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Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

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Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#171

Post by nkohari »

Eliezer wrote: post #31
nkohari wrote: post #8

As an outsider to Silicon Valley, it really seems like it's full of drama and ego wars. Seeing grown men and women argue like children really makes me happy I resisted the urge to move out there.

The important thing is that you've found a way to feel superior to everyone there, I guess. http://xkcd.com/774/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/yp/pretending_to_be_wise/

The irony in this comment is delicious, in that by posting it, you've found a way to feel superior to me. Congratulations!

You also completely misinterpreted what I was saying, but I suspect you're not interested in that anyway.

Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#172

Post by nkohari »

peteforde wrote: post #129
nostrademons wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You realize that there a few million people in Silicon Valley, and this concerns a few dozen of them?

I think he gets that, yeah. There really is an overwhelming aura of "you don't get taken seriously unless you're in the Valley" which gets a bit grating when you have legitimate reasons for living elsewhere. The OP simply means that the grass isn't always greener.

Exactly. I think there's a lot of smart people in the Valley, but every time I hear a story like this, it sounds more and more like a clubhouse for middle schoolers.

Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#173

Post by bl4k »

iamwil wrote: post #165
bl4k wrote: post #151

McClure dug himself into a hole with his first response. He didn't think two moves ahead. In poker parlance what McClure did was to bet the turn on a semi-bluff not anticipating an all-in shove from his opponent on the river. McClure's post - through both its style and its content, left an opening for Conway to come out with this email. Dave is stuck now, and his only response from here is to come clean in some way a…

Which kinda sucks, since re-reading his post, it seems like he was invited there. To me, it seems probable that he wasn't the ring leader(s), but merely the one that's talking the loudest. Doesn't excuse the guy, but he's getting the spotlight shone on him while the others sneak off into the night unnoticed.

this defense is not a whole lot better: http://twitter.com/jeff/status/25358068083

Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#174

Post by JoeAltmaier »

faramarz wrote: post #18

No one other Ron could have wrote this piece and I respect him all the more for coming out and being clear about his position (as if you didn't know it already). I can predict two things; 1) The younger angels react and further split themselves from the Ron way of doing business. or 2) You will hear no more about this public debacle. It's clearly bad for business and any smart investor will shut up now.

These guys appear to be a bunch of ego-driven alpha males. They can no more stop talking about this, than piss up a tree.

In fact, being part of a macho secret conspiracy will probably inflame them to further stupidities.

Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#175

Post by JoeAltmaier »

nocman wrote: post #108
Eliezer wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The important thing is that you've found a way to feel superior to everyone there, I guess. http://xkcd.com/774/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/yp/pretending_to_be_wise/

Seems to me like you are jumping to a pretty big conclusion about nkohari's comment. Or am I misunderstanding what you were trying to say? I didn't see any "feeling superior" at all in what nkohari said. You don't have to feel superior to someone who is behaving childishly just because you don't want to be around them. And I don't think he was targeting "everyone there" either. He just said Silicon Valley was "full o…

Right. Pretty low bar to feel superior to children.

Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#176

Post by JoeAltmaier »

to_jon wrote: post #169

As entrepreneurs, we need both Conway and the Super Angels. It's time for everyone to get over these unfortunate meetings and forgive the participants. Enough is enough. Did they do something wrong? Hell yes. But it's been exposed, examined, and discussed. Publicly stoning a group of angels represents the worst kind of mob behavior and reflects poorly on entrepreneurs as an investment class. Let's not forget that wea…

Ok, forgiveness is keen, but its not possible to forgive criminal acts. It's not up to this community.

Personally I look forward to the shakeup. The money will find its own level, whether its this group of idiots or some other.

Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#177

Post by bherms »

kalvin wrote: post #150
bherms wrote: post #9

This guy is an upstanding individual and really cares about startups. I'm glad people like him exist. Maybe some day I'll be lucky enough to have him invest in one of my projects. I really like how he called McClure out. I know McClure is a smart guy and allegedly a great investor, but he is quite classless and the f* this f* that attitude is embarrassing to what are supposed to be a group of intelligent, successful,…

Lots of shitting on Dave McClure from people who've never met him. If you had a friend who was a great guy but happened to have a ridiculous online writing voice, and terrible taste in fonts, you wouldn't hate on him for it. The few times I've dealt with him, he was incredibly generous and helpful beyond belief. Don't turn real people into hateful caricatures based on your dislike of the way they express themselves o…

I'm sorry, but the way you express yourself is always going to affect others perception of you.

I also wouldn't say I turned him into a hateful caricature. There's no hate in there, I just think his writing style is classless. And if anyone is turning him into a caricature, it's himself.

If I had a friend who would only scream at people in real life, I would think less of him, regardless of how helpful he was. I do, in fact, have a friend who expresses himself like a douche online. I a) call him out for it frequently and b) think that he is a bit douchey. Still a great guy, and one of my best friends, but I would definitely say the way I look at him is changed by his online persona.

Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#178

Post by JoeAltmaier »

nocman wrote: post #90
gaius wrote: post #84

I have stated consistently for year that I invest because I love helping entrepenuers and watching them learn and succeed. Oh please! We're all capitalists here, nothing to be ashamed of.

Conway didn't say that he's not interested in making lots of money. Sounded to me like he was just pointing out that making money is not his primary motivation for investing. Now, I don't know him at all, so I can't vouch for whether he's being honest or not. However, I'd like to point out that there are plenty of free-market-loving capitalists in this country (present company included) who do the things they do with…

Agreed. I was asked by my boss to "examine my priorities" when I came in 5 after 8 from driving by son to his new school (we were moving, I wanted him to be in same school for the whole year).

Next morning I delivered my prioritized list to him - work was #12. Try it, you will be surprised.

Don't get me wrong, money is part of the equation for me, but certainly I won't sacrifice health, family, security etc for a little bit more of it (or for a particular job etc).

Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#179

Post by nlavezzo »

techiferous wrote: post #120
cookiecaper wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are you so sure their intentions are pure or that "none of them are genuinely bad guys"? Do you know the people that were there well? If you don't, you're not really qualified to say this. People put a lot of time into image and posturing and often it has little to do with what's really under the surface. If they are in actually involved in illegal collusion, they should be charged and prosecuted. I don't think i…

"genuinely bad guys" Here's my take: generally, people and life situations are very complex and the reality is that people don't neatly fall into categories of "good guys" or "bad guys". Zoroastrianism really emphasized individual responsibility and thinking of individuals as good or bad. This made its way into Judaism and then spread into Christianity and Islam. Since our heritage as a nation is Christian, we have p…

>>People are too complex to be labeled "good" or "bad".

People are extremely complex, and overall, bad or good (in relation to almost everyone's ethical standards).

The sun is extremely complex... but it is fair to call it "hot".

The idea that no one is "good" or "bad" is ridiculous. People can change over time, they can have messed up motivations, or emotional issues, but in the end people make conscious decisions that either are or are not moral and ethical by society's standards.

Re: Ron Conway Drops A Nuclear Bomb On The Super Angels

#180

Post by jimbokun »

nkohari wrote: post #171
Eliezer wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The important thing is that you've found a way to feel superior to everyone there, I guess. http://xkcd.com/774/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/yp/pretending_to_be_wise/

The irony in this comment is delicious, in that by posting it, you've found a way to feel superior to me. Congratulations! You also completely misinterpreted what I was saying, but I suspect you're not interested in that anyway.

Did you read the mouse over on the xkcd comic?
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