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He says he interrupts the founders during live presentations instead of reading balance sheets. Founder: So we’re doing this rad new architecture- Paulg: In L

He says he interrupts the founders during live presentations instead of reading balance sheets. Founder: So we’re doing this rad new architecture- Paulg: In Lisp. It’s in Lisp, right? Founder: Huh, fuck no, it’s 2022, dude- Paulg: (frowning) Out. Thumbs down.

devoutsalsa 5y ago
Sadly, a predictable story Arc.
tomhoward 5y ago
We interviewed in late 2008. Then as now, it’s a conversation not a presentation. We were using PHP/Symfony then (changed to Python/Django later) but he didn’t ask anything about what language or platform we were using. He did care a lot about the fact that we had users who were excited and unique insights into what was overlooked in the market.
- sillysaurusx 5y ago
  Thanks for being the single datapoint of rationality in a sea of madness. It must be pretty surreal to read these comments as a founder. It certainly is for me, as someone who grew up with HN.
RandyRanderson 5y ago
If Kim Kardashian started an ice creme company, she'd have a very good chance of succeeding. Let's say she starts a few more businesses and they are successful. Is Kim someone we should take business advice from? She is one of the richest self-made women ever. Kim would likely never have to make any ice creme either. Here's a pg speech. Make your own conclusions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4_14pZlJBs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4_14pZlJBs
newyankee 5y ago
We need to stop treating people as unfallible. I used to idolize so many people when young. I still respect a lot, but now I understand that everyone is human and everyone has differing motivations, especially people in power.
daniel-cussen 5y ago
If only he did. Many people took a lot of advice from him, but nobody took the advice on Lisp. That was exactly what I realized in 2007, when I started reading his essays, that the opportunity here was to take excellent advice that nobody else was going to take. Now, some people do learn Lisp on his recommendation, the thing is too only a very few--perhaps only one--will actually also be able to turn that into the other thing he speaks of at length, becoming a great founder. I would say the two things pull away from each other. And technologic fashions have pulled in a direction diametrically opposite to his vision until only three years ago, to the point he announced in an interview Viaweb's technology "was a lot more sophisticated than it needed to be."

devoutsalsa 5y ago

Sadly, a predictable story Arc.

tomhoward 5y ago

We interviewed in late 2008. Then as now, it’s a conversation not a presentation. We were using PHP/Symfony then (changed to Python/Django later) but he didn’t ask anything about what language or platform we were using. He did care a lot about the fact that we had users who were excited and unique insights into what was overlooked in the market.

sillysaurusx 5y ago
Thanks for being the single datapoint of rationality in a sea of madness. It must be pretty surreal to read these comments as a founder. It certainly is for me, as someone who grew up with HN.

RandyRanderson 5y ago

If Kim Kardashian started an ice creme company, she'd have a very good chance of succeeding. Let's say she starts a few more businesses and they are successful. Is Kim someone we should take business advice from? She is one of the richest self-made women ever. Kim would likely never have to make any ice creme either. Here's a pg speech. Make your own conclusions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4_14pZlJBs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4_14pZlJBs

newyankee 5y ago

We need to stop treating people as unfallible. I used to idolize so many people when young. I still respect a lot, but now I understand that everyone is human and everyone has differing motivations, especially people in power.

daniel-cussen 5y ago

If only he did. Many people took a lot of advice from him, but nobody took the advice on Lisp. That was exactly what I realized in 2007, when I started reading his essays, that the opportunity here was to take excellent advice that nobody else was going to take. Now, some people do learn Lisp on his recommendation, the thing is too only a very few--perhaps only one--will actually also be able to turn that into the other thing he speaks of at length, becoming a great founder. I would say the two things pull away from each other. And technologic fashions have pulled in a direction diametrically opposite to his vision until only three years ago, to the point he announced in an interview Viaweb's technology "was a lot more sophisticated than it needed to be."