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Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

helionenergy.com

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Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#231

Post by ramraj07 »

s1artibartfast wrote: post #219
ramraj07 wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn’t seem to be improving through Silicon Valley VC money though. Name one SV funded biotech startup. Ginkgo is cool though.

BioNTech's mRNA vaccine technology is a pretty great example of a VC funded startup success story that had huge impact and profit. If you want to constrain your question to Silicon Valley specifically, which isnt the center of biotech VC, there are still lots to look at[1]. You can also just hook at the helthcare portfolios of the SV VCs themselves and find several sucessful exits. Venrock [2], e.g Anacor, regenxbio…

I did make the SV (especially YC) VC funding distinction. Biotech has long been funded by VC money and while not perfect it worked better than what is happening now. I was particularly a fan of 3rd Rock ventures, their investments all followed (in my opinion) the most scientifically sound ideas.

Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#232

Post by fyzix »

Rnonymous wrote: post #154
moh_maya wrote: post #8

From [0] ‘ This is a binding agreement that has financial penalties if we can’t build a fusion system,” Helion founder and CEO David Kirtley tells The Verge. “We’ve committed to be able to build a system and sell it commercially to [Microsoft].” Assuming the financial penalties are a significant fraction (i.e they are, say, greater than 5%) of the agreement value, I would interpret it as a more serious / confident co…

So it sounds like Microsoft have committed to buy the first system when it's ready. Without investing anything now? So i guess they get a good discount on that. Elsewhere, i saw that Helion already raised billions. So what's in it for Helion? If they can make it happen, and build a sustained fusion system, they will surely be able to sell the energy/systems once ready, and don't really need to sell it at discounted r…

Manufactured FOMO to sucker in more investors.

Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#233

Post by slaw »

sebzim4500 wrote: post #225
slaw wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SpaceX uses technology that started to work in 1961.

And if you squint a lot then Helion is continuing a development process that started in the 1950s.

Yes, Helion is continuing what didn't work since 1950s.

Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#234

Post by hoseja »

thepasswordis wrote: post #58

HN, what the heck has happened to you? What is with all of these cynical comments? Helion is an awesome company, their technology is real, and this is cool. >oh no this might not work! Do you guys not understand that you’re posting on the forum of a venture capital firm/startup accelerator?

>their technology is real

Clearly not yet.

Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#235

Post by hoseja »

random_cynic wrote: post #217
thepasswordis wrote: post #58

HN, what the heck has happened to you? What is with all of these cynical comments? Helion is an awesome company, their technology is real, and this is cool. >oh no this might not work! Do you guys not understand that you’re posting on the forum of a venture capital firm/startup accelerator?

The "cynicism" is what happens when you have a bunch of armchair critics who've done nothing significant in their life except engage in pointless nitpicking and flame wars on internet, see that their fantasies are being brought to life by more determined and talented people than they can ever be.

Or, maybe, seeing hustlers destroy last shreds of credibility of the incredible promise of fusion - which is what this is until they actually go energy positive in a sustainable manner. SpaceX also wasn't worth praise until they actually put payloads into orbit. Now they are worth extreme praise and people hate them instead. Everything is backwards.

Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#236

Post by hoseja »

p_j_w wrote: post #184
thepasswordis wrote: post #58

HN, what the heck has happened to you? What is with all of these cynical comments? Helion is an awesome company, their technology is real, and this is cool. >oh no this might not work! Do you guys not understand that you’re posting on the forum of a venture capital firm/startup accelerator?

The cynicism may come from the fact that no one has been able to generate system level break even on a fusion plant in a lab setting after decades of work. How can one be anything but skeptical that it'll be commercially available five years from now?

A lot of it is because nobody has actually really tried in a serious enough way. Nuclear technology would also be a pipe dream without the insane frenzy of mutually assured destruction.

Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#237

Post by ChatGTP »

sfpotter wrote: post #150
stevenhuang wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are worse ways to destroy capital, and the VC capital destruction is going to happen anyways. Might as well put it towards fusion. The criticisms raised in the video are fair, and also the first youtube comment has an interesting point: > Why would he allow this reckless behavior? Why would he himself be standing right there with them next to the device while it was in operation? Then I watched the video more c…

A better way to destroy that capital: have it appropriated by the government and used to fund actual science.

Yes, and what about using it to actually feed hungry people and build shelter for those that have none.

I feel like the cynicism is coming from the bullshit we can all see before our eyes. We just don't know how to change it because we're all so entrenched in capitalism and corporations.

Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#238

Post by ChatGTP »

thepasswordis wrote: post #58

HN, what the heck has happened to you? What is with all of these cynical comments? Helion is an awesome company, their technology is real, and this is cool. >oh no this might not work! Do you guys not understand that you’re posting on the forum of a venture capital firm/startup accelerator?

This is what happened:

"Microsoft's CEO Says No Raises for Full-Time Employees This Year" and then in the article [1]:

Satya Nadella, whose salary ballooned to $55 million last year, wrote to employees: “As a senior leadership team, we don’t take this decision lightly."

More and more of this, ad infinitum.

It's really hard to be excited about tech when your told your job is soon to be replaced with little recourse, "CDC data shows U.S. teen girls ‘in crisis’ with unprecedented rise in suicidal behavior", AI might kill humanity within 5 years etc.

I'm keeping an open mind about it all and the future, but there is also a thing called toxic positivity and I think this is what's creating the cynicism. There's not enough actual healthy critical debate and skepticism about tech and where it's taking us and it's role in causing the issues mentioned above. It's just rich people getting richer at the moment. So I can't say I blame people for being cynical, even though it's not very healthy or constructive.

[1] https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-no-raises-full-time-ceo-satya-...

Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#239

Post by adamdennis »

deweller wrote: post #67
thepasswordis wrote: post #58

HN, what the heck has happened to you? What is with all of these cynical comments? Helion is an awesome company, their technology is real, and this is cool. >oh no this might not work! Do you guys not understand that you’re posting on the forum of a venture capital firm/startup accelerator?

8 years ago, HN was a place full of optimism and excitement. I've noticed a marked increase in cynicism in this place. Like most of the world, it suffers from extreme tribalism and group think. I miss the former positive HN. And the positive world. sigh

There’s still time to turn this thread/site around! Let’s keep it positive! “I’m looking forward to having reached the bottom; only up from here!”

Re: Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft

#240

Post by relativ575 »

radicaldreamer wrote: post #123
DennisP wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's one with an impact: one of my relatives was diagnosed seven years ago with stage 4 melanoma, which a couple decades ago was a one-year death sentence. She got three doses of immunotherapy, her tumors shrank, and last year her oncologist said don't even bother coming in for scans anymore, you're fine.

I'm reminded of a coworker who asked what has been more impactful of an invention to humanity than Steve Jobs and the iPhone and was speechless when I was like how about pasteurization, penicillin, or vaccination?

Perhaps many of tomorrow pasteurizations, penicillins, or vaccinations may never materialized if their inventors wouldn't have accessed to information at their fingertips, via their smartphones
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