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Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

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Re: Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

#31

Post by zaphod12 »

How about a tech company using data to accelerate the creation and approval of cancer fighting drugs: flatiron.com (acquired a couple of years ago, but still independently operated)

Interested in improving the state of the art in detecting cancer - paigeai is building automated pathology tools.

A somewhat USA specific one, but goodrx is helping folks afford medications.

Quite a few of those "issues" in your link get you way past traditional Tech company turf, but all will need software engineers! There are a lot of cool biotech companies out there who would need software engineers!

Re: Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

#32

Post by tosmith »

At CIONIC, we're tackling how to overcome disability through precision bionics. Whether a diagnosis at birth (Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida) or an acquired disease or impairment (Parkinson's, issues resulting from a stroke), we're engineering sleek, wearable solutions that will provide comprehensive analysis and precise augmentation to enhance human performance, restore physical function and increase independence. Check out more information here: https://cionic.com/

Re: Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

#33

Post by bjacobt »

Loon from Google/Alphabet [1]. They are attempting to connect remote and rural areas of the world. They are currently providing commercial service in a difficult to reach/low ARPU area in Kenya [2].

Loon uses standard 3GPP (LTE) protocols, so devices are available at low cost and even lower in used markets.

I don't work for Loon or Google, just interested in HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo Satellites) to provide low cost connectivity.

[1] https://loon.com/

[2] https://medium.com/loon-for-all/loon-is-live-in-kenya-259d81...

Edit: fixed references

Re: Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

#34

Post by 3np »

stann wrote: post #24
fsflover wrote: post #18

One could argue that Purism, Social Purpose Corporation, is trying to fight with pollution (by providing devices with lifetime updates and choosing their sources) and supports human rights (by using exclusively free software, by creating a new market for surveillance-free user-respecting devices, by trying to shift manufacturing from China to USA). https://puri.sm/about/manufacturing-and-sourcing/ Not sure if you con…

From China to US... surveillance-free?

I’m so bummed out that they’re basing themselves and manufacturing in the US. It’s such a risk that it’s difficult to make sense of the reasoning with anything else than that they’re already compromised, possibly simply by funding capital that comes with conditions. Not saying I believe that’s the case but how else can you explain it?

Re: Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

#35

Post by adamzerner »

mattbrewsbytes wrote: post #15

Say you worked in a software development organization that was dysfunctional, shipped updates 3-4 times a year and had lots of infighting/political battles between teams. A vendor came by talking about a new development process with a cool tool touting amazing features - do you think buying into this process plus tool is going to solve your organizational problems? Is tech the right tool to attempt solving societal p…

Check out https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/06/how-tesla-will-change-your-li....

Re: Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

#36

Post by doitLP »

If you’re interested in having an impact I highly recommend visiting https://80000hours.org/

The biggest impacts can often be made in areas that are most neglected and have high negative or positive outcomes. At the very least it will help you form a mental model of how to spend your time and the types of problems to focus on.

Re: Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

#37

Post by giantg2 »

thehappypm wrote: post #29
giantg2 wrote: post #4

I don't know that I would use Telsa as an example. Sure, they are replacing fossil fuels with renewables, but I see this as trading one dirty commodity for another. Lithium mining is environmentally damaging and the impact will likely get worse as demand increases. So maybe a step in the right direction, but definitely not a true solution.

A gas car dumping CO2 into the atmosphere contributes to climate change all over the world. Is it fair to the rapidly disappearing Maldives that Americans like gas guzzlers? Hell no. They get all the externalities of worldwide CO2 emissions, even though the Maldives is a tiny producer of carbon. That's not fair. However, if a Lithium mine in South America opens, and it wrecks and pollutes the land, the same place tha…

Sort of, the runoff ends up in the ocean, which would be a global concern too.

Re: Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

#38

Post by misanthropian00 »

biztos wrote: post #28
bjornsing wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Replace us? Isn’t it enough to just enslave us, feed us scraps and tell us what to do? Lot’s of startups are working on that. (It’s called the gig economy.) :P Footnote: I’m not this critical of the gig economy, just couldn’t resist the opportunity for some gallows humor. :)

But what would a robot sufficiently smart/powerful to enslave us actually need us to do? Entertain them?

Sure. Pets. We could perform tricks in exchange for slices of robot made pizza. Sentient robots may get bored too. Weird bipedal monkey creatures with delusions of grandeur should be good for a laugh at least.

Re: Ask HN: Any well funded tech companies tackling big, meaningful problems?

#40

Post by cvhashim »

GeertB wrote: post #23
mattbrewsbytes wrote: post #15

Say you worked in a software development organization that was dysfunctional, shipped updates 3-4 times a year and had lots of infighting/political battles between teams. A vendor came by talking about a new development process with a cool tool touting amazing features - do you think buying into this process plus tool is going to solve your organizational problems? Is tech the right tool to attempt solving societal p…

Their goal is absolutely to drive down cost. Right now they're battery-constrained, so it would not make sense to sell them to third parties. If Tesla can only sell a given number of cars, it makes financial sense to sell them at a higher price. The extra revenue serves to build more factories and grow faster. As production keeps scaling, average selling prices will keep going down. If they'd attempted to start with…

I view them as the iPhone of cars right now. And thats by design. Maybe if they take away all the bells and whistles and just ship out a barebones electric car for regular people, it might get mass adoption.
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