Researchers and Founders • Hacker News Board

Re: Researchers and Founders

#111

Post by lowdose » Sat, Jun 20, 2020, 6:11 PM UTC

vikramkr wrote: post #109

lowdose wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the outliers in successful entrepreneurship are the ones that project vulnerability/self-doubt, Isn't it exactly the other way around? Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg have a reality distortion field. The outliers in entrepreneurship sell a new world that they are going to create. When Elon Musk started talking about electric cars and space travel to Mars 99% of the people thought he was batshit crazy.

I'm referring to the outliers among that group. The first level of outlier is being successful. The second level of outlier is being full of self doubt and successful

Could you give some examples of these outliers?

I do not know any successful entrepreneurs that project vulnerability nor self-doubt. For a VC's that's a big no no. So you have made me curious and this is a sincere question.

Re: Researchers and Founders

#112

Post by vikramkr » Sun, Jun 21, 2020, 4:53 PM UTC

lowdose wrote: post #111

vikramkr wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm referring to the outliers among that group. The first level of outlier is being successful. The second level of outlier is being full of self doubt and successful

Could you give some examples of these outliers? I do not know any successful entrepreneurs that project vulnerability nor self-doubt. For a VC's that's a big no no. So you have made me curious and this is a sincere question.

I dont actually know of any off the top of my head, which is the point of my post. Successful, self doubting entrepreneurs seem rare, successful high arrogance researchers seem rare. I can think of a few executives that seem like decent people, but I cant think if anyone that doesnt act like they know all the answers

Re: Researchers and Founders

#113

Post by randomsearch » Mon, Jun 22, 2020, 1:58 PM UTC

garmaine wrote: post #82

randomsearch wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is entirely inaccurate. Researchers are not as you describe at all, at least those who become professors. They are exactly the same.

Why do you think "researchers" meant professors? That seems like a leap.

Almost all permanent research staff at universities are professors. Maybe the confusion is because some countries don't use that title?

Regardless, I'd say the definition of a "successful researcher" is usually someone who has become a professor.

Whilst there are many great postdocs, very few (any?) of the good ones become professors.

Re: Researchers and Founders

#114

Post by randomsearch » Mon, Jun 22, 2020, 1:59 PM UTC

garmaine wrote: post #88

solumos wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think what they're saying is that there are plenty of researchers/professors with ego, who think they're God's Gift. At the same time, there are many more researchers who are very humble and realize their contributions are a small part of a larger whole. In startups, it seems that a strong ego is an advantage - if not a necessity (see: Elon Musk, Adam Neumann, Steve Jobs). There's an attitude (usually explicit, but…

Right, but a professor specifically is someone who in most instances can at best be said to have once done some research before graduating into managing researchers (grad students). It's like saying "programmers don't behave like _____, based on my experience with mid-level managers in technical organizations."

PhD students are learning to research.

The only group not included in "professors" is "postdocs" then, who are temporary staff who usually leave academia after a year or two.

Re: Researchers and Founders

#115

Post by randomsearch » Mon, Jun 22, 2020, 2:00 PM UTC

KKKKkkkk1 wrote: post #101

randomsearch wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is entirely inaccurate. Researchers are not as you describe at all, at least those who become professors. They are exactly the same.

There is a type of professor that's exactly like a VC. The guy who wrangles a team of postdocs writing grant applications, farms out the funding to students and postdocs for them to do the actual work, and then puts his name on the resulting papers.

> There is a type of professor that's exactly like a VC.

The vast majority of professors, I'd say, are like that.