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I said this a few days ago and got down voted to hell. It amazes me how HN likes to abdicate YC of all wrong doing or negative outcomes from the companies they

I said this a few days ago and got down voted to hell. It amazes me how HN likes to abdicate YC of all wrong doing or negative outcomes from the companies they fund. YC/PG is also the reason that @sama is where he is.

gleezard 19d ago
Wait til you find out what money does to people.
- stickfigure 19d ago
  [flagged]
  - deleted 19d ago
    [deleted]
  - simpaticoder 19d ago
    I don't think that's true. The anti-flock sentiment ranges, of course, but it's pretty widespread. The idea of living in a society that is highly surveilled at all times, where that data is processed by AI to determine suspicious behavior, when the panopticon is abused by those with access to it -- this is not an idea with widespread appeal.
  - functionmouse 19d ago
    It seems like it comes down to whether or not you're addicted to Fox News. My grandmother likes Flock, but nobody else I know does.
  - itsanaccount 19d ago
    Here in rural Michigan its bipartisan against flock. Sheriff rolled it out on Monday and ended the 90 day trial on Friday. Next weeks road commissioner meeting revoked the permit for em on the right of way. Which is to say our cops are pro-flock but they've gotten too much heat from them from a largely uneducated public. Meanwhile I've recently seen a rural Tennessee sheriff drop their contract when they found they were lied to about the data sharing.
  - Avicebron 19d ago
    Not even remotely true. People loathe the surveillance state, it takes a special kind of evil to support a panopticon.
  - HNhelpsFlock 19d ago
    [flagged]
  - esalman 19d ago
    Even normies are anti-flock, along with lots of tech savvy people who care about privacy. These are dark days, but Flock and data centers are a couple of things that actually bring people together and take a united stand against something.
  - esafak 19d ago
    YC strongholds like Knox County: https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/09/01/knox-county-commission-passes-emergency-ordinance-remove-flock-cameras-heres-what-happens-next/ https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/09/01/knox-county-commission-passes...
  - Eufrat 19d ago
    Based on what evidence?
  - arionhardison 19d ago
    This is empirically false. re: https://www.npr.org/2026/08/22/nx-s1-5931446/flock-fallout-competitors-see-opportunity https://www.npr.org/2026/08/22/nx-s1-5931446/flock-fallout-c...
- Toorkit 19d ago
  I'd love to have some first hand experience.
  - xattt 19d ago
    Back of the line, buddy!
  - cristoperb 19d ago
    ethnographies of the rich and the famous
- dudefeliciano 19d ago
  And this is the ideology that got us to where we are now. There is no problem with making money but bending politics/society to your will, and even voting for destructive parties, only for the good of personal interest is abhorrent, antisocial behavior. One would think that these "geniuses" would understand that living in a society where lower class people do not live with constant existential threats would be a positive for them too...but I guess they find it easier to be hated by everyone and be forced to hire bodyguards, private armies, and live in gated communities and bunkers in fear of getting in touch with the real world.
  - Avicebron 19d ago
    I don't particularly agree with Ezra Klein or Francis Fukuyama, often vehemently disagree. But on the latest episode of Klein's NYT show it was interesting to hear Francis mention this coupling of wealth and political power being one of the core problems the US is grappling with. Separate the nouveau robber barons from political power like we did the clergy?
    - rawgabbit 19d ago
      In the United States, clergy never had formal political power. Religious movements did play major roles in the abolition of slavery and Prohibition of alcohol. The United States had campaign-finance laws to limit the political influence money can buy. The McCain–Feingold Act restricted “dark money”. The Supreme Court struck it down in Citizens United v. FEC.
      - dasil003 19d ago
        I think he’s referring to the separation of church and state that was codified at the founding of the US based on experience of how things went in Europe prior to that
        Avicebron 19d ago
        Indeed. If you hold your duty to your net worth above your duty to civil society, you can't be trusted with civil society. To paraphrase Patrick Henry.
singleshot_ 19d ago
> HN likes to abdicate YC of all wrong doing or negative outcomes My take is that we like to hang out on PG's blog and make fun of his avarice. Is there a better place to do this?
- arionhardison 19d ago
  Short answer, IRL. Aside from "PG's blog" this is a community. People wish each other happy holidays, offer support to one another, challenge each other etc... In that sense it transcends both PG and YC. The internet is not what it used to be but HN is a real community to me and I am truly grateful for that. As such, I would like to make an effort to meet more people and hang out in real life.

gleezard 19d ago

Wait til you find out what money does to people.

stickfigure 19d ago
[flagged]
- deleted 19d ago
  [deleted]
- simpaticoder 19d ago
  I don't think that's true. The anti-flock sentiment ranges, of course, but it's pretty widespread. The idea of living in a society that is highly surveilled at all times, where that data is processed by AI to determine suspicious behavior, when the panopticon is abused by those with access to it -- this is not an idea with widespread appeal.
- functionmouse 19d ago
  It seems like it comes down to whether or not you're addicted to Fox News. My grandmother likes Flock, but nobody else I know does.
- itsanaccount 19d ago
  Here in rural Michigan its bipartisan against flock. Sheriff rolled it out on Monday and ended the 90 day trial on Friday. Next weeks road commissioner meeting revoked the permit for em on the right of way. Which is to say our cops are pro-flock but they've gotten too much heat from them from a largely uneducated public. Meanwhile I've recently seen a rural Tennessee sheriff drop their contract when they found they were lied to about the data sharing.
- Avicebron 19d ago
  Not even remotely true. People loathe the surveillance state, it takes a special kind of evil to support a panopticon.
- HNhelpsFlock 19d ago
  [flagged]
- esalman 19d ago
  Even normies are anti-flock, along with lots of tech savvy people who care about privacy. These are dark days, but Flock and data centers are a couple of things that actually bring people together and take a united stand against something.
- esafak 19d ago
  YC strongholds like Knox County: https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/09/01/knox-county-commission-passes-emergency-ordinance-remove-flock-cameras-heres-what-happens-next/ https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/09/01/knox-county-commission-passes...
- Eufrat 19d ago
  Based on what evidence?
- arionhardison 19d ago
  This is empirically false. re: https://www.npr.org/2026/08/22/nx-s1-5931446/flock-fallout-competitors-see-opportunity https://www.npr.org/2026/08/22/nx-s1-5931446/flock-fallout-c...
Toorkit 19d ago
I'd love to have some first hand experience.
- xattt 19d ago
  Back of the line, buddy!
- cristoperb 19d ago
  ethnographies of the rich and the famous
dudefeliciano 19d ago
And this is the ideology that got us to where we are now. There is no problem with making money but bending politics/society to your will, and even voting for destructive parties, only for the good of personal interest is abhorrent, antisocial behavior. One would think that these "geniuses" would understand that living in a society where lower class people do not live with constant existential threats would be a positive for them too...but I guess they find it easier to be hated by everyone and be forced to hire bodyguards, private armies, and live in gated communities and bunkers in fear of getting in touch with the real world.
- Avicebron 19d ago
  I don't particularly agree with Ezra Klein or Francis Fukuyama, often vehemently disagree. But on the latest episode of Klein's NYT show it was interesting to hear Francis mention this coupling of wealth and political power being one of the core problems the US is grappling with. Separate the nouveau robber barons from political power like we did the clergy?
  - rawgabbit 19d ago
    In the United States, clergy never had formal political power. Religious movements did play major roles in the abolition of slavery and Prohibition of alcohol. The United States had campaign-finance laws to limit the political influence money can buy. The McCain–Feingold Act restricted “dark money”. The Supreme Court struck it down in Citizens United v. FEC.
    - dasil003 19d ago
      I think he’s referring to the separation of church and state that was codified at the founding of the US based on experience of how things went in Europe prior to that
      - Avicebron 19d ago
        Indeed. If you hold your duty to your net worth above your duty to civil society, you can't be trusted with civil society. To paraphrase Patrick Henry.

singleshot_ 19d ago

> HN likes to abdicate YC of all wrong doing or negative outcomes My take is that we like to hang out on PG's blog and make fun of his avarice. Is there a better place to do this?

arionhardison 19d ago
Short answer, IRL. Aside from "PG's blog" this is a community. People wish each other happy holidays, offer support to one another, challenge each other etc... In that sense it transcends both PG and YC. The internet is not what it used to be but HN is a real community to me and I am truly grateful for that. As such, I would like to make an effort to meet more people and hang out in real life.