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It's called Research. It's much riskier than traditional investments and you need to know the technology deeply and have high trust in the team in order to effe
by throwawaygh 5y ago
It's called Research. It's much riskier than traditional investments and you need to know the technology deeply and have high trust in the team in order to effectively make such risky investments. But the payoffs of net-positive fusion energy are nearly incalculable. Step change in humanity type of thing.
> I spent much of my career helping companies raise money based on demos
And I've made a bunch of money sitting on my ass watching a few stocks go to the moon. Knowing how to invest in webshit or getting lucky picking stocks can make you rich much easier than R&D can make you rich. Sam isn't investing because this is the best risk-adjusted return for his portfolio. He's investing because, if it does pay out, it also very literally changes the course of humanity in the process.
> And all of those demos I worked on were smoke and mirrors, despite building quasi-functional prototypes you could interact with.
The investment isn't being made on the basis of an existing reactor. There are tons of existing fusion reactors. The investment is being made on the basis of the team's plan to get to net positive energy.
* I'd love to be wrong but they aren't make an effort to convince me otherwise*
Luckily there are other folks in this world who are willing to make risky investments in important ideas.
(BTW, no one's getting rich on fusion research until fusion works... every year the fusion community leaks a bunch of folks to finance and tech because even entry level positions pay 3x and offer more stability.)
- OnlineGladiator 5y ago> Knowing how to invest in webshit or getting lucky picking stocks can make you rich much easier than R&D can make you rich. It seems like you missed my point, because I make all my money investing nowadays too after failing forever trying to turn R&D into viable products. It's easy to raise money on bullshit and almost impossible to actually make it work. In fact, it likely is actually impossible, we just don't know yet. > Sam isn't investing because this is the best risk-adjusted return for his portfolio. He's investing because, if it does pay out, it also very literally changes the course of humanity in the process. I've met Sam and I don't think he cares about making the world a better place. I think he just likes money and attention. You seem awfully idealistic. I'm terribly cynical. We're not going to agree and that's fine.
- throwawaygh 5y agoMaybe. I don't really care. My point wasn't about him per se. I'm willing to concede you're right about Sam. Sure. Investing in fusion is a terrible way to make money. If rich folks' egos get more money thrown at the right problems, so be it.
- DennisP 5y agoSome day some billionaire is going to save the Earth from a giant asteroid impact and there will be a bunch of people saying "meh, he only did it as an ego trip."
- OnlineGladiator 5y agoI'm happy to thank people when they give me a reason to thank them. Having personally met Sam I feel confident in my assessment he does not merit your gratitude. If the founders of Helion pull it off and actually usher in a new era of plentiful cheap energy I will be ecstatic to congratulate them on their success.
- DennisP 5y agoIf someone does a good thing, I don't much care why they did it. And if this works out, between (a) Sam funded the project that cracked cheap fusion and saved the planet, and (b) HN's OnlineGladiator met him and disliked him, I think the balance will tilt toward feeling some gratitude towards Sam.
- OnlineGladiator 5y agoI hardly think my opinion is going to sway the majority's view of a public figure. If the world wants to love him I'm not going to change that. But it still doesn't change my opinion about him since it's not based on what I read about him online but based on actually interacting with him in person. Also if Helion turns out to be successful I'll have no problem admitting I was wrong. I hope they succeed, or rather I hope someone succeeds in creating cheap and plentiful energy. What does it matter what I think, anyway? Think for yourself and come to your own conclusions. I don't care if you disagree.