4 ms·

The real question is why HN is filled with people that have values completely orthogonal to the VC space, like people wanting to leverage the law to make other

The real question is why HN is filled with people that have values completely orthogonal to the VC space, like people wanting to leverage the law to make other people do things.

paulcole 4y ago
> like people wanting to leverage the law to make other people do things. This is literally everyone in the world, including yourself unless you’re in favor of a lawless society.
busterarm 4y ago
Because that's where culture is right now... Nowadays if you're in a professional organization, for example if you're a lawyer, people will make professional complaints against you for your first amendment speech, irrespective of your professional practice. Essentially filing fraudulent complaints to silence you. And they do so as an organized political activity. And sadly it's been hilariously effective so far.
- asdajksah2123 4y ago
  There is no "first amendment speech" unless it's the government trying to suppress it.
  - busterarm 4y ago
    first amendment-protected speech. You don't give up your rights just because you practice a particular profession. If you say something that some people don't like, the first step in response shouldn't be them coming after your livelihood.
solardev 4y ago
Truthfully I wish HN were detached from the VC culture altogether. There's plenty of good tech discussion here that isn't related to founding companies. This whole idea that founders and capitalists contribute some special sauce to society and therefore shouldn't be regulated is some old fart libertarian Randian fantasy silliness and I'm glad it's being called out. That sort of thing just doesn't work in civilized society.
- eulers_secret 4y ago
  Yes! This site can be extremely toxic because of the VC bent. If someone made a competitor that had just-as-good tech discussion without the VC “value-add”, I’d never come here ever again. I also like seeing so many of the ruling class get angry and post about requiring salary ranges, it’s been very entertaining this morning :)
- GabrielBen 4y ago
  This is a site made by a VC, for news on VC startups, for VC startup news consumers. Its mind-boggling that so many users come here to rant against capitalism, or advocate against startups, or have absolutely no relationship whatsoever with the space. It's not only crazy for me, its crazy for the makers of this site was well!
  - solardev 4y ago
    shrug This is just the culture that evolved here. Not every hacker is a capitalist. And HN's own guidelines welcome "Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity." The whole salary transparency discussion IS something many hackers find interesting, especially since much of the actual "hacking" is on the labor side rather than the capital side. I don't think it's hackers' fault that venture capitalism made a bad name for itself. The VCs did that well enough on their own. Hacking culture predates (and will hopefully outlast) tech opportunism. And I also hope this forum/audience eventually moves to a FOSS, community-supported model instead of being a part of YC. But for now it's where we gather.
ralph84 4y ago
It’s called Hacker News not VC News? There are far more hackers than VCs. And besides, VCs and their portfolio companies leverage the law to make other people do (or not do) things all of the time. IP law being an obvious example.
- conanbatt 4y ago
  That would be even worse, as hackers are by definition rule breakers.
scarecrowbob 4y ago
Somebody has to keep an eye on you assholes. /grin However, this community has a lot of intelligent folks who both disagree with my understandings of the world and who have a lot of insight into domains I never want to touch (finance, bigco culture, small-l right libertarian politics). There are plenty of sane, interesting, well-informed folks here who I vehemently disagree with, and that's a necessary condition of learning about the world.
bigbillheck 4y ago
I would hope that 'compliance with the law' is not 'completely orthogonal to the VC space' but I've seen an awful lot over the years.
badpun 4y ago
People in "VC space" use laws aplenty to protect their interests as well, as is everyone else who takes part in any civilized society.

The real question is why HN is filled with people that have values completely orthogonal to the VC space, like people wanting to leverage the law to make other people do things.

paulcole 4y ago

> like people wanting to leverage the law to make other people do things. This is literally everyone in the world, including yourself unless you’re in favor of a lawless society.

busterarm 4y ago

Because that's where culture is right now... Nowadays if you're in a professional organization, for example if you're a lawyer, people will make professional complaints against you for your first amendment speech, irrespective of your professional practice. Essentially filing fraudulent complaints to silence you. And they do so as an organized political activity. And sadly it's been hilariously effective so far.

asdajksah2123 4y ago
There is no "first amendment speech" unless it's the government trying to suppress it.
- busterarm 4y ago
  first amendment-protected speech. You don't give up your rights just because you practice a particular profession. If you say something that some people don't like, the first step in response shouldn't be them coming after your livelihood.

solardev 4y ago

Truthfully I wish HN were detached from the VC culture altogether. There's plenty of good tech discussion here that isn't related to founding companies. This whole idea that founders and capitalists contribute some special sauce to society and therefore shouldn't be regulated is some old fart libertarian Randian fantasy silliness and I'm glad it's being called out. That sort of thing just doesn't work in civilized society.

eulers_secret 4y ago
Yes! This site can be extremely toxic because of the VC bent. If someone made a competitor that had just-as-good tech discussion without the VC “value-add”, I’d never come here ever again. I also like seeing so many of the ruling class get angry and post about requiring salary ranges, it’s been very entertaining this morning :)
GabrielBen 4y ago
This is a site made by a VC, for news on VC startups, for VC startup news consumers. Its mind-boggling that so many users come here to rant against capitalism, or advocate against startups, or have absolutely no relationship whatsoever with the space. It's not only crazy for me, its crazy for the makers of this site was well!
- solardev 4y ago
  shrug This is just the culture that evolved here. Not every hacker is a capitalist. And HN's own guidelines welcome "Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity." The whole salary transparency discussion IS something many hackers find interesting, especially since much of the actual "hacking" is on the labor side rather than the capital side. I don't think it's hackers' fault that venture capitalism made a bad name for itself. The VCs did that well enough on their own. Hacking culture predates (and will hopefully outlast) tech opportunism. And I also hope this forum/audience eventually moves to a FOSS, community-supported model instead of being a part of YC. But for now it's where we gather.

ralph84 4y ago

It’s called Hacker News not VC News? There are far more hackers than VCs. And besides, VCs and their portfolio companies leverage the law to make other people do (or not do) things all of the time. IP law being an obvious example.

conanbatt 4y ago
That would be even worse, as hackers are by definition rule breakers.

scarecrowbob 4y ago

Somebody has to keep an eye on you assholes. /grin However, this community has a lot of intelligent folks who both disagree with my understandings of the world and who have a lot of insight into domains I never want to touch (finance, bigco culture, small-l right libertarian politics). There are plenty of sane, interesting, well-informed folks here who I vehemently disagree with, and that's a necessary condition of learning about the world.

bigbillheck 4y ago

I would hope that 'compliance with the law' is not 'completely orthogonal to the VC space' but I've seen an awful lot over the years.

badpun 4y ago

People in "VC space" use laws aplenty to protect their interests as well, as is everyone else who takes part in any civilized society.