Is Your Vibe ‘High-Signal’ or ‘Anti-Signal’?

A slew of factors goes into investments and status in Silicon Valley. Lately, an intangible one has pulled ahead as a predictor of success or failure: “signal.”

If your behaviors are deemed high-signal: Congratulations, you’re coming across as a winner and rewards may follow. If your actions are seen as anti-signal: Sorry, you’re radiating cringey energy that may hamper your chances.

Both terms are ubiquitous in social media posts, blogs and public comments from those in the industry. Chris Lehane, the chief global affairs officer of OpenAI, which recently bought the popular tech podcast TBPN, told Puck that the show had “a high-signal, Silicon Valley ‘opinion-elite’ audience.” A blog post by a division of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz said it offered founders access to a “high-signal talent ecosystem.”

Those in the know warn of anti-signal moves: Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, has said that going to dinners hosted by venture capitalists “tends to be a big anti-signal.” Other anti-signal moves, according to social media users, include being on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, putting an “open to work” badge on your LinkedIn and even taking venture capital funds.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/business/signal-tech-silicon-valley.html