4 ms·

Do you think e.g. the AI/LLM boom is all rent seeking? Do you think there's no positive value for the world on the recently announced e.g. MacBook Neo and that

Do you think e.g. the AI/LLM boom is all rent seeking? Do you think there's no positive value for the world on the recently announced e.g. MacBook Neo and that it's purely a monopolistic activity? Those are 2 clear recent examples of big players making massive benefits for the world, and I'm okay if they get X% of that value as company valuation.

customname 7mo ago
Wait what's a new laptop doing to push the needle exactly? Genuinely curious
- sfink 7mo ago
  In general, it's kind of the difference between having a sharp axe vs a dull axe. Though in the particular case of the MacBook Neo, I'm not sure whether we're talking about sharper or duller. Depends on the metric you're using, I guess.
  - mrguyorama 7mo ago
    It doesn't cut a cake nearly as well as the old Macbook Air so obviously duller.
- rvrs 7mo ago
  The Neo is supposed to be the budget version. I think MacOS is a decent computing platform for some engineering and creative endeavors -- if one more college kid gets access to it for cheaper I say it's a positive
- SyneRyder 7mo ago
  It's an 8GB RAM 256GB SSD laptop with a lower spec'd 6-core chip for $599 USD. Seems overhyped to me, PCs have done that for a while, just not as elegantly. Admittedly it probably has far better battery life than a PC, so that's a genuine advantage.
georgehotz 7mo ago
Not at all. OpenAI / Anthropic are producing tons of surplus value right now! Not to mention how great the Chinese open source LLMs are. And Apple's hardware division has always been fine. Apple's 30% tax for payments in apps is the ultimate rent seeking example though. Want to install your own apps, lol you can't. And if big AI companies follow in the steps of Google/Facebook it's bad for everyone. Let's recognize it and prevent it from happening this time.
- zelphirkalt 7mo ago
  How should we prevent it, considering the huge financial incentives they have to go exactly that?
- franciscop 7mo ago
  Strongly agree! I was answering my parent comment that had a very negative view, it is indeed an amazing situation where' in!
chirau 7mo ago
Macbook Neo is just another laptop. There is nothing "massive benefits for the world" in the context you are trying to put it. And doesn't Apple take close to a third in 'rent' for anything on their platform?
- georgehotz 7mo ago
  The bar isn't massive benefits for the world, the MacBook Neo is great! If there was a new company that builds MacBook Neos, that's a great company. They build something real and sell it for more than it costs to make, no strings attached. The problem with Apple comes down to the App Store, the forced 30%, and all the apps that just don't get built cause of Apple. This is rent seeking, and this is evil. Here's a good system for evaluating technologies: https://www.ranprieur.com/tech.html https://www.ranprieur.com/tech.html If you don't want a MacBook Neo, don't buy one and it doesn't affect your life. But the App Store affects your life whether you own an iPhone or not. It affects the direction of the world. And that's where the rent seeking problem is.

customname 7mo ago

Wait what's a new laptop doing to push the needle exactly? Genuinely curious

sfink 7mo ago
In general, it's kind of the difference between having a sharp axe vs a dull axe. Though in the particular case of the MacBook Neo, I'm not sure whether we're talking about sharper or duller. Depends on the metric you're using, I guess.
- mrguyorama 7mo ago
  It doesn't cut a cake nearly as well as the old Macbook Air so obviously duller.
rvrs 7mo ago
The Neo is supposed to be the budget version. I think MacOS is a decent computing platform for some engineering and creative endeavors -- if one more college kid gets access to it for cheaper I say it's a positive
SyneRyder 7mo ago
It's an 8GB RAM 256GB SSD laptop with a lower spec'd 6-core chip for $599 USD. Seems overhyped to me, PCs have done that for a while, just not as elegantly. Admittedly it probably has far better battery life than a PC, so that's a genuine advantage.

georgehotz 7mo ago

Not at all. OpenAI / Anthropic are producing tons of surplus value right now! Not to mention how great the Chinese open source LLMs are. And Apple's hardware division has always been fine. Apple's 30% tax for payments in apps is the ultimate rent seeking example though. Want to install your own apps, lol you can't. And if big AI companies follow in the steps of Google/Facebook it's bad for everyone. Let's recognize it and prevent it from happening this time.

zelphirkalt 7mo ago
How should we prevent it, considering the huge financial incentives they have to go exactly that?
franciscop 7mo ago
Strongly agree! I was answering my parent comment that had a very negative view, it is indeed an amazing situation where' in!

chirau 7mo ago

Macbook Neo is just another laptop. There is nothing "massive benefits for the world" in the context you are trying to put it. And doesn't Apple take close to a third in 'rent' for anything on their platform?

georgehotz 7mo ago
The bar isn't massive benefits for the world, the MacBook Neo is great! If there was a new company that builds MacBook Neos, that's a great company. They build something real and sell it for more than it costs to make, no strings attached. The problem with Apple comes down to the App Store, the forced 30%, and all the apps that just don't get built cause of Apple. This is rent seeking, and this is evil. Here's a good system for evaluating technologies: https://www.ranprieur.com/tech.html https://www.ranprieur.com/tech.html If you don't want a MacBook Neo, don't buy one and it doesn't affect your life. But the App Store affects your life whether you own an iPhone or not. It affects the direction of the world. And that's where the rent seeking problem is.