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If you learnt to build a browser in 2000 you're probably doing well for yourself lol. Not a lot of demand, but also probably not a lot of supply.
by serbuvlad 2mo ago
If you learnt to build a browser in 2000 you're probably doing well for yourself lol.
Not a lot of demand, but also probably not a lot of supply.
- zorked 2mo agoThere is an entire graveyward of browsers, almost all that didn't die are now forgotten.
- paulcole 2mo agoIf any were built by teenagers, I’d imagine those teenagers ended up with pretty good careers in technology?
- paulryanrogers 2mo agoFor every wunderkind that has a long career there's also plenty who are overlooked or peak early.
- spolitry 2mo agoCitation desperately needed.
- paulcole 2mo agoSource: Sour Grapes
- paulryanrogers 2mo agoKen Silverman
- paulcole 2mo agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Silverman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Silverman Is this the guy you’re talking about?
- endemic 2mo agoI think he's doing fine? Sure, he got out of the video game industry, but that's for young people to burn themselves out.
- paulryanrogers 2mo agoI don't mean he's destitute. Just that he's no longer exceptional, which is fine.
- paulcole 2mo agoBut you were trying to refute my point of: > I’d imagine those teenagers ended up with pretty good careers in technology? The guy you mentioned doesn't seem to have ended up with a bad career in technology?
- paulryanrogers 2mo agoThanks for clarifying. I read it as exceptional careers
- fifilura 2mo agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias
- sampullman 2mo agoI think the point isn't that you'll necessarily build a great browser (or LLM), but the experience will benefit you in other ways.
- antupis 2mo agoYup like you go far enought you will pick lots of transferable skills like data cleaning in the case of LLM, DOM parsing case of web browser or welding case of rocket.
- serbuvlad 2mo agoSure, but I'm sure most of their lead devs are well paid now. In general C++ work and similar, if not in Chrome development.
- enos_feedler 2mo agoFor this example, if you built a browser in 2000 it would put you in a great position to launch android in 2008. I think this is pg’s point. You spend all this time learning the interesting bits and when an inflection comes along that makes a new product or service possible you could be the one to likely launch it
- paulryanrogers 2mo agoEach new bet will be expensive and depend less on technical merit than luck and having a backup so your family doesn't starve.
- fifilura 2mo agoAgree. FWIW I built browsers from 1999 for a long time. (But I was never a wunderkind, just somewhat tenaciously curious). And I guess I am doing fine, but not amazingly rich or so. Browsers were always a project closer to research/charity. I think Marc Andreessen said something similar - that he would never do that again. B2B is where you can make money.
- liberian 2mo agoThis was his point. Being prepare to launch a produce when the opportunity comes.
- serbuvlad 2mo agoI am talking from the perspective of the individual developer. You don't need your impressive product to succeed to land a good career. If Alice is doing LLM-from-scratch work today, and Bob is doing agent harness work today, Bob's project is far more likely than Alice's to become useful/popular/profitable. But if neither project survives, in 5 years, Alice will be more employable/at a higher market rate than Bob.
- bee_rider 2mo agoNeither one has even gone to college yet. I’d expect Alice’s project to be more likely to interest professors, get some undergrad research experience, maybe that can turn into something.