SpaceX alums are branching out and shaping the startup economy

Post by zamnos » Mon, Apr 03, 2023, 10:32 AM UTC

mlindner wrote: post #187

SilverBirch wrote: post #186

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Here's the reporting on the takeover attempt[1], it also mentions he didn't provide anything like the amount of funding that was initially expected. Sam has been quite open about what is going on with OpenAI - namely that what they needed to develop the tech was billions of dollars, and the only way they would get that money is a private venture, which they've negotiated with terms that actually limit the upside with…

Do you have a source that's not the Verge? I've learned to not trust them for anything Musk related as they have a history of incorrect and biased reporting. > it also mentions he didn't provide anything like the amount of funding that was initially expected Elon provided $100M, were they expecting more than that? That's quite a lot of money for an early company. > Also, OpenAI was never a partnership between just Mu…

Post by Yoric » Mon, Apr 03, 2023, 1:29 PM UTC

zamnos wrote: post #270

Yoric wrote: post #165

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My experience, too. As a younger self, when I heard a C-ranked executive talk about X who's a "fantastic engineer", I assumed that I'd have to work hard to reach their level, without realizing that they may actually not have a clue. Now, when I hear a C-ranked executive talk about X who's a "fantastic engineer", I realize it's just name-dropping.

I am sure that's true for some, but I doubt that's true when a Google exec talks about, eg, Jeff Dean being an absolutely fantastic engineer. Now Jeff Dean being, well, Jeff Dean is one thing, but I'm sure there are engineers at Google who the outside world has never heard of that have done fantastic work internally.

Post by airstrike » Mon, Apr 03, 2023, 3:31 PM UTC

xvector wrote: post #88

speakfreely wrote: post #83

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The definition of multimillionaire is a bit vague here, but I would assume the OP was referring to being in deca-millionaire territory. That is much more rare to accomplish at a FAANG company.

The average SWE at FAANG can become a deca-millionaire over the course of 20-25 working years. Starting from $0, this requires saving $125k a year for 21 years to reach $10.06M at an 11.88% interest rate, which is the S&P500 average. Well within the capability of any senior SWE @ FAANG, and it only takes 4 years to get to senior. But then capital gains taxes hit. Anyways, yes, a startup employee on the other hand can…

Post by kajecounterhack » Mon, Apr 03, 2023, 7:13 PM UTC

makeitdouble wrote: post #137

kajecounterhack wrote: post #111

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Figma's not a great example of "buying to kill" though -- I'd guess that Adobe would sooner deprioritize their existing products that compete with Figma and redirect their effort. And I don't see much wrong with FB buying Instagram or Adobe buying Figma or Google buying YouTube because these services actually got better to the consumer's benefit (and I guess to a limited extent the enriched early employees perpetuate…

Google buying Youtube was the only outcome where Youtube would survive, at least at it was. The same way Napster wouldn't have survived as it was. We're in agreement here, but it's I think a broader discussion on how media companies make money and where we stand as consumer, in particular how we feel about RIAA/MPAA. I still think Google is doing a good job, better than most of us would have predicted, but I personal…

Post by CydeWeys » Tue, Apr 04, 2023, 4:02 AM UTC

poslathian wrote: post #272

CydeWeys wrote: post #264

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Vertical farming is a solution in search of a problem. It's not viable and it doesn't solve any meaningful issues in agriculture. In cities, land is more productive when used for other purposes (residential, commercial, retail, etc.), and out in the country where crops are typically grown, space simply isn't an issue to the point that you need to go up. Indeed, way more food is currently produced than is actually nee…

I always assumed the key word here was “indoor,” and not “vertical.” Indoors is a place where it is much, much, easier to automate and control growing conditions. Both could add up to faster better cheaper. Given how amazingly huge; dense; and performant logistics has gotten, I can’t imagine the real estate angle is moving the needle very much.