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I have always wanted to believe that fusion will be a real energy source someday. Maybe this is finally it. Not the first time someone said that though.

by ilaksh 4y ago

wahnfrieden 4y ago
people like sam are betting the world on it
- lkbm 4y ago
  This made me wonder just how much he's actually putting in vs. what he has / is investing in general. Reports say that he personally invested $375MM into Helion[0] and various sources say his total net worth is...$200-$200MM[1][2]. But yc definitely also has solar startups, and Sam Altman appears to believe in those as well[3], as one would expect. Conclusion: It's unclear how "all-in" he is (but it's a pretty big bet), and online "net worth" estimators are even more terrible than I'd assumed. [0] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/sam-altman-puts-375-million-into-fusion-start-up-helion-energy.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/sam-altman-puts-375-million-... [1] https://finty.com/us/net-worth/sam-altman/ https://finty.com/us/net-worth/sam-altman/ [2] https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/ceos/sam-altman-net-worth/ https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/ceos/s... [3] https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/25/y-combinator-backed-bright-aims-to-bring-solar-power-to-mexico/ https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/25/y-combinator-backed-bright...
  - wahnfrieden 4y ago
    I’m not talking about dollars put in, I meant that they are banking on surviving climate change via accelerated techno optimism
    - DennisP 4y ago
      Techno-optimism is destructive when it gives people an excuse for inaction. If you're actually putting a lot of effort or resources into a possible solution, that's the opposite of inaction. Plenty of people are tackling the political side of things, with a notable lack of success. I'm glad there are people working hard on the technological breakthroughs that could make the task a lot easier.
      - wahnfrieden 4y ago
        ur talking about vc who got us into this mess and continue to invest in consumerism and growth at all costs, not a bystander that stepped in to save the day
        DennisP 4y ago
        It's not "vc" who got us burning vast amounts of oil and coal. That predates modern vc, and isn't even exclusive to capitalism. The Soviets and communist China were enthusiastic participants.
- defterGoose 4y ago
  If the uber-riche (like SA) are doing anything less than betting their comfortable livelihoods on climate tech, they're not doing enough. The rest of us don't have the resources to do anything other than vote and hope change literally comes from the top.
  - ericd 4y ago
    You can go work at one of the many jobs that help with it...
  - wahnfrieden 4y ago
    sorry for my imprecise words. what I meant is that they are exclusively interested in market solutions for climate change, using capitalism to cure itself
    - DennisP 4y ago
      It's not like governments are doing anything significant. If politicians won't do their part, then it's up to the capitalists.
      - wahnfrieden 4y ago
        they are copilots in growth at any (externalized) cost

I have always wanted to believe that fusion will be a real energy source someday. Maybe this is finally it. Not the first time someone said that though.

by ilaksh 4y ago

I have always wanted to believe that fusion will be a real energy source someday. Maybe this is finally it. Not the first time someone said that though.

wahnfrieden 4y ago

people like sam are betting the world on it

lkbm 4y ago
This made me wonder just how much he's actually putting in vs. what he has / is investing in general. Reports say that he personally invested $375MM into Helion[0] and various sources say his total net worth is...$200-$200MM[1][2]. But yc definitely also has solar startups, and Sam Altman appears to believe in those as well[3], as one would expect. Conclusion: It's unclear how "all-in" he is (but it's a pretty big bet), and online "net worth" estimators are even more terrible than I'd assumed. [0] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/sam-altman-puts-375-million-into-fusion-start-up-helion-energy.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/05/sam-altman-puts-375-million-... [1] https://finty.com/us/net-worth/sam-altman/ https://finty.com/us/net-worth/sam-altman/ [2] https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/ceos/sam-altman-net-worth/ https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/ceos/s... [3] https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/25/y-combinator-backed-bright-aims-to-bring-solar-power-to-mexico/ https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/25/y-combinator-backed-bright...
- wahnfrieden 4y ago
  I’m not talking about dollars put in, I meant that they are banking on surviving climate change via accelerated techno optimism
  - DennisP 4y ago
    Techno-optimism is destructive when it gives people an excuse for inaction. If you're actually putting a lot of effort or resources into a possible solution, that's the opposite of inaction. Plenty of people are tackling the political side of things, with a notable lack of success. I'm glad there are people working hard on the technological breakthroughs that could make the task a lot easier.
    - wahnfrieden 4y ago
      ur talking about vc who got us into this mess and continue to invest in consumerism and growth at all costs, not a bystander that stepped in to save the day
      - DennisP 4y ago
        It's not "vc" who got us burning vast amounts of oil and coal. That predates modern vc, and isn't even exclusive to capitalism. The Soviets and communist China were enthusiastic participants.
defterGoose 4y ago
If the uber-riche (like SA) are doing anything less than betting their comfortable livelihoods on climate tech, they're not doing enough. The rest of us don't have the resources to do anything other than vote and hope change literally comes from the top.
- ericd 4y ago
  You can go work at one of the many jobs that help with it...
- wahnfrieden 4y ago
  sorry for my imprecise words. what I meant is that they are exclusively interested in market solutions for climate change, using capitalism to cure itself
  - DennisP 4y ago
    It's not like governments are doing anything significant. If politicians won't do their part, then it's up to the capitalists.
    - wahnfrieden 4y ago
      they are copilots in growth at any (externalized) cost