walk the earth.
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