Application development platform Quick Base has just recently hired a former Hewlett Packard Enterprise executive.
Jay Jamison left Silicon Valley to join the Cambridge-based company last August. In early September, he started his new role as senior vice president of strategy and product management, where he'll focus on making the Quick Base platform more accessible to a larger consumer base.
Jamison was introduced to this opportunity through an executive recruiter, he said in an interview. When asked what sparked this interest in making the move, Jamison said that “as soon as I started a little bit of research, the democratizing element of Quick Base really appealed to me… The ability to say you’re not part of the priesthood of developers but the mass congregation that can now get this value.”
Jamison noted that during his time in Silicon Valley, he developed a great appreciation of San Francisco and the Valley, having worked in startups, big enterprises and venture capital firms. He also added that it lends itself to being, "like Hollywood in the sense that every month, new people are showing up with the idea that 'I could create the next Facebook,' and that's a great thing," he said.
However, this common mindset creates a great atmosphere as well as challenges. "It does lead to a sense of mercenary mentality, where someone could say 'well I'm here now but could be somewhere else tomorrow,'" Jamison said. This mentality can be a problem if you're building a company or something that lasts: "Rome wasn't built in a day," Jamison added.
"Boston has the world-class universities creating technical talent, world-class software companies... And has a little bit less of a mercenary sense [than Silicon Valley]."
The rising prices of living is another challenge in Silicon Valley that Jamison has also noticed, "which is starting to make places like Boston really attractive." "Boston has the world-class universities creating technical talent, world-class software companies... And has a little bit less of a mercenary sense," where it's less likely that someone will move positions just because they don't feel progress in a short span of time, according to Jamison.
Since starting, Jamison said that "what's helped with the transition is that I've been able to hit the ground running and, at the same time, have fun and make an impact."
In addition to transitioning and getting settled, Jamison has also been able to have fun in Boston, with the exception of last week's weather.
"I learned about the magic of layering," he said.
