While I agree that removing money from SVB if you could was A Good Idea, this:
> You're talking as though the SVB depositors are some sort of hive mind capable of acting in concert. They're not.
… is patently absurd. Startups and the VC market are all about meme copying, on everything from which front end stack or build system to use to how to write a “regretful” layoff announcement on LinkedIn, to (apparently) management of funds.
The boards are incestuous with respect to the ecosystem, and absolutely capable of acting in concert, as constantly demonstrated.
> Acting in concert means knowing participation in a joint activity or parallel action towards a common goal
Memetic spread is not "acting in concert" in the way I meant it or in the way that OP was demanding. There is no common goal in the kinds of behaviors you're referencing.
Each individual depositor has to make the bail/stay decision with extremely limited knowledge of what everyone else is going to do. They know that the market is freaking out at SVB's sale, and they know VCs are sending panicked emails to their startups telling them to bail. They know that if enough people actually do bail they may lose everything they have (in excess of $250k).
Presented with that information, the only rational move for a depositor is to bail. It's weird to blame the VCs for making the only good choice available to them.