After ten years spent in the film world, dipping a foot back into the tech space has been a bit of a culture shock.

Tech people seem happy to help out even strangers at other companies, just for the good karma. Whereas in the movie world, even close friends secretly root for one another to fail, if just for the frisson of Schadenfreude.

I suspect that difference stems straight from the trajectory of the two industries: the tech space’s total market cap is growing rapidly, while the movie industry’s total grosses have held largely static.

In that context, it makes sense for film folks to resent the success of other players: in a zero sum game, others’ wins necessitate your losses. Whereas in a growth industry like tech, someone else’s achievements don’t inherently undercut your own.

In fact, as many tech companies and products benefit from [network effects](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect), others succeeding is likely even a net positive, a rising tide lifting all boats (or, at least, all valuations).

Which is to say that, for whatever reason, the large number of tech people I’ve been dealing with of late have all been remarkably nice. After a decade of dog eat Hollywood dog, it’s a welcome change.