1.) Jerry Yang and Dave Filo are another legendary duo in the history of Silicon Valley entrepreneurialism. How do they compare to other legendary entrepreneurial teams you have encountered such as Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, or the founders of Sun and Netscape? Does their story represent the classic Silicon Valley story updated for the 1990s or does it represent something new?

2.) Consider the role that Stanford played in the founding of Yahoo! In what ways is the history of Yahoo! connected to the legacy of Fred Terman at Stanford? In what ways is it connected to the history of other Stanford spin-off companies such as Hewlett-Packard. Sun, Cisco Systems, and Silicon Graphics? In what ways does it represent a new phenomenon? Should one consider Stanford to be a prime mover of Silicon Valley in the 1990s? If so, what are the keys to this relationship? Is the contemporary Stanford-Silicon Valley connection the same one as before, or has it been changed?

3.) What role did venture capital play in the founding of Yahoo? Would you agree with the following statement: "Dot.com companies like Yahoo! were the creation of venture capitalists." Why or why not?

4.) Was Yahoo! a technologically innovative company? Using Yahoo! as your case study, evaluate the following thesis: "The difference between the 'dot.com' phenomenon and all previous Silicon Valley booms is that the 'dot.coms' were all about money-making and finance whereas the previous Silicon Valley booms were rooted in the commercial exploitation of new and innovative technologies."

5.) Youth was a key theme at Yahoo! and in all the "dot.com" enterprises. Was there something new about the youthful fervor of the "dot.com" phenomenon? Or was this just the same old Silicon Valley emphasis on youth playing out in new form? Connecting the "dot.com" phenomenon with the other youth-centered aspects of Silicon Valley history, how do you account for the historical connection between youth and Silicon Valley? Is this connection a good thing for Silicon Valley? Is it good for America as a whole?

6.) Consider the importance of the stock market in Yahoo's success. In what ways does this reflect an old pattern in Silicon Valley history and in what ways does it represent a new innovation? How do you evaluate the relationship between the stock market and Silicon Valley in the 1990s? Was the relationship good for Silicon Valley? Was it good for America as a whole? Justify your answer.

7.) This film was produced by the Stanford Channel, the same group that made Becoming Stanford. The Stanford Channel is a commercial operation supported by Stanford University. Why would Stanford University be interested in promoting a film like this? What lessons about the Stanford-Silicon Valley relationship do you draw from the fact that they were interested? Does Stanford's interest shape the content of the film's presentation? How might a filmmaker with different interests have told the story differently? Does this film leave you feeling positively or negatively toward Stanford University? Explain your answer.
 

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