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WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton on Why He Left $850M Behind

forbes.com

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Re: WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton on Why He Left $850M Behind

#371

Post by sigmar »

blandinw wrote: post #370
sigmar wrote: post #359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>"Don’t be passive-aggressive about it. And by the way the paid messaging that WhatsApp is rolling out now sounds pretty similar to metered messaging from my point of view..." Takes a certain type of person to add a passive aggressive dig after telling someone not to be passive aggressive.

Passive-aggressiveness implies avoiding direct conflict. The author of this post refers to Acton not speaking up or making a good argument one way or the other, letting things evolve while resisting passively. Also, the author is being very direct about what he thinks of Acton's behavior, he's not being passive-aggressive.

The second sentence adds nothing to his argument besides adding in a snide criticism with a trailing ellipse. That's passive aggressive to me.

Re: WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton on Why He Left $850M Behind

#372

Post by badcede »

madrox wrote: post #163

I'm sure Acton and Koum told themselves they were also keeping the power to be in control. I'm sure they went into it thinking they could avoid this end. The brain is a powerful rationalizer when it sees generational wealth within reach. The indignant tone of the comments here make me laugh. There are very few things I can imagine readers of HN not doing for a billion dollars. People may say otherwise, but until they…

Cognitive dissonance explains it. I don't have a billion dollars. Is there something wrong with me? No, the billionaire is evil.

Re: WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton on Why He Left $850M Behind

#374

Post by retsibsi »

sushisource wrote: post #282
deleted_account wrote: post #139

I feel like I'm coming across more of these "exit, then atone" profiles and none of them seem to have any teeth. They read like self-help articles for the ultra-rich: "Broken moral compass keeping you up at night? Try driving a Honda Odyssey." I get it; you took the money. I'd sure as hell take the money. One anecdote about sniping at Sheryl Sandberg is washed away by this milquetoast sentiment: “It was like, okay, w…

I also fail to see how driving a minivan makes you a better person. I don't understand why we fetishize the rich who live like they aren't. I get not overconsuming, but if you're gonna buy a car might as well make it a nice one - the impact is basically the same.

Luxury goods cost money that could otherwise be used to help the vulnerable and suffering.

Of course there's no point foregoing the fancy car if you're going to spend 100% of your money on yourself anyway. But even when it's not a clear, direct tradeoff -- 'hmm, should I buy the Ferrari or give $100k to charity?' -- I think most people give some of their money away, and the proportion depends on how financially comfortable they feel. So stretching your budget to buy the best attainable toy/status symbol probably has a real negative effect, relative to buying one of the (perfectly good) cheaper options, or keeping your existing car for a few more years.

Re: WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton on Why He Left $850M Behind

#376

Post by retsibsi »

Johnny555 wrote: post #339
throwaway5250 wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say it's a big deal because $850M donated to a worthy cause (e.g., GiveWell) could have made a big difference in the world. I've suffered far more for far less.

If you're going to call him out for not staying at FB long enough to get the $850M to donate it somewhere, why not also call him out for not donating most of his $3B fortune? Surely he could scrape by on even a paltry $1B. What's the difference from telling someone to stick it out long enough to vest more stock versus telling him to just donate some portion of his already vast fortune?

It would be good if he did either or both of those things. The original question was why giving up $850,000,000 is a big deal when you're already super-rich. The answer is that, even if it won't affect your living standards, it's still worth $850,000,000 to the people you could use it to help.

Re: WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton on Why He Left $850M Behind

#377

Post by retsibsi »

JetSpiegel wrote: post #55
the_duke wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd call it suboptimal. Why not wait out the few months, then donate all the money to privacy focused NGOs / investing in competing businesses? That would be a much more impactful way of proving a point, imo.

Taking the cake and eat it. Shkreli could donate some of the profits of EpiPen for patients, should this be considered a net positive?

Depends on how much good that would do, and how much harm he did to get it. But the_duke suggested donating all of the extra money. That's not having your cake and eating it -- where's the selfish benefit?

Re: WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton on Why He Left $850M Behind

#378

Post by winningcontinue »

intended wrote: post #340
josephjrobison wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True on the divide but at the same time the world has never been as rich, prosperous, or secure. https://www.gatesnotes.com/Development/Goalkeepers?WT.mc_id=... Obviously a very ironic source but the others were more political.

Globally the pie has improved, there is traction in places where a penny was a healthy amount. But overall, the gains of technology are being concentrated in a few hands. The economists say that wealth is primarily created by tech change, everything else is just a functioning economy working as it would. It seems that the low base effect makes every thing better off if you were terribly off. But if you were middle in…

interesting idea that wealth is primarily created by tech innovation. Got a good source of reading on this? How would they address a few people concentrating wealth onto themselves?

Re: WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton on Why He Left $850M Behind

#379

Post by King-Aaron »

charmides wrote: post #349
cglace wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Wrong" as defined by the hivemind pitchmob.

There is no such thing as a hivemind here, just the consensus that it is wrong to sell your company to an entity that puts profit above people's privacy and wellbeing.

It would appear that the hivemind disagrees

Re: WhatsApp Cofounder Brian Acton on Why He Left $850M Behind

#380

Post by atomical »

hardlianotion wrote: post #249
lazerwalker wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Peter Thiel is a major investor and board seat holder in Lyft. If your politics lead you to believe Uber is not an ethical company, that might also give you pause.

Genuine question. Is Peter Thiel known to be unethical?

Why does Peter Thiel think Donald Trump is so awesome?
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