7 ms·

I find it increasingly bizarre, day by day, that people are so fixated on money and not value, or meaningfulness. There's something about the way that money is

I find it increasingly bizarre, day by day, that people are so fixated on money and not value, or meaningfulness. There's something about the way that money is discussed on HN that I find odd, but I haven't quite put my finger on it yet. Maybe it's that there can sometimes feel like a larger emphasis on politics or money than the things people have actually created... maybe. I'm not sure. I'm still working on figuring it out. Anyways, cheers to you!

nickpinkston 15y ago
Totally - the startup scene now seems to be trending more Hollywood than real meaning. There's so much awesome talent going to optimizing coupons, and not to improving the human condition.
- cynest 15y ago
  But would they even be in the startup scene if it weren't for the profits? The chance at being the next x or y and making enough money to retire in luxury before the age of 30 is a nontrivial motivator when considering creating a startup. Looking at certain startups it's patently obvious that helping humanity was not a primary concern.
  - slowpoke 15y ago
    > it's patently obvious that helping humanity was not a primary concern. But that's exactly what your parent is criticizing. There are genius people in the startup scene whose talents would be better applied to solve problems that actually matter, and not "optimize coupons".
    - mattgreenrocks 15y ago
      The problem is the inanity of the culture is glorified. Techcrunch is often just entrepeneurial porn. The community could do so much more if it first asked, "what does this do for people?" rather than "does it make us a billion dollars?" There's plenty of opportunity out there -- especially if you focus on delighting your customers.
cma 15y ago
>There's something about the way that money is discussed on HN that I find odd, but I haven't quite put my finger on it yet. I haven't frequented Slashdot in years, but this is definitely the most striking difference between it (as I remember it) an HN.
- mistermann 15y ago
  That's right, I haven't been there for years either, but money was never discussed there. Simpler times I guess. Maybe a person should go bac to see what it's like?
  - cobrausn 15y ago
    Having been there a bit recently, I can't really say things have changed for the better. A lot of discussion and sigs are focusing on money these days. Politics surrounding money is a more common topic than tech.
Homunculiheaded 15y ago
I think the fixation on money is mostly because it's quantifiable. Most people, at least at some point in their lives, feel the need to compare themselves to those around them. There's 2 problems with value and meaning. First when you have a life that is fulfilled and meaningful you tend to be less interested in demonstrating that you are provably superior others or even ranking yourself, after all if you are fulfilled what gain is there? And more practically, it's a qualitative thing, there is no ordered relation on the set of value and meaning in ones life, so you can't really compare in an absolute manner. Having gone through several large pay increases in my life, the really strange thing is that salary doesn't really affect that much. It slightly reduces stress about 'having enough' though most middle class (upper and lower) people can always be wiped out by disasters, and it only slightly improves your day to day life. When I was younger I'm sure I dreamed about making what I do today, but having gotten there I realize that if I were ever to arrive at my revised dream salary today it probably wouldn't change all that much.
mousa 15y ago
There is a small but vocal subset of people on HN who find it hard to believe anyone cares about anything besides money. I think some people just want a simple way of deciding how good they are doing at life.
- johnyzee 15y ago
  Jack Welch said something like "I don't care about money, I care about winning. Money is just a way of keeping score." Indeed, in the game of business, it does seem the most appropriate way to keep score. That doesn't mean business is the only game in town.
mattm 15y ago
> I find it increasingly bizarre, day by day, that people are so fixated on money and not value, or meaningfulness. ...or happiness. I recently read "Stumbling on Happiness" which had an interesting discussion on the fact that there are several studies that show that pay raises up to around $45k per year result in an increase in happiness. But after that, an increases in salary brings only a marginal increase in happiness, if that. So the question he raised is that if one doesn't receive additional happiness from earning more than $45k, what is the reason for doing so? Most other human actions are geared towards happiness. It really got me thinking about the subject.
- mistermann 15y ago
  Security?
  - gujk 15y ago
    Eh. Anyone who piled up a hunk of savings and invested it in the 2000s saw it get decimated or hemimated and took a hit against happiness. Taking more vacation or a fun lower paying job might well have been higher utility. But yeah, having a savings cushion while unemployment is rampant is satisfying.
    - thomaslangston 15y ago
      A fluffy savings cushion sounds luxurious. I want a ladder to climb out of debt and 45k a year doesn't do much towards that.
      - mattm 15y ago
        I paid off $35k worth of student loan debt within 3 years of graduating. While I was in debt, earning more to pay it off was a great motivator. Now that I'm debt free and have my basic living costs covered without worry, more money just does not motivate me anymore. The most depressing comment I read on HN was one guy telling a story about a sales manager he knew that encouraged his sales people to go into debt so they would be more motivated to earn more and therefore, make more sales.

nickpinkston 15y ago

Totally - the startup scene now seems to be trending more Hollywood than real meaning. There's so much awesome talent going to optimizing coupons, and not to improving the human condition.

cynest 15y ago
But would they even be in the startup scene if it weren't for the profits? The chance at being the next x or y and making enough money to retire in luxury before the age of 30 is a nontrivial motivator when considering creating a startup. Looking at certain startups it's patently obvious that helping humanity was not a primary concern.
- slowpoke 15y ago
  > it's patently obvious that helping humanity was not a primary concern. But that's exactly what your parent is criticizing. There are genius people in the startup scene whose talents would be better applied to solve problems that actually matter, and not "optimize coupons".
  - mattgreenrocks 15y ago
    The problem is the inanity of the culture is glorified. Techcrunch is often just entrepeneurial porn. The community could do so much more if it first asked, "what does this do for people?" rather than "does it make us a billion dollars?" There's plenty of opportunity out there -- especially if you focus on delighting your customers.

cma 15y ago

>There's something about the way that money is discussed on HN that I find odd, but I haven't quite put my finger on it yet. I haven't frequented Slashdot in years, but this is definitely the most striking difference between it (as I remember it) an HN.

mistermann 15y ago
That's right, I haven't been there for years either, but money was never discussed there. Simpler times I guess. Maybe a person should go bac to see what it's like?
- cobrausn 15y ago
  Having been there a bit recently, I can't really say things have changed for the better. A lot of discussion and sigs are focusing on money these days. Politics surrounding money is a more common topic than tech.

Homunculiheaded 15y ago

I think the fixation on money is mostly because it's quantifiable. Most people, at least at some point in their lives, feel the need to compare themselves to those around them. There's 2 problems with value and meaning. First when you have a life that is fulfilled and meaningful you tend to be less interested in demonstrating that you are provably superior others or even ranking yourself, after all if you are fulfilled what gain is there? And more practically, it's a qualitative thing, there is no ordered relation on the set of value and meaning in ones life, so you can't really compare in an absolute manner. Having gone through several large pay increases in my life, the really strange thing is that salary doesn't really affect that much. It slightly reduces stress about 'having enough' though most middle class (upper and lower) people can always be wiped out by disasters, and it only slightly improves your day to day life. When I was younger I'm sure I dreamed about making what I do today, but having gotten there I realize that if I were ever to arrive at my revised dream salary today it probably wouldn't change all that much.

mousa 15y ago

There is a small but vocal subset of people on HN who find it hard to believe anyone cares about anything besides money. I think some people just want a simple way of deciding how good they are doing at life.

johnyzee 15y ago
Jack Welch said something like "I don't care about money, I care about winning. Money is just a way of keeping score." Indeed, in the game of business, it does seem the most appropriate way to keep score. That doesn't mean business is the only game in town.

mattm 15y ago

> I find it increasingly bizarre, day by day, that people are so fixated on money and not value, or meaningfulness. ...or happiness. I recently read "Stumbling on Happiness" which had an interesting discussion on the fact that there are several studies that show that pay raises up to around $45k per year result in an increase in happiness. But after that, an increases in salary brings only a marginal increase in happiness, if that. So the question he raised is that if one doesn't receive additional happiness from earning more than $45k, what is the reason for doing so? Most other human actions are geared towards happiness. It really got me thinking about the subject.

mistermann 15y ago
Security?
- gujk 15y ago
  Eh. Anyone who piled up a hunk of savings and invested it in the 2000s saw it get decimated or hemimated and took a hit against happiness. Taking more vacation or a fun lower paying job might well have been higher utility. But yeah, having a savings cushion while unemployment is rampant is satisfying.
  - thomaslangston 15y ago
    A fluffy savings cushion sounds luxurious. I want a ladder to climb out of debt and 45k a year doesn't do much towards that.
    - mattm 15y ago
      I paid off $35k worth of student loan debt within 3 years of graduating. While I was in debt, earning more to pay it off was a great motivator. Now that I'm debt free and have my basic living costs covered without worry, more money just does not motivate me anymore. The most depressing comment I read on HN was one guy telling a story about a sales manager he knew that encouraged his sales people to go into debt so they would be more motivated to earn more and therefore, make more sales.