7 ms·

If I was pg, unless I was writing essays based directly on the YCombinator experience, I would write under a pseudonym. Once you achieve a certain level of fame

If I was pg, unless I was writing essays based directly on the YCombinator experience, I would write under a pseudonym. Once you achieve a certain level of fame, it is simply too dangerous and aggravating to write honestly under your own name. This has only gotten worse in the past few years with the rise of angry twitter and tumblr mobs. The world is full of people who wish to punch upwards and tear someone down of higher status. And then on the flip side you have too many groupies who will agree with you just because you are successful. Of course, maybe he already is writing and submitting essays under a pseudonym, we may never know ...

_sentient 12y ago
A pseudonym like, say, Evan Miller?
adamc 12y ago
While I see what you are saying, it strikes me as advice that would make him fade into, if not irrelevance, some kind of "Sages of Yesteryear" status. It's safe, but you don't generate good ideas by being safe. (I don't have anything against pseudonyms but they are hard to keep secret.) Part of the point of writing essays is to explore ideas honestly, and honesty is often not safe. I hope he stays honest.
- 001sky 12y ago
  you don't generate good ideas by being safe necessity as they say is the mother of invention. money is the mother of indolence and sloth. hence the essay. The issue about mixed motives is also tied in their somewhere, too. honesty comes more freely to those with nothing to lose. whilst those with everything to lose, have averything to gain from shading the truth. {etc}
Silfen 12y ago
pg has already done this in a very limited capacity. See: "Tara Ploughman"
- andyidsinga 12y ago
  yup ...I'm always on the lookout for TP
mathattack 12y ago
There's too much of a benefit to his brand to not write. YC gets first pick of so many startups because people say, "I want to get advice from THIS guy" As for the overall issue of "Talking your position" - everyone does it. Left and Right leaning economists get different research conclusions. You just have to be aware that it exists. And despite this, the advice from PG, Peter Theil, Marc A and others is different, despite them all being long startups.
- nostrademons 12y ago
  Your second point needs more emphasis. Everybody has their own story, and it's always biased by their personal experiences and worldview. There's no such thing as a "fair and balanced" perspective, there are just people who pretend their perspective is balanced and end up introducing another sort of bias into it. The article and some of the comments here seem to suggest that there's something more "authentic" about a piece when it comes from a subversive, low-power position. Why? What makes the perspective of someone in a position without power more authentic than the perspective of someone with it, other than the fact that it will probably resonate more with the personal experiences of many more people since power tends to be a pyramid with a much wider base than top? The real answer is to carefully consider where the perspective of whomever is speaking is coming from, and identify how closely it aligns with where you are and want to go. The perspective of a billionaire on how hard it is to make ends meet, if you're living at the poverty threshold? Probably not that relevant. The perspective of a billionaire who started out poor on how he got to where he is? Probably pretty relevant.
  - xrange 12y ago
    >What makes the perspective of someone in a position without power more authentic than the perspective of someone with it... Well someone not in a position of authority or power doesn't have to worry about losing said authority. If you tell too many uncomfortable truths or offend the wrong people, you may in certain instances loose some of your power. So it makes sense that the likely hood of getting an "authentic" story seems to get less and less as the person telling it rises in stature, power, authority.
thebyrd 12y ago
what makes you think he doesn't

_sentient 12y ago

A pseudonym like, say, Evan Miller?

adamc 12y ago

While I see what you are saying, it strikes me as advice that would make him fade into, if not irrelevance, some kind of "Sages of Yesteryear" status. It's safe, but you don't generate good ideas by being safe. (I don't have anything against pseudonyms but they are hard to keep secret.) Part of the point of writing essays is to explore ideas honestly, and honesty is often not safe. I hope he stays honest.

001sky 12y ago
you don't generate good ideas by being safe necessity as they say is the mother of invention. money is the mother of indolence and sloth. hence the essay. The issue about mixed motives is also tied in their somewhere, too. honesty comes more freely to those with nothing to lose. whilst those with everything to lose, have averything to gain from shading the truth. {etc}

Silfen 12y ago

pg has already done this in a very limited capacity. See: "Tara Ploughman"

andyidsinga 12y ago
yup ...I'm always on the lookout for TP

mathattack 12y ago

There's too much of a benefit to his brand to not write. YC gets first pick of so many startups because people say, "I want to get advice from THIS guy" As for the overall issue of "Talking your position" - everyone does it. Left and Right leaning economists get different research conclusions. You just have to be aware that it exists. And despite this, the advice from PG, Peter Theil, Marc A and others is different, despite them all being long startups.

nostrademons 12y ago
Your second point needs more emphasis. Everybody has their own story, and it's always biased by their personal experiences and worldview. There's no such thing as a "fair and balanced" perspective, there are just people who pretend their perspective is balanced and end up introducing another sort of bias into it. The article and some of the comments here seem to suggest that there's something more "authentic" about a piece when it comes from a subversive, low-power position. Why? What makes the perspective of someone in a position without power more authentic than the perspective of someone with it, other than the fact that it will probably resonate more with the personal experiences of many more people since power tends to be a pyramid with a much wider base than top? The real answer is to carefully consider where the perspective of whomever is speaking is coming from, and identify how closely it aligns with where you are and want to go. The perspective of a billionaire on how hard it is to make ends meet, if you're living at the poverty threshold? Probably not that relevant. The perspective of a billionaire who started out poor on how he got to where he is? Probably pretty relevant.
- xrange 12y ago
  >What makes the perspective of someone in a position without power more authentic than the perspective of someone with it... Well someone not in a position of authority or power doesn't have to worry about losing said authority. If you tell too many uncomfortable truths or offend the wrong people, you may in certain instances loose some of your power. So it makes sense that the likely hood of getting an "authentic" story seems to get less and less as the person telling it rises in stature, power, authority.

thebyrd 12y ago

what makes you think he doesn't