Interview with Paul Graham • Hacker News Board

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#11

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:07 PM UTC

JMTQp8lwXL wrote: post #5

eloff wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because his deep knowledge about startups, from the perspective of running them, picking them, advising them, and investing in them somehow no longer applies? This is not the kind of knowledge that expires, like the JavaScript framework de jour. Perhaps he likes to talk and think about other things these days, but I'm sure he's still an expert in that area. Certainly he knows more about startups than just about any H…

It's been React, Angular, and Vue pretty much for the last 5 years. Sure, there's Svelte and other libraries that target web components, but those haven't reached meaningful market share.

[deleted]

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#12

Post by andrewprock » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:18 PM UTC

ishansharma wrote: post #6

dvt wrote: post #2

As a huge fan of pg (since my early 20s), it feels bad (but also good) to see him so disconnected these days. Most of his Tweets read like the musings of "some rich dude" in an ivory tower (which is quite literally where he lives), whereas back in the day YC and pg's essays were very much "where the rubber meets the road" -- apologies for being a bit metaphorical. Anyway, I think he's enjoying his well-earned money,…

Couldn’t agree more. I read all his essays in my early 20s and became a huge fan. Not just startup advice wise, but general big picture stuff wise too. Then I saw his recent tweets and especially the essay about wealth tax, I was a bit disappointed. But as you said, his position is well earned. But I don’t see any useful real life advice from him anymore.

"Suppose you start a successful startup in your twenties, and then live for another 60 years."

Yes, let's just assume this is true. Please!

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#13

Post by elevenoh » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:19 PM UTC

ishansharma wrote: post #6

dvt wrote: post #2

As a huge fan of pg (since my early 20s), it feels bad (but also good) to see him so disconnected these days. Most of his Tweets read like the musings of "some rich dude" in an ivory tower (which is quite literally where he lives), whereas back in the day YC and pg's essays were very much "where the rubber meets the road" -- apologies for being a bit metaphorical. Anyway, I think he's enjoying his well-earned money,…

Couldn’t agree more. I read all his essays in my early 20s and became a huge fan. Not just startup advice wise, but general big picture stuff wise too. Then I saw his recent tweets and especially the essay about wealth tax, I was a bit disappointed. But as you said, his position is well earned. But I don’t see any useful real life advice from him anymore.

>Then I saw his recent tweets and especially the essay about wealth tax, I was a bit disappointed.

Why? He points out [the non obvious to many fact] that wealth tax kills compounding.

And this is something to seriously consider.

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#14

Post by elevenoh » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:22 PM UTC

I'm hoping we don't continue to see yc turn into 'the old guard'.

YC folks, startups & the people yc startup school attracts that I've personally spoken to in the past few years are more imitator-types.

YC folks & startups of 2009 were more authentic & original types.

Though I suppose it's tough to avoid this deterioration in culture following $-influx & 'success', in any domain.

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#15

Post by gonehome » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:24 PM UTC

renewiltord wrote: post #8

eloff wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because his deep knowledge about startups, from the perspective of running them, picking them, advising them, and investing in them somehow no longer applies? This is not the kind of knowledge that expires, like the JavaScript framework de jour. Perhaps he likes to talk and think about other things these days, but I'm sure he's still an expert in that area. Certainly he knows more about startups than just about any H…

The guy you're replying to isn't saying he doesn't have that knowledge. The guy you're replying to is saying he isn't giving us any of that anymore. It's kind of true.

My read from dvt and ishansharma is that they're just being political.

Basically when PG was writing about stuff they considered part of their in-group then it was great and wonderful.

When he writes about stuff that's no longer aligns with their existing political in-group's beliefs (his arguments against the wealth tax [0], his essay about conformism [1], his essay about economic inequality [2]) - suddenly he's 'disconnected' and they're 'disappointed' in the essays.

I thought those essays were great and the points were interesting/well argued. I liked his old essays too.

I find the tribal responses to them (and the comments here) to be lame.

[0]: http://paulgraham.com/wtax.html

[1]: http://paulgraham.com/conformism.html

[2]: http://paulgraham.com/ineq.html

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#16

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:29 PM UTC

elevenoh wrote: post #13

ishansharma wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn’t agree more. I read all his essays in my early 20s and became a huge fan. Not just startup advice wise, but general big picture stuff wise too. Then I saw his recent tweets and especially the essay about wealth tax, I was a bit disappointed. But as you said, his position is well earned. But I don’t see any useful real life advice from him anymore.

>Then I saw his recent tweets and especially the essay about wealth tax, I was a bit disappointed. Why? He points out [the non obvious to many fact] that wealth tax kills compounding. And this is something to seriously consider.

[deleted]

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#17

Post by cinntaile » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:35 PM UTC

elevenoh wrote: post #13

ishansharma wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn’t agree more. I read all his essays in my early 20s and became a huge fan. Not just startup advice wise, but general big picture stuff wise too. Then I saw his recent tweets and especially the essay about wealth tax, I was a bit disappointed. But as you said, his position is well earned. But I don’t see any useful real life advice from him anymore.

>Then I saw his recent tweets and especially the essay about wealth tax, I was a bit disappointed. Why? He points out [the non obvious to many fact] that wealth tax kills compounding. And this is something to seriously consider.

He points out that a wealth tax compounds. It doesn't kill compounding, it just diminishes its effect in the same way that the TER for a mutual fund does.

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#18

Post by sillysaurusx » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:37 PM UTC

elevenoh wrote: post #14

I'm hoping we don't continue to see yc turn into 'the old guard'. YC folks, startups & the people yc startup school attracts that I've personally spoken to in the past few years are more imitator-types. YC folks & startups of 2009 were more authentic & original types. Though I suppose it's tough to avoid this deterioration in culture following $-influx & 'success', in any domain.

2009 era YC was epic. Literally once in a century.

I was happy to be around, if not involved. Startup School afterparty at Anybots was a dream. Trevor even pinched me with his new robot (at my request).

There were posers even back then, though. I remember one guy getting very drunk, saying “Ok, this is it,” and walking up to pg to pitch his startup. I’m not sure who I felt worse for, him or pg.

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#19

Post by ishansharma » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:40 PM UTC

elevenoh wrote: post #13

ishansharma wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn’t agree more. I read all his essays in my early 20s and became a huge fan. Not just startup advice wise, but general big picture stuff wise too. Then I saw his recent tweets and especially the essay about wealth tax, I was a bit disappointed. But as you said, his position is well earned. But I don’t see any useful real life advice from him anymore.

>Then I saw his recent tweets and especially the essay about wealth tax, I was a bit disappointed. Why? He points out [the non obvious to many fact] that wealth tax kills compounding. And this is something to seriously consider.

It’s my opinion but that was a very one sided view. And I need to read more on this but I don’t think the way he pointed it out is how anyone is proposing wealth tax.

Re: Interview with Paul Graham

#20

Post by Barrin92 » Fri, Sep 04, 2020, 10:43 PM UTC

alextheparrot wrote: post #10

> But a few years after it's over, we'll be acting as if it never happened. We're good at that. So melancholy, a lot of the responses seem to gravity around a general accidentalism. I feel that’s true for a lot of people who have had great success, never really understanding how each of the pieces fit together to make their success and thus never feeling like they’ve owned it.

that's a mature and very reasonable perspective. There's an incredible amount of circumstance and luck involved in success, the right ecosystem, the right people, and so on.