6 ms·

Considering how much heat gizmodo got for calling out the same kid two years ago, I'm not surprised.

by badgar 13y ago

dopamean 13y ago
What's the story there? I'm unfamiliar. Link?
- pseut 13y ago
  http://gizmodo.com/5830076/how-i-made-a-15+year+old-app-developer-cry http://gizmodo.com/5830076/how-i-made-a-15+year+old-app-deve...
- bobwaycott 13y ago
  The founder (then 15 yrs old) was basically dishonest, annoying, ridiculous ... etc. More here: http://gizmodo.com/5830076/how-i-made-a-15+year+old-app-developer-cry http://gizmodo.com/5830076/how-i-made-a-15+year+old-app-deve...
  - zem 13y ago
    not surprised they got heat - however annoying the guy was, that was a deeply mean-spirited article.
  - michaelochurch 13y ago
    I'd give him a pass on that. He was not unlike any other smart, impulsive, ambitious teenager with a passion for ideas (namely, his own). When I was 20, I was highly enthusiastic about a card game (actually a pretty good one; it plays really well and people I've never met write me about it) I created, called Ambition, and got into some flamewars that I shouldn't have. This is one of the rare cases where I wish I were born 5-10 years later; the web is now mature enough that, instead of flaming Wikipedia to make it a "real game", I would have just put it up as an HTML5 game and people could play it. When I was 20, you still had to know a lot to get a real computer setup outside of the CS lab. I didn't quit using Windows for home stuff until age 24 (2007). Now with 'brew install emacs' as opposed to bullshit '90s-era Windows nonsense, it's a million times easier for someone under-20 to start building instead of just talking. Convex dishonesty (see here: https://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/gervais-macleod-19-living-in-truth-fighting-the-lie/ https://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/gervais-macl... ) can be very tempting when you're trying to make a good idea "catch". You don't really have a sense of it being wrong until you're older (25+) and have seen what trust-sparsity does to organizations. If you're under 25, I think you deserve a pass on well-intended convex dishonesty. You just don't have enough experience with social systems to see why it is (usually) wrong.
- kinkora 13y ago
  I rarely quote gawker but they have a good write up about the whole fiasco: http://gawker.com/5992733/how-to-become-a-teen-millionaire-be-an-insufferable-startup-brat http://gawker.com/5992733/how-to-become-a-teen-millionaire-b... Basically, Nick was really pushy when he was young. I personally think all of us were, at some point, an immature or annoying teenager so his behaviour is probably not that out of the ordinary for someone his age. Hopefully he is more mature now.
  - xradionut 13y ago
    All of us? Some of us had to matured early, since we were raised on family farms without the benefit of being mollycoddled. If you need to grow up, I still have family in the business that can assist in positive behavior modification and inter-personal respect training. Might do Nick some good to live/work outside the 1%.
    - michaelochurch 13y ago
      What's ridiculous isn't that Nick (whose father was a banker) had those advantages but that more people don't. It's not Nick's fault that people like us don't get audience with VCs in our teens. Sure, Nick had early success, lots of ambition, and the typical immature character of a 15-year-old who's enthusiastic about his own ideas. Impulsive, creative, teenagers tend toward pushiness. Ask Wikipedia about my Ambition (sorry, had to make the pun) and you'll hear a similar story. We all have episodes of stupidity in our past.
      - xradionut 13y ago
        It would be interesting to see what mountains Nick could climb if he wasn't helicoptered to the summit. As for maturity, I probably grew up in totally different time, culture and environment than most of the HN readers. Even my siblings children don't understand their parents background. At 15 we were expected to be top students, hold a job, play sports/music and be respectful to a fault. (Yes sir.) No one would ever want to be consider a punk or a brat.

Considering how much heat gizmodo got for calling out the same kid two years ago, I'm not surprised.

by badgar 13y ago

Considering how much heat gizmodo got for calling out the same kid two years ago, I'm not surprised.

dopamean 13y ago

What's the story there? I'm unfamiliar. Link?

pseut 13y ago
http://gizmodo.com/5830076/how-i-made-a-15+year+old-app-developer-cry http://gizmodo.com/5830076/how-i-made-a-15+year+old-app-deve...
bobwaycott 13y ago
The founder (then 15 yrs old) was basically dishonest, annoying, ridiculous ... etc. More here: http://gizmodo.com/5830076/how-i-made-a-15+year+old-app-developer-cry http://gizmodo.com/5830076/how-i-made-a-15+year+old-app-deve...
- zem 13y ago
  not surprised they got heat - however annoying the guy was, that was a deeply mean-spirited article.
- michaelochurch 13y ago
  I'd give him a pass on that. He was not unlike any other smart, impulsive, ambitious teenager with a passion for ideas (namely, his own). When I was 20, I was highly enthusiastic about a card game (actually a pretty good one; it plays really well and people I've never met write me about it) I created, called Ambition, and got into some flamewars that I shouldn't have. This is one of the rare cases where I wish I were born 5-10 years later; the web is now mature enough that, instead of flaming Wikipedia to make it a "real game", I would have just put it up as an HTML5 game and people could play it. When I was 20, you still had to know a lot to get a real computer setup outside of the CS lab. I didn't quit using Windows for home stuff until age 24 (2007). Now with 'brew install emacs' as opposed to bullshit '90s-era Windows nonsense, it's a million times easier for someone under-20 to start building instead of just talking. Convex dishonesty (see here: https://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/gervais-macleod-19-living-in-truth-fighting-the-lie/ https://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/gervais-macl... ) can be very tempting when you're trying to make a good idea "catch". You don't really have a sense of it being wrong until you're older (25+) and have seen what trust-sparsity does to organizations. If you're under 25, I think you deserve a pass on well-intended convex dishonesty. You just don't have enough experience with social systems to see why it is (usually) wrong.
kinkora 13y ago
I rarely quote gawker but they have a good write up about the whole fiasco: http://gawker.com/5992733/how-to-become-a-teen-millionaire-be-an-insufferable-startup-brat http://gawker.com/5992733/how-to-become-a-teen-millionaire-b... Basically, Nick was really pushy when he was young. I personally think all of us were, at some point, an immature or annoying teenager so his behaviour is probably not that out of the ordinary for someone his age. Hopefully he is more mature now.
- xradionut 13y ago
  All of us? Some of us had to matured early, since we were raised on family farms without the benefit of being mollycoddled. If you need to grow up, I still have family in the business that can assist in positive behavior modification and inter-personal respect training. Might do Nick some good to live/work outside the 1%.
  - michaelochurch 13y ago
    What's ridiculous isn't that Nick (whose father was a banker) had those advantages but that more people don't. It's not Nick's fault that people like us don't get audience with VCs in our teens. Sure, Nick had early success, lots of ambition, and the typical immature character of a 15-year-old who's enthusiastic about his own ideas. Impulsive, creative, teenagers tend toward pushiness. Ask Wikipedia about my Ambition (sorry, had to make the pun) and you'll hear a similar story. We all have episodes of stupidity in our past.
    - xradionut 13y ago
      It would be interesting to see what mountains Nick could climb if he wasn't helicoptered to the summit. As for maturity, I probably grew up in totally different time, culture and environment than most of the HN readers. Even my siblings children don't understand their parents background. At 15 we were expected to be top students, hold a job, play sports/music and be respectful to a fault. (Yes sir.) No one would ever want to be consider a punk or a brat.