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It's always funny to remember that the smartest people currently alive are probably in some FAANG office figuring out how to monetize online platforms through w

by Bakary 7y ago

It's always funny to remember that the smartest people currently alive are probably in some FAANG office figuring out how to monetize online platforms through whatever means possible.

zulgan 7y ago
even more funny that in many cases they are stopped only by the law, and also in most cases they can only do some form of advertisement; if they could sell your soul for statistically significant conversion uplift, many people wont even think twice.
skohan 7y ago
That and inventing exotic financial instruments which benefit an infinitesimal fraction of the population.
ionised 7y ago
Why do you think they are the smartest people alive, compared to say, a scientist at CERN?
- smacktoward 7y ago
  It's all explained by Worthington's Law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbU4VRs2rro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbU4VRs2rro
- Bakary 7y ago
  I was parroting a classic quote [0], but you are right: my statement was needlessly cynical. To rephrase, I'd say an enormous proportion of the smartest humans alive are involved in zero-sum redistribution games that offer no socially useful outcomes. The costs of being poor and the rewards of being wealthy are each so enormous in our world that I can't blame them. [0] https://www.fastcompany.com/3008436/why-data-god-jeffrey-hammerbacher-left-facebook-found-cloudera https://www.fastcompany.com/3008436/why-data-god-jeffrey-ham...
  - chillacy 7y ago
    Without entering into an argument over the definition of smart, I understand what you're getting at. The top graduates of the top schools empty into finance, big law, medicine, and now big tech. Though it gives me some hope that startups are starting to get their share of talent too, now that companies like YC or VFA are basically throwing money at it.
JohnFen 7y ago
> the smartest people currently alive are probably in some FAANG office I doubt this is actually true. Very smart people work in FAANG offices, sure, but "the smartest currently alive" is a very, very high bar. Such people have much better options than working with FAANG.

by Bakary 7y ago

It's always funny to remember that the smartest people currently alive are probably in some FAANG office figuring out how to monetize online platforms through whatever means possible.

zulgan 7y ago

even more funny that in many cases they are stopped only by the law, and also in most cases they can only do some form of advertisement; if they could sell your soul for statistically significant conversion uplift, many people wont even think twice.

skohan 7y ago

That and inventing exotic financial instruments which benefit an infinitesimal fraction of the population.

ionised 7y ago

Why do you think they are the smartest people alive, compared to say, a scientist at CERN?

smacktoward 7y ago
It's all explained by Worthington's Law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbU4VRs2rro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbU4VRs2rro
Bakary 7y ago
I was parroting a classic quote [0], but you are right: my statement was needlessly cynical. To rephrase, I'd say an enormous proportion of the smartest humans alive are involved in zero-sum redistribution games that offer no socially useful outcomes. The costs of being poor and the rewards of being wealthy are each so enormous in our world that I can't blame them. [0] https://www.fastcompany.com/3008436/why-data-god-jeffrey-hammerbacher-left-facebook-found-cloudera https://www.fastcompany.com/3008436/why-data-god-jeffrey-ham...
- chillacy 7y ago
  Without entering into an argument over the definition of smart, I understand what you're getting at. The top graduates of the top schools empty into finance, big law, medicine, and now big tech. Though it gives me some hope that startups are starting to get their share of talent too, now that companies like YC or VFA are basically throwing money at it.

JohnFen 7y ago

> the smartest people currently alive are probably in some FAANG office I doubt this is actually true. Very smart people work in FAANG offices, sure, but "the smartest currently alive" is a very, very high bar. Such people have much better options than working with FAANG.