VCs Are Just Tired

Being productive doesn't give you more free time. It just means that you get more work.

If there was anybody who would be motivated to scapegoat a single actor or cause for dysfunction in the medical industry it's me.

I've endured debilitating health challenges, including severe pain, for almost half my life. I've had plenty of time and motivation to research and contemplate everything that's wrong with the medical system, including corrupt dealings between pharmaceutical companies, regulators, research institutions and medical practitioners.

And, much like apportioning blame to VCs, there is some truth to this point of view.

But it's not the whole story.

At least as significant a factor is that there is a real, legitimate need for pharmaceutical opioids, and a widespread epidemic of "pain" that is little-understood by mainstream medical researchers and practitioners, which is mostly to do with the fact that physiology is extremely complex and still only partially understood.

Fortunately, I've never had to turn to opioids or other pharmaceuticals to treat my pain conditions, and after many years of research and experimentation, have been able to become pain-free via natural - though unconventional - approaches.

I think it would be great if other people had the access and motivation I've had to achieve good health, rather than ending up dependent on opioids or languishing in other ways.

But 10+ years of thinking about it, including plenty of, yes, curious conversation, has taught me that problems in the medical system can't all be simplistically blamed on corrupt pharmaceutical companies.

> tonal arguments to dismiss the hardest of questions

What "hard questions" was the root commenter raising?

Real "hard questions" involve honestly considering all facets of a topic, and taking on the responsibility of contributing to the formulation solutions that are practical and effective.

> Perhaps this is not a true intellectual community

In what way was the root comment more "intellectual" than what I'm advocating?

Certainly there is an argument to be made for working less and living with less, but for most people $1M invested doesn't check out. If you're relying solely on returns from that investment, then conservatively you can only safely withdraw 3-4%, which works out to 30-40k a year. That's close to full time on minimum wage in some states. While that's enough to survive, not sure if that'd be a fulfilling life for most, even while single. What happens if you have a family later?

EDIT: Also not sure how many can actually save that much in 5-10 years. That's 100k - 200k of savings after tax. Even with compound interest, that's pretty tough for most I would think.

a16z, benchmark, SV angles (when they were around), etc. only got where they are by taking massive risk - on founders with no track record and often just a prototype of demo.

Now, just to get a seed round, you need a fully featured product, with distribution and revenue.

It just feels like the wonder and risk of creating world changing tech without worrying about financial outcome is dead. Which, honestly makes sense from an investment thesis standpoint. You minimize risk by following the leader or investing later stage. It’s growth equity, not true or traditional VC that requires a 10x return. Most VCs are happy with 1.5-3x now (relatively happy).