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Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

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Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#131

Post by mrschwabe »

origami777 wrote: post #123
mrschwabe wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hillary, as Secretary of State, had an unauthorized email server running from a household bathroom that was being used to transmit classified material (that she lied about). If not technically incompetent, then sure - how about woefully ignorant, deceitful & corrupt and in no position to take lead role of the world's most powerful country. And that is not even taking into account the beef in the leaked emails, for ex…

I think most of us could see that even with Hillary doing that, she would be a better president than Trump. Everything you list about Hillary can be applied to Trump several times over. Overall, it was two truly horrible candidates that we had to choose from; and the worst one won. I don't know how any 'hacker' could argue right now that Trump is a better president than Hillary could have been.

We have a different definition of hacker.

Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#132

Post by _fizz_buzz_ »

kyledrake wrote: post #44

> Thiel, a billionaire libertarian Which thing made him a libertarian: the idea of using a government agency to break up a company, or the stump speech he did for the alt right nationalist?

Thiel calls himself a libertarian: "I remain committed to the faith of my teenage years: to authentic human freedom as a precondition for the highest good. I stand against confiscatory taxes, totalitarian collectives, and the ideology of the inevitability of the death of every individual. For all these reasons, I still call myself “libertarian.” "

[1]: https://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04/13/peter-thiel/educatio...

Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#133

Post by Vinnl »

curtisblaine wrote: post #128
Vinnl wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, that can be difficult if your diverse, equally-represented employees were not able to enjoy e.g. the education and upbringing of some non-diverse under-represented institutions and homes...

So you're saying that hiring diverse, equally-represented employees is actually a risk for my company in terms of employee throughput and capabilities? It starts to sound as a disadvantage...

I'm saying that if we want a more diverse workforce, we need to address more than just hiring practices. But yes, companies might need external incentives at the moment to prevent it from being a disadvantage.

Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#134

Post by Chris2048 »

aroberge wrote: post #118
factsaresacred wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the "dangers" of multiculturalism, gender and ethnic diversity I don't know if "dangers" is your word or his, but it's been shown (a priori and a posteriori) that multiculturalism and ethnic diversity erodes trust and causes social strive. This is opposed to cultural pluralism, where a dominant culture exists and tolerates additional values that don't erode or threaten the dominant culture. The reason I comment is…

Canada would disagree with you. One in five people living in Canada was born in another country [1]. Canada is officially a multicultural country [2]. Yet, there is a lot more trust and a lot less social strife than in the U.S., to use a comparison with the article you quote from the U.S. [1] http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-010-x/99-01... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Multiculturalism_Ac…

Isn't that cherry picking? At least in terms of the US. Why not compare the US to Japan?

Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#135

Post by notahacker »

bufferoverflow wrote: post #16
burnte wrote: post #6

I think we've seen Thiel do this before, indirectly fund opposition to organizations he doesn't like when he can't attack them directly. He's also funded lots of politicians that work quite hard to restrict rights at every level of government, including, frankly, that are rather adamantly against equal rights for gay people. He's a great representation that some people will align themselves with anyone to further the…

He's quite clear about multiculturalism and diversity - he is criticizing the premise that pushing the people "who look different, but think alike" is not as productive as progressives think. He wants the diversity of ideas, regardless of ethnicities and skin colors.

The PayPal culture Thiel took pride in was so keen on "diversity of ideas" that Levchin once boasted about not hiring an engineer on the basis that in his spare time he liked to "shoot some hoops" which didn't sound like something someone in the white nerd monoculture they'd created would do...

Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#136

Post by alien_at_work »

bufferoverflow wrote: post #15
oculusthrift wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

held to account != able to be sued legally. i agree that getting protested is one thug but getting sued and shut down is a legal issue which is contrary to free speech

No, it's not. Freedom of speech doesn't cover slander/libel. Freedom of speech means government can't put you in a cage for your expressed ideas (with few exceptions, like yelling fire in a theater).

> like yelling fire in a theater

I hate that this example is always used. Yelling fire in a theator for a laugh isn't "expressing ideas". It's a kind of social fraud: in some sense we depend on each other to make society work and someone shouting that our lives are in danger when they are not is violating this trust. Not by expressing some philosophical ideal but by exclaiming something they know to be false.

Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#137

Post by glenneroo »

burnte wrote: post #6

I think we've seen Thiel do this before, indirectly fund opposition to organizations he doesn't like when he can't attack them directly. He's also funded lots of politicians that work quite hard to restrict rights at every level of government, including, frankly, that are rather adamantly against equal rights for gay people. He's a great representation that some people will align themselves with anyone to further the…

Netflix recently added a documentary called ""Nobody Speak: Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and Trials of a Free Press" which also reveals some insight into Thiel's funding.

Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#138

Post by Clubber »

ukulele wrote: post #3

His words haven't matched his actions for quite some time now, with the common theme being whatever is good for Mr. P. Thiel is what he's up to, prior pontifications be damned. Free speech --> Sue a magazine Capitalism rules --> Sue because a company is too powerful For a self proclaimed libertarian, his actions are about as libertarian as a baked potato.

I believe they acquired / stole / bought a stolen sex tape and published it. Freedom of the press (which is the freedom we're talking about) doesn't cover illegality.

Furthermore, it was a civil suit, not a criminal suit. You're talking tort law, not criminal law, which has a lower standard of proof.

Lets put the shoe on the other foot. Say some guy stole nudes from your sister / mother / daughter and posted it on the internet for profit, do you think he should be free from liability of his actions? I would think not.

Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#139

Post by glenneroo »

c3534l wrote: post #42
bufferoverflow wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's quite clear about multiculturalism and diversity - he is criticizing the premise that pushing the people "who look different, but think alike" is not as productive as progressives think. He wants the diversity of ideas, regardless of ethnicities and skin colors.

Yeah, I'm not necessarily a fan of Thiel, but there's an unjustified hysteria growing about him that seems like the left's version of Soros hysteria. Any time I see Thiel mentioned, people seem to want to twist his words into a generic evil regressive.

Have you seen the documentary "Nobody Speak: Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and Trials of a Free Press" on Netflix? Granted documentaries are generally biased, it shows some of Thiel's actions that could be construed as somewhat evil.

Re: Is billionaire VC Peter Thiel trying to break up Google?

#140

Post by boomlinde »

millstone wrote: post #78
jpttsn wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In your ideal society, you would rather see Hogan lose in court for lack of money?

Ideally all cases would be decided on their merits irrespective of funding. But if Hogan had lost, do you think Thiel would have stopped? What is frightening about Thiel’s involvement case is the playbook: destroy media companies that have been critical or embarrassed you, by secretly funding any and all lawsuits against them, even if frivolous.

If he extracts his revenge by helping people that legitimately believe that they had their rights trampled seek justice, is it not a net benefit to society regardless of his personal motives?
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