Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 105 posts

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

#41

Post by giantg2 »

twunde wrote: post #26
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.

Tesla is actually a good example assuming that you believe that lithium mining is better than coal mining or at least an equivalent problem. Tesla's utility-level batteries (MegaPack) make wind and solar projects more economically feasible since any excess wind can be stored instead of being sold at negative rates when its not being used. These batteries will allow the replacement of many coal-powered generator plant…

I can agree that the view of whether something is helping or not could be subjective.

That's not necessarily true about the infrastructure. The estimate I saw said if all the gas cars were replaced with electric ones then the infrastructure would have to double or triple depending on how much off-grid equipment is adopted. I know my house would need an upgraded connection to handle a 50amp charger. I'd probably need a whole extra line and panel if we needed to charge 2 or three cars at once.

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

#42

Post by qchris »

TYPE_FASTER wrote: post #9

Check out the startups working at incubators like Greentown Labs: https://greentownlabs.com/ . Not all these companies will make it. There's a risk associated with working on these problems that is not always countered by the rapid revenue growth associated with a well-funded tech company. Having worked at a company that was briefly situated at Greentown, I will say there is an energy associated with working there. I…

I spent about six months a few years back working at a company at Greentown too. Not only are the people and companies there working on some meaningful (and frankly, really cool) technology, but the incubator itself always seemed really well run and was a great space to work in.

I'm sure things are a bit more difficult with the current pandemic considering their buildings' layouts (like most open workplaces), but I'd wholeheartedly recommend people interested to taking a serious look.

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

#43

Post by asdfman123 »

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…

> Is tech the right tool to attempt solving societal problems?

That's not the right question you should be asking. The questions you should be asking are "Where can I contribute the most value?" and "How can I use that to improve society?"

Maybe tech isn't the be all end all, but it's often better to do things that you're good at.

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

#45

Post by fsflover »

3np wrote: post #34
stann wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I do not understand people who think that trusting a company is all about geography or funding. The real trust should be built when you and everyone else can verify everything and speak up whenever something is wrong. Most companies do not even allow any reasonable verification (by closing their sources and schematics). Purism is the most transparent company I know.

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

#46

Post by logoman04 »

TYPE_FASTER wrote: post #9

Check out the startups working at incubators like Greentown Labs: https://greentownlabs.com/ . Not all these companies will make it. There's a risk associated with working on these problems that is not always countered by the rapid revenue growth associated with a well-funded tech company. Having worked at a company that was briefly situated at Greentown, I will say there is an energy associated with working there. I…

I spent 18 months working as a SWE at a company within Greentown Labs. I can confirm the companies there are all committed to making a meaningful impact around the domains of clean energy / green technology.

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

#47

Post by mkalimani »

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…

Brief of Tesla's Master Plan [0]

Part Un: 1) Create a low volume car, which would necessarily be expensive 2) Use that money to develop a medium volume car at a lower price 3) Use that money to create an affordable, high volume car

Part Deux: 1) Create stunning solar roofs with seamlessly integrated battery storage 2) Expand the electric vehicle product line to address all major segments 3) Develop a self-driving capability that is 10X safer than manual via massive fleet learning 4) Enable your car to make money for you when you aren't using it

https://www.tesla.com/blog/master-plan-part-deux

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

#48

Post by 3np »

fsflover wrote: post #45
3np wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I do not understand people who think that trusting a company is all about geography or funding. The real trust should be built when you and everyone else can verify everything and speak up whenever something is wrong. Most companies do not even allow any reasonable verification (by closing their sources and schematics). Purism is the most transparent company I know.

The problem with the US specifically is that the intentions of the current team and founders doesn’t decide in the end. It’s entirely plausible for them to be compromised and gagged, against their will.

It’s also not necessarily something that more than a very small number of people in the company needs to be aware of.

This is due to how legislation and the operations of federal agencies work.

Over the past decade, I feel USA has become pretty damn close China in this regard if you put all countries on some kind of scale.

Anywhere in the EU would have had way less of that risk.

I could also add that I had similar feelings with Keybase for a long time; promising team, solution and openness (though not to the extent of Purism). My main gripe was the US location. And then they were acquired by Zoom. This kind of nihilistic dynamic is also more common with US businesses, even if it’s just a cultural thing.

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

#49

Post by anandpdoshi »

Plenty (https://plenty.ag) is trying to scale hydroponics using plant science and automation. (I worked here till a few months ago.) Indoor agriculture is going to supplement our nutrition needs in the future. Plenty is focusing on flavor as its selling point, and after eating Plenty produce, everything else seems like eating cardboard.
Post reply on HN