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Right. I wonder if Silicon Valley types will ever be able to move away from the faux-altruistic mindset and just acknowledge that they are interested in making

Right. I wonder if Silicon Valley types will ever be able to move away from the faux-altruistic mindset and just acknowledge that they are interested in making more money than a single person could ever comfortably spend in 10 lifetimes. And that's not a bad thing! And maybe the world becomes a slightly better place in the process, but there's just such a disconnect right now between what they say and what they end up doing.

rubiquity 12y ago
Post of the Year right here. Prepare to be downvoted relentlessly for commiting Hacker News sacrilege[0]. 0 - http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html
bfe 12y ago
http://watsi.org http://watsi.org
RKoutnik 12y ago
To be fair, sama listed "It's not about the money" as SV lie #1: https://twitter.com/sama/status/453708825250381824 https://twitter.com/sama/status/453708825250381824
arasmussen 12y ago
I am interested in making more money than a single person could ever comfortably spend in 10 lifetimes.
- keithwarren 12y ago
  +1
EC1 12y ago
I always tell people this straight up. I'm about the money, everything I do is about the money. I just really REALLY do not want to work at any company until I'm 50, life is seriously way too short. My circle of friends, most of us have already exited and are living the life, I'm trying to follow suit. The notion of retiring before 30 fuels me entirely.
- arasmussen 12y ago
  Would love to reach out, shoot me an email.
paulbaumgart 12y ago
There are two types of altruism: 1. The desire to perform win-win, wealth-creating transactions. 2. The desire to redistribute wealth from yourself to people who ascribe greater utility to that wealth. I think what you're objecting to is Type 1 Altruists pretending to be Type 2 Altruists. Although I can't fault you for that, keep in mind that both types of altruism are utility-promoting, and that you can't have Type 2 without Type 1. :)
- 001sky 12y ago
  Type (1) 'altruism' has various flavours. Two oligarchs colluding is one. Selling out to olligarchs may be another. Both of these seem to be increasing "perceptions" Of Silicon Valley's ~morality.
  - paulbaumgart 12y ago
    Yeah, "win-win" does not imply "wealth-creating". Negative externalities can cancel out the wealth creation or even push it into the negative. However, a lot of people who talk about wanting to "change the world" do genuinely want to make the world wealthier.
elwell 12y ago
And "changing the world" sounds great/positive, but it is often relatively neutral and sometimes negative.

rubiquity 12y ago

Post of the Year right here. Prepare to be downvoted relentlessly for commiting Hacker News sacrilege[0]. 0 - http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html

bfe 12y ago

http://watsi.org http://watsi.org

RKoutnik 12y ago

To be fair, sama listed "It's not about the money" as SV lie #1: https://twitter.com/sama/status/453708825250381824 https://twitter.com/sama/status/453708825250381824

arasmussen 12y ago

I am interested in making more money than a single person could ever comfortably spend in 10 lifetimes.

keithwarren 12y ago
+1

EC1 12y ago

I always tell people this straight up. I'm about the money, everything I do is about the money. I just really REALLY do not want to work at any company until I'm 50, life is seriously way too short. My circle of friends, most of us have already exited and are living the life, I'm trying to follow suit. The notion of retiring before 30 fuels me entirely.

arasmussen 12y ago
Would love to reach out, shoot me an email.

paulbaumgart 12y ago

There are two types of altruism: 1. The desire to perform win-win, wealth-creating transactions. 2. The desire to redistribute wealth from yourself to people who ascribe greater utility to that wealth. I think what you're objecting to is Type 1 Altruists pretending to be Type 2 Altruists. Although I can't fault you for that, keep in mind that both types of altruism are utility-promoting, and that you can't have Type 2 without Type 1. :)

001sky 12y ago
Type (1) 'altruism' has various flavours. Two oligarchs colluding is one. Selling out to olligarchs may be another. Both of these seem to be increasing "perceptions" Of Silicon Valley's ~morality.
- paulbaumgart 12y ago
  Yeah, "win-win" does not imply "wealth-creating". Negative externalities can cancel out the wealth creation or even push it into the negative. However, a lot of people who talk about wanting to "change the world" do genuinely want to make the world wealthier.

elwell 12y ago

And "changing the world" sounds great/positive, but it is often relatively neutral and sometimes negative.