5 ms·

The only consistency you'll find in business and politics is self-interest - perceived or real.

by elktown 2y ago

tim333 2y ago
I think that's a bit of an oversimplification. A lot of people are well meaning.
- skeeter2020 2y ago
  Very few extend this to their own livelihood or survival. It's easy to do when you're not playing with your own resources, or they're just crumbs.
  - tim333 2y ago
    It's hard to disentangle motivations as treating people well is also usually good business too but in my experience a lot of people are motivated by doing good as well as making an income. If you look at the history of YC, Paul and Jessica started it primarily to help out the young would be founders without much expectation of making money. And in the story here it seems his main motivation was to stop the founders being screwed over rather than to enrich himself. The attitude that all business / political people are no good can be counterproductive as it can lead to not differentiating between the helpful and iffy ones.
    - maest 2y ago
      Hagiographies should be viewed with suspicion, particularity those that make claims about people's motivation (which is notoriously difficult to pin down/prove)
      - fragmede 2y ago
        Only insofar as having a positive opinion is material. The chances on HN are drastically higher than elsewhere on the Internet, but most here will never have the chance to interact with pg, so having a positive or negative view of his motivations is immaterial. Most opinions are immaterial. Unless we're on a ship in the ocean, and we're using the stars for navigation, and you're the navigator, whether or not you believe the Earth is flat, what you believe doesn't affect me. So then it really comes down to world view - are you an optimists or a pessimist? Is that neat little story about pg a carefully coldly calculated PR piece, or just a neat little story that has no effect on anything other than some people feeling good, like chicken soup for the entrepreneureal spirit. Why not both!
- elktown 2y ago
  It's a matter of proportionality in power and influence. E.g: Yes, most football fans are likely well meaning folks, but the World Cup is still ending up in absolute monarchies with all excuses under the sun suddenly appearing to defend it, not rarely from the same influential people that would scoff at the idea a short while earlier.
- fullshark 2y ago
  Those are the useful idiots, the chess pieces on the board to work with.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]

The only consistency you'll find in business and politics is self-interest - perceived or real.

tim333 2y ago

I think that's a bit of an oversimplification. A lot of people are well meaning.

skeeter2020 2y ago
Very few extend this to their own livelihood or survival. It's easy to do when you're not playing with your own resources, or they're just crumbs.
- tim333 2y ago
  It's hard to disentangle motivations as treating people well is also usually good business too but in my experience a lot of people are motivated by doing good as well as making an income. If you look at the history of YC, Paul and Jessica started it primarily to help out the young would be founders without much expectation of making money. And in the story here it seems his main motivation was to stop the founders being screwed over rather than to enrich himself. The attitude that all business / political people are no good can be counterproductive as it can lead to not differentiating between the helpful and iffy ones.
  - maest 2y ago
    Hagiographies should be viewed with suspicion, particularity those that make claims about people's motivation (which is notoriously difficult to pin down/prove)
    - fragmede 2y ago
      Only insofar as having a positive opinion is material. The chances on HN are drastically higher than elsewhere on the Internet, but most here will never have the chance to interact with pg, so having a positive or negative view of his motivations is immaterial. Most opinions are immaterial. Unless we're on a ship in the ocean, and we're using the stars for navigation, and you're the navigator, whether or not you believe the Earth is flat, what you believe doesn't affect me. So then it really comes down to world view - are you an optimists or a pessimist? Is that neat little story about pg a carefully coldly calculated PR piece, or just a neat little story that has no effect on anything other than some people feeling good, like chicken soup for the entrepreneureal spirit. Why not both!
elktown 2y ago
It's a matter of proportionality in power and influence. E.g: Yes, most football fans are likely well meaning folks, but the World Cup is still ending up in absolute monarchies with all excuses under the sun suddenly appearing to defend it, not rarely from the same influential people that would scoff at the idea a short while earlier.
fullshark 2y ago
Those are the useful idiots, the chess pieces on the board to work with.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]