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Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

mitchellh.com

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Re: Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

#21

Post by InsideOutSanta »

Daishiman wrote: post #15
cyber_kinetist wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really do not understand how people talk about "Being rich / being a billionaire will make you fundamentally unhappy". Damn if I had all the money I have so many good-willed projects I want to throw money at!

Because the most vocal rich people in this age seem to have an unusual lack of empathy and just being able to enjoy themselves.

Yeah, I think people have the correlation backward. I suspect that driven people are more likely to get rich and less likely to be happy, so there seem to be a lot of angry rich dudes.

Meanwhile, people who get rich by accident often seem able to improve their own lives and those of others with their money. The recent article about the founder of Craigslist comes to mind.

Re: Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

#22

Post by InsideOutSanta »

colesantiago wrote: post #11

Doesn't this prove that Mitchell Hashimoto is probably the only "good billionaire"? I thought all billionaires were bad?

I guess it depends on exactly what you're talking about, but my impression is that the primary "billionaires are bad" argument is simply that a system that allows billionaires to exist is inherently broken. A system that rewards people based on their actual contributions would not allow billionaires to exist.

The fact that some billionaires use their money to do good does not contradict that argument.

Re: Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

#24

Post by toomuchtodo »

InsideOutSanta wrote: post #21
Daishiman wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the most vocal rich people in this age seem to have an unusual lack of empathy and just being able to enjoy themselves.

Yeah, I think people have the correlation backward. I suspect that driven people are more likely to get rich and less likely to be happy, so there seem to be a lot of angry rich dudes. Meanwhile, people who get rich by accident often seem able to improve their own lives and those of others with their money. The recent article about the founder of Craigslist comes to mind.

Nailed it.

Re: Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

#25

Post by genxy »

cyber_kinetist wrote: post #9
ksdme9 wrote: post #2

It must be pretty satisfying to be able to throw that kind of money at stuff you admire.

I really do not understand how people talk about "Being rich / being a billionaire will make you fundamentally unhappy". Damn if I had all the money I have so many good-willed projects I want to throw money at!

The kinds of people that become billionaires are not those who are happy, the hole in their sole is why they are billionaires in the first place. Yes there are exceptions, just like with everything.

You should probably have a billion dollars, you would do great things. But you probably shouldn't become a billionaire to get there. Being rich doesn't make one unhappy, but getting there does.

That relentless grind changes a person, much like the ring.

I echo the sentiment in this comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48630565

Re: Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

#26

Post by Herbstluft »

darren0 wrote: post #20
cyber_kinetist wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really do not understand how people talk about "Being rich / being a billionaire will make you fundamentally unhappy". Damn if I had all the money I have so many good-willed projects I want to throw money at!

It will not make you unhappy. It will just not make you happy. Big difference. The saying "money can't buy happiness" is in fact true no matter how much people want to rationalize the opposite.

What that always leaves out, however, is that no/little money can very much cause a lot of unhappiness.

Re: Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

#27

Post by thomascountz »

cyber_kinetist wrote: post #9
ksdme9 wrote: post #2

It must be pretty satisfying to be able to throw that kind of money at stuff you admire.

I really do not understand how people talk about "Being rich / being a billionaire will make you fundamentally unhappy". Damn if I had all the money I have so many good-willed projects I want to throw money at!

Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy less unhappiness. There's diminishing returns, of course, but I'd hazard it looks a bit like ln(n), in that the returns are quite significant in the beginning.

Re: Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

#28

Post by wnevets »

darren0 wrote: post #20
cyber_kinetist wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really do not understand how people talk about "Being rich / being a billionaire will make you fundamentally unhappy". Damn if I had all the money I have so many good-willed projects I want to throw money at!

It will not make you unhappy. It will just not make you happy. Big difference. The saying "money can't buy happiness" is in fact true no matter how much people want to rationalize the opposite.

> The saying "money can't buy happiness" is in fact true no matter how much people want to rationalize the opposite.

I'm willing to test this theory out, send me some money.

Re: Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

#29

Post by tsunamifury »

thomascountz wrote: post #27
cyber_kinetist wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really do not understand how people talk about "Being rich / being a billionaire will make you fundamentally unhappy". Damn if I had all the money I have so many good-willed projects I want to throw money at!

Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy less unhappiness. There's diminishing returns, of course, but I'd hazard it looks a bit like ln(n), in that the returns are quite significant in the beginning.

And the remaining unhappinesses can end up in starker relief, as you continuously try to remove all unhappinesses from your life to nearly impossible and sometimes distorted degrees.

The problem isn’t that money doesn’t buy happiness, it’s that it can remove your ability to endure the necessary amounts of unhappiness in life.

Re: Pledging another $400k to the Zig software foundation

#30

Post by neuralkoi »

darren0 wrote: post #20
cyber_kinetist wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really do not understand how people talk about "Being rich / being a billionaire will make you fundamentally unhappy". Damn if I had all the money I have so many good-willed projects I want to throw money at!

It will not make you unhappy. It will just not make you happy. Big difference. The saying "money can't buy happiness" is in fact true no matter how much people want to rationalize the opposite.

A recent example: https://vinay.sh/i-am-rich-and-have-no-idea-what-to-do-with-...
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