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Hey, you're the author! Just wanted to say that was an awesome essay! Having been through the SV startup wringer several times I totally agree - (hidden) power
by 60654 10y ago
Hey, you're the author! Just wanted to say that was an awesome essay!
Having been through the SV startup wringer several times I totally agree - (hidden) power structures matter much more than people would like to admit, and neither work nor rewards get distributed fairly. And the whole startup hype machine (which includes pg) serves to attract more naive programmers to contribute years of unpaid overtime work in exchange for vague promises of future riches. (But I'm not bitter, just realistic.)
Also your observations about hacker politics are right on. Watching political discussions here is painful.
Sorry to see you're getting crucified here for your dissenting essay, though. People who claim to be rational end up just as susceptible to groupthink :(
- czep 10y ago> Just wanted to say that was an awesome essay! Thanks! Honestly, that makes it all worth it. However, I don't feel crucified or a victim of groupthink, I put this on the web and anyone can feel free to agree or disagree. I think there are many people in the HN community that agree with me. I find there are some very valid criticisms here and more than anything I simply want to inspire and encourage debate on these issues. I'm not the best writer, and I certainly added a lot of rhetorical fluorish to this essay, but in my mind it was necessary to underscore how casual off-hand assertions like "the best programmers are libertarians" are also rhetorical tactics meant to align people on what their political beliefs should be.