Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak
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Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak
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Re: Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak
#2"But the number of iconic companies—and the number of companies that even aspire to greatness—seems to be dropping. I'm a little worried that things are slowing down, operating well below potential. …We need more Intels, Apples, Googles, Genentechs, and Facebooks. I'm not sure we're going to get enough with venture [capital] in its current state. "
I agree and this bothers me a lot. Startups are easier to start and we're making silly twitter apps or trying to sell out for 5 million. Very few companies strive to build a lasting legacy.
Re: Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak
#3His philanthropic pursuits are also interesting. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel#Philanthropy he has donated to the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Methuselah Mouse Prize (anti-aging research), and the Seasteading Institute.
Edit: Actually, this makes sense considering his business acumen. He's shooting for most lives saved per dollar. The chance of success of these organizations is lower than typical charities, but the expected benefit is immense compared to typical charities. For example, let's say the Methuselah foundation has a 1% chance of finding a cure for aging. 7,000,000,000 * 0.01 = 70,000,000 expected lives saved.
Re: Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak
#4His philanthropic pursuits are also interesting. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel#Philanthropy he has donated to the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Methuselah Mouse Prize (anti-aging research), and the Seasteading Institute. Edit: Actually, this makes sense considering his business acumen. He's shooting for most lives saved per dollar. The chance of success of these organi…
I was going to write about his donations to SIAI and MF/SENS.
You beat me to it, but I'm leaving this comment to encourage people who aren't familiar with these organizations to look them up.
Re: Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak
#5His philanthropic pursuits are also interesting. According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel#Philanthropy he has donated to the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Methuselah Mouse Prize (anti-aging research), and the Seasteading Institute. Edit: Actually, this makes sense considering his business acumen. He's shooting for most lives saved per dollar. The chance of success of these organi…
I am a research associate at the Singularity Institute, and know several people involved in anti-aging research and seasteading. Utility-per-dollar calculations like http://www.nickbostrom.com/astronomical/waste.html are indeed a large part of our motivation. (Please do ask if you have any questions, or feel free to email me at pphysics141@gmail.com.)
Re: Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak
#6"But the number of iconic companies—and the number of companies that even aspire to greatness—seems to be dropping. I'm a little worried that things are slowing down, operating well below potential. …We need more Intels, Apples, Googles, Genentechs, and Facebooks. I'm not sure we're going to get enough with venture [capital] in its current state. " I agree and this bothers me a lot. Startups are easier to start and w…
I agree with your observation (and Thiel's), but disagree on the reasoning. See my essay An Alternative Theory of Startups (http://www.rationalfuturist.com/writings/altstartups.html).
Re: Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak
#7My least favorite Peter Thiel quote "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser. " According to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/14/facebook
Re: Peter Thiel: An Angel on a Hot Streak
#8Thiel understands that because the world political system is far from equilibrium, in the long run it will tend towards one of two possible futures: extreme centralization or extreme decentralization. If you can assume the former is nwo-type scenario, then it's clear that he's hoping to push society towards the latter--paypal, seasteading, etc all create the infrstrucure for small-scale independence. I agree with him.