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This is especially a problem in Russia, where having even modest sums can draw the attention of local goons. I don't think being a famous mathematician is any p

This is especially a problem in Russia, where having even modest sums can draw the attention of local goons. I don't think being a famous mathematician is any protection from having Grisha the neighborhood limb breaker show up at your door.

rdtsc 17y ago
I never thought of it that way. But that is certainly a interesting angle to it. He might be puting himself and his mom in danger if others thought he has a $1m. Anyone in Russia who has that kind of money also has body guards and private mansions with tall electrified fences.
- borism 17y ago
  Not that he's any safer if he doesn't accept the money - local limb breaker may come and try to convince him to take it or more probably won't even know whether he accepted or not.
- petercooper 17y ago
  My life plays the lottery and I've thought about this stuff before. I believe you have to do publicity here and there's no way I'd want to live where I do now with people knowing what we look like and how much we won. (Not that I would anyway, I'd be throwing $500k down on an EB-5 and moving all of our asses to California. But still..)
- Hexstream 17y ago
  Can you really get all that with $1m and still have some money left?...
hrabago 17y ago
This reminds me of a story about how Manu Ginobili's family, who refused to move to the US, has to live with police protection to keep from being kidnapped. I can't find the exact story I read from before, though. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1839968 http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1839968