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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

by 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.

by lkbm 4y ago

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.