For those looking for some background on Monsanto, take the time to read through this Vanity Fair article from 2008: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto... .
Food, Inc. is also valuable: http://www.foodincmovie.com/
Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
31–40 of 279 posts
Re: Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
#32I just threw up in my mouth a little.
Re: Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
#33Fuck Monsanto, and by association, fuck Cloudant. "We’ve been working with them for a few weeks now and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the partnership." Thrilled? I guess money is thrilling. "The data & reporting interfaces will be used across Monsanto and should be instrumental in the making of key business decisions." Key business decisions like which small farmer to sue into oblivion? Or what third world nation…
Sounds like a problem to solve with a disruptive startup. Got any actionable ideas?
Re: Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually, I think Monsanto is quintessentially ethically ambiguous. Their cutthroat business tactics (including excessive litigation and political lobbying) must be weighed against their technological achievements that have had an enormous role in the "green revolution" increases in agricultural productivity allowing the human population to grow while malnourishment rates shrank. They are also partially responsible f…
"Their technological achievements that have had an enormous role in the 'green revolution' increases in agricultural productivity allowing the human population to grow while malnourishment rates shrank." The problem is we now have a food system that is: - reliant on genetic monocultures - quickly depleting our non-renewable water supplies - heavily reliant on oil - causing massive algal blooms and hypoxic zones - des…
I'm sympathetic to this critique, although I think you've overstated it -- the risk of a 1 billion plus die-off is unlikely, and the distribution of tasty and nutritional food is likely better today than ever before. I would add, as well, the myriad of problems relating to rampant antibiotic use in food production. The fact is, however, that engaging with technology has risks and benefits, and disengagement often carries very serious tolls. This is true of a number of aspects of modern life and food is perhaps the most visibly ugly. None of this should preclude specific criticisms of Monsanto and its behavior, but it is nonetheless overly simplistic to portray the company as being singularly evil.
Re: Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
#35It's a weird feeling when a company that's coming from an environment you admire (YC) makes a move like this. Makes you wonder would you do the same, and where would your priorities lie.
That's why you need a cofounder; when you start wondering about things like this, you need someone to slap some sense back into you.
Re: Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
#36For those looking for some background on Monsanto, take the time to read through this Vanity Fair article from 2008: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto... .
I don't think this article is as damning as many of the commenters seem to think.
- The section addressing the lawsuits includes a lot of "farmers say this" type statements. It's not very long on facts. It even admits that some farmers simply aren't aware of their obligations in many cases. The only case that was actually litigated that I'm aware of is Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser -- a case in which the farmer almost certainly was saving seeds in violation of his contract with Monsanto.
- The section on past environmental violations can be mostly ignored in the context of this deal. It might be an interesting historical conversation, but Monsanto is no longer a chemical company. Cloudant has not struck a deal with the company described in that section.
- I'm sympathetic to the opposition on the labeling debate, but it's a labeling debate! It should take more than a labeling debate to generate comparisons to Nazi Germany (as more than one commenter has done below).
Re: Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually, I think Monsanto is quintessentially ethically ambiguous. Their cutthroat business tactics (including excessive litigation and political lobbying) must be weighed against their technological achievements that have had an enormous role in the "green revolution" increases in agricultural productivity allowing the human population to grow while malnourishment rates shrank. They are also partially responsible f…
That's some high quality propaganda you are spewing out there. Tell me, since you obviously know so much about the worlds current problem with food. Why is it that food production has gone up, yet the number of starving and hungry individuals throughout the world hasn't changed significantly? The answer is there isn't a food abundance problem, there is a food availability problem. People don't grow crops and just giv…
> Why is it that food production has gone up, yet the number of starving and hungry individuals throughout the world hasn't changed significantly?
Care to back that up with evidence?
The Global hunger index (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Hunger_Index), indicates that hunger has decreased over the past 20 years. Out of the 30 countries with the most hunger, only 3 have more hunger now than 20 years ago. Every country on that list has had hunger decrease of stay still, with the majority of them seeing less hunger.
Re: Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
#38Yuck. Does anyone know if they were forced to put out that press release or did they actually write that on their own volition?
I don't know anything for sure, but it appears that cloudant themselves posted the link to the press release on Hacker News, which seems like a pretty good indication that they are the ones trying to publicize this, which then points to the latter of your two choices being likely.
Whether this is due to lack of realizing how poorly Monsanto is viewed by most, or whether they thought the somewhat Rand-ian slant of HN' would offset that, I don't know.
Re: Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
#39Supporting Monsanto is supporting the end of our organic food supply. It saddens me to see any YC company supporting such an evil organization. Money just isn't worth it.
Re: Monsanto chooses Cloudant to power its genome analytics
#40Congratulations to Cloudant for signing a big deal. Why work with a company as...ethically ambiguous as Monsanto? I would love to hear how your team decided to accept this deal, and I hope more than dollar signs crossed your minds. Personally, I would start a startup (if I ever have the guts) for freedom. How could dealing with Monsanto differ from wearing golden handcuffs?
Calling Monsanto 'ethically ambiguous' is akin to describing Hitler as a 'colorful leader with sporadic public relations issues'.
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