4 ms·

There are two kinds of people in the world

43 points by peter123 15y ago

acangiano 15y ago
There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who mostly consume, and those who mostly create. I committed myself to being the latter. How you go about doing that is just details.
- noonespecial 15y ago
  And I've found that those who mostly consume mostly busy themselves in getting themselves put in charge of the ones who mostly create.
rhizome 15y ago
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who think there are two kinds of people in the world, and the other kind.
- bengl3rt 15y ago
  Agreed. This narrative that entrepreneurship necessarily must be this ascetic, consuming lifestyle really bothers me. I think it can also be done in a more measured way that's less black and white.
  - laujen 15y ago
    Either commit completely to the vision or don't bother. I don't see how you start a company half way.
  - rhizome 15y ago
    Hehe, that's not actually my point, since you can valorize heads-down work without having to talk about anybody else. :)
danilocampos 15y ago
Dichotomies are such a cliched way of getting attention. In this case, though, it was barely necessary. The thesis: "People who risk things to create are neat." Okay, cool, just roll with that. I completely agree! But this rhetorical nonsense where we divide up the world between people who found a business and those who don't is so trite as to be exhausting. In truth, there are dozens or hundreds of types of people in the world. Some are starving, some exist under the thumb of dictatorial thugs, some are oblivious to greater than bronze age technology. A precious few win the ovarian lottery in such a way that they can start a business. Or not. Now, just because rhetoric isn't strictly true doesn't mean you shouldn't use it. But when it's strictly dull, relative to the nuanced and fascinating reality it supersedes, meh, you're just posting for the sake of posting. Do better for your readers and yourself. Creating an "other" is the oldest, cheapest tribalist trick in the book. Maybe you score some points with everyone on the side you're glorifying but no one learns anything.
- satori99 15y ago
  Agreed. This post is disapointing and not a worthy HN submission IMHO. Even putting aside the silly title and rhetoric, the idea behind the post is still lame. I can give up just about any web site I use daily with little disruption to my life. No matter how much blood sweat and tears it's creator has put on the line.At the end of the day, they are just web apps. They are not important to me, like say, my garbageman coming every week is important to me. To classify people who start companies that build web sites as being superior to others in any way at all is laughable. (I make web applications for a living).
  - _pius 15y ago
    To classify people who start companies that build web sites as being superior to others in any way at all is laughable. (I make web applications for a living). He didn't mention "companies that build web sites" or call anyone superior.
    - vacri 15y ago
      "He didn't mention "companies that build web sites" or call anyone superior." You need to practice reading between the lines. That's pretty much what the entire post was about.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
- sebkomianos 15y ago
  Or, apparently, those that have heard this "joke" a gazillion times before, and you. (sorry, couldn't resist to the temptation, and obviously no offense intended, I am just "joking")
harisenbon 15y ago
Is it just me, or do other people get put off by the "There are two kinds of people in the world" articles where there is an implied moral superiority simply from what you may have or have not done. For any 2-way choice or state of being, there of course will only be two types of people in the world. "There are 2 kinds of people in the world: Those with 5 dollars in their pocket, and those without." "There are 2 kinds of people in the world: Those who are me, and those who aren't." "There are 10 kinds of people in the world: Those who know binary, and those who don't."
noelchurchill 15y ago
Two kinds of people in this world: You, and everyone else. People will box you into a definition that suite their needs.
mv1 15y ago
There seems to be a lot of mythology around the ascetic entrepreneur. My experience is that many founders begin startups from a place of financial strength. They either made money as employees of other startups before starting their own (after the startup was funded, greatly reducing risk), made money in industry before starting their own company, had a large inheritance, etc. Does anyone have any concrete data on the finances of entrepreneurs when they start their first company, especially successful entrepreneurs? This study is the closest data I could find. http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/FactSheet/EduTechEntr101508SFS.pdf http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/FactSheet/EduTechEntr1... It states that most entrepreneurs are older (median age 39) and have college degrees, often from good schools, and often advanced degrees. This suggests that they may have quite a bit of reserve cash to maintain much of their lifestyle, and/or a working spouse that helps do the same.
- jayliew 15y ago
  I grew up poor, extended family scraped some money together (plus me working) to put me through college, worked at a software company for 6 years, saved up, and now I'm burning my savings every day bootstrapping. Here at Hacker Dojo, every day someone walks in the door, and I hear a similar story. That's my experience. Which is clearly the opposite of yours.
  - mv1 15y ago
    Perhaps I just have a skewed sample set then.
keeptrying 15y ago
Unless you've actually started a company, this will sound like a bunch of crap. I think other quantum leaps would be having your first kid, facing a really big fear, fixing the relationship you have with members of your immediate family (if you havent talked in a while), going out kiteboarding/windsurfing in huge wind and waves when you've never done that before ... etc. The experience gives you a new perspective on yourself and the world around you that you just cannot fathom from the place you were before you made the leap.
- danilocampos 15y ago
  > Unless you've actually started a company, this will sound like a bunch of crap. My mom, with little more than a GED, started the business which fed me for most of my childhood. I cut the salary cord and tried to make a go of it myself at 24 years old, facing down much fear. I failed. It was fucking awesome and I'd change nothing. So with that experience in mind: it's still sounding like crap, per my post above. I appreciate the celebration but would prefer to share it with many other kinds of people, not least of which the few decent people who made it their business to teach me important things. There are many kinds of people in the world and this is hardly the most interesting razor to use to divide them up.
  - keeptrying 15y ago
    > There are many kinds of people in the world and this is hardly the most interesting razor to use to divide them up. I think people who start something and really go all in, they are really worth celebrating. Infact more than that - they need encouragement and in this piece Dixon lets them know that they should try even though they may be surrounded by smug detractors.
    - danilocampos 15y ago
      > I think people who start something and really go all in, they are really worth celebrating. I think that too. But I also think that it isn't dichotomous and treating it so is cheap writing. This isn't a celebration so much as it's a creation of an "other". Also worth celebrating? Teachers. Epidemiologists. Successful parents. Fred Rogers. Celebrate people, by all means, but don't let's pretend that there only two kinds of people and only one is worth celebrating. Humanity is so much more interesting than that. Celebrate entrepreneurs on their own merits without false divisions and the resulting essay will be so much more interesting - guaranteed.
_pius 15y ago
Great article and very true. On a separate note, I'm surprised by the tone of some of the comments in this thread. Nothing in this article should make you feel angry and defensive unless you're bringing your own issues to the table ...
rewind 15y ago
There's some negativity about this post, but in no way is he bashing non-entrepreneurs. He's just saying if you have the guts to put it all on the line, then win or lose, that's still a big deal, and don't worry about the non-entrepreneurial critics.
vipivip 15y ago
In real life though creating a company needs a lot of commitment.

43 points by peter123 15y ago

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who mostly consume, and those who mostly create. I committed myself to being the latter. How you go about doing that is just details.

noonespecial 15y ago
And I've found that those who mostly consume mostly busy themselves in getting themselves put in charge of the ones who mostly create.

rhizome 15y ago

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who think there are two kinds of people in the world, and the other kind.

bengl3rt 15y ago
Agreed. This narrative that entrepreneurship necessarily must be this ascetic, consuming lifestyle really bothers me. I think it can also be done in a more measured way that's less black and white.
- laujen 15y ago
  Either commit completely to the vision or don't bother. I don't see how you start a company half way.
- rhizome 15y ago
  Hehe, that's not actually my point, since you can valorize heads-down work without having to talk about anybody else. :)

danilocampos 15y ago

Dichotomies are such a cliched way of getting attention. In this case, though, it was barely necessary. The thesis: "People who risk things to create are neat." Okay, cool, just roll with that. I completely agree! But this rhetorical nonsense where we divide up the world between people who found a business and those who don't is so trite as to be exhausting. In truth, there are dozens or hundreds of types of people in the world. Some are starving, some exist under the thumb of dictatorial thugs, some are oblivious to greater than bronze age technology. A precious few win the ovarian lottery in such a way that they can start a business. Or not. Now, just because rhetoric isn't strictly true doesn't mean you shouldn't use it. But when it's strictly dull, relative to the nuanced and fascinating reality it supersedes, meh, you're just posting for the sake of posting. Do better for your readers and yourself. Creating an "other" is the oldest, cheapest tribalist trick in the book. Maybe you score some points with everyone on the side you're glorifying but no one learns anything.

satori99 15y ago
Agreed. This post is disapointing and not a worthy HN submission IMHO. Even putting aside the silly title and rhetoric, the idea behind the post is still lame. I can give up just about any web site I use daily with little disruption to my life. No matter how much blood sweat and tears it's creator has put on the line.At the end of the day, they are just web apps. They are not important to me, like say, my garbageman coming every week is important to me. To classify people who start companies that build web sites as being superior to others in any way at all is laughable. (I make web applications for a living).
- _pius 15y ago
  To classify people who start companies that build web sites as being superior to others in any way at all is laughable. (I make web applications for a living). He didn't mention "companies that build web sites" or call anyone superior.
  - vacri 15y ago
    "He didn't mention "companies that build web sites" or call anyone superior." You need to practice reading between the lines. That's pretty much what the entire post was about.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

sebkomianos 15y ago
Or, apparently, those that have heard this "joke" a gazillion times before, and you. (sorry, couldn't resist to the temptation, and obviously no offense intended, I am just "joking")

harisenbon 15y ago

Is it just me, or do other people get put off by the "There are two kinds of people in the world" articles where there is an implied moral superiority simply from what you may have or have not done. For any 2-way choice or state of being, there of course will only be two types of people in the world. "There are 2 kinds of people in the world: Those with 5 dollars in their pocket, and those without." "There are 2 kinds of people in the world: Those who are me, and those who aren't." "There are 10 kinds of people in the world: Those who know binary, and those who don't."

noelchurchill 15y ago

Two kinds of people in this world: You, and everyone else. People will box you into a definition that suite their needs.

mv1 15y ago

There seems to be a lot of mythology around the ascetic entrepreneur. My experience is that many founders begin startups from a place of financial strength. They either made money as employees of other startups before starting their own (after the startup was funded, greatly reducing risk), made money in industry before starting their own company, had a large inheritance, etc. Does anyone have any concrete data on the finances of entrepreneurs when they start their first company, especially successful entrepreneurs? This study is the closest data I could find. http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/FactSheet/EduTechEntr101508SFS.pdf http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/FactSheet/EduTechEntr1... It states that most entrepreneurs are older (median age 39) and have college degrees, often from good schools, and often advanced degrees. This suggests that they may have quite a bit of reserve cash to maintain much of their lifestyle, and/or a working spouse that helps do the same.

jayliew 15y ago
I grew up poor, extended family scraped some money together (plus me working) to put me through college, worked at a software company for 6 years, saved up, and now I'm burning my savings every day bootstrapping. Here at Hacker Dojo, every day someone walks in the door, and I hear a similar story. That's my experience. Which is clearly the opposite of yours.
- mv1 15y ago
  Perhaps I just have a skewed sample set then.

keeptrying 15y ago

Unless you've actually started a company, this will sound like a bunch of crap. I think other quantum leaps would be having your first kid, facing a really big fear, fixing the relationship you have with members of your immediate family (if you havent talked in a while), going out kiteboarding/windsurfing in huge wind and waves when you've never done that before ... etc. The experience gives you a new perspective on yourself and the world around you that you just cannot fathom from the place you were before you made the leap.

danilocampos 15y ago
> Unless you've actually started a company, this will sound like a bunch of crap. My mom, with little more than a GED, started the business which fed me for most of my childhood. I cut the salary cord and tried to make a go of it myself at 24 years old, facing down much fear. I failed. It was fucking awesome and I'd change nothing. So with that experience in mind: it's still sounding like crap, per my post above. I appreciate the celebration but would prefer to share it with many other kinds of people, not least of which the few decent people who made it their business to teach me important things. There are many kinds of people in the world and this is hardly the most interesting razor to use to divide them up.
- keeptrying 15y ago
  > There are many kinds of people in the world and this is hardly the most interesting razor to use to divide them up. I think people who start something and really go all in, they are really worth celebrating. Infact more than that - they need encouragement and in this piece Dixon lets them know that they should try even though they may be surrounded by smug detractors.
  - danilocampos 15y ago
    > I think people who start something and really go all in, they are really worth celebrating. I think that too. But I also think that it isn't dichotomous and treating it so is cheap writing. This isn't a celebration so much as it's a creation of an "other". Also worth celebrating? Teachers. Epidemiologists. Successful parents. Fred Rogers. Celebrate people, by all means, but don't let's pretend that there only two kinds of people and only one is worth celebrating. Humanity is so much more interesting than that. Celebrate entrepreneurs on their own merits without false divisions and the resulting essay will be so much more interesting - guaranteed.

_pius 15y ago

Great article and very true. On a separate note, I'm surprised by the tone of some of the comments in this thread. Nothing in this article should make you feel angry and defensive unless you're bringing your own issues to the table ...

rewind 15y ago

There's some negativity about this post, but in no way is he bashing non-entrepreneurs. He's just saying if you have the guts to put it all on the line, then win or lose, that's still a big deal, and don't worry about the non-entrepreneurial critics.

vipivip 15y ago

In real life though creating a company needs a lot of commitment.