Why Do All Tech Giants Share the Same Origin Story?
Work Whistleblowing: The Garage Myth
Work Whistleblowing #10
Hold on one second… I FORGOT TO SCHEDULE THIS POST FOR LAST WEEK I AM SO SORRY. It was literally still in my drafts. What a dork, I am. I apologize!
Anyways please enjoy. And next week is about a CEO that laid off 90% of his team.
A lot of major American companies have a suspiciously similar origin story. They all want us to believe they started in a garage. Like, what’s up with that?
I love a humble entrepreneurship story as much as the next person. There’s something magical about someone actualizing their dreams and grinding their way to success. So, let me be clear: this is not an anti-entrepreneurship post. It’s just that these stories are a little too similar.
So similar, in fact, that I’m starting to think they might not even be real. Maybe they’re exaggerated, or maybe they’re entirely fabricated. Either way, the whole “garage founder” thing feels a little… strategic.
And that’s why I’m here—to ask the real questions. Why do all the major, market-driving companies push the same narrative? What do they gain by sticking to this origin story? And, most importantly, who decided that the garage was the ultimate symbol of entrepreneurial scrappiness?
If you’ve got theories, I want to hear them. Let’s crowdsource this one. Hit me up in the comments with your own thoughts.
But first, let’s take a look at who we’re talking about here.
The Usual Suspects
Here’s a quick roll call of the biggest names clinging to their beloved garages:
Google
Apple
Amazon
HP
Microsoft
Mattel
Dell
Yankee Candle
Harley Davidson
Nvidia (and we’ll talk about how they added their own spicy twist on this trope later).
Key Points
The "garage founder" story might be more myth than reality—why do all major companies cling to this narrative?
The garage isn’t just a location; it’s a PR tool to sell a scrappy, self-made image.
Even companies like Nvidia lean into the humble beginnings trope, proving the garage is now more of a vibe than a necessity.