Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties • Hacker News Board

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#41

Post by crispyambulance » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:16 PM UTC

    > I don't get it.

This is one of those things where somebody noticed that things just didn't seem right and the proper response to that is to raise concern and ask questions.

Sorry, but a 60-something "finance" guy with an entourage of teen models doesn't add up. Sure some of these people have trophy wives half their age, and it raises eyebrows, but this is far beyond that and totally unacceptable once somebody looks into this guy's history.

At a minimum Ito should have used better judgement after being altered to this stuff.

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#42

Post by FireBeyond » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:16 PM UTC

tempsy wrote: post #19

Why would Bill Gates need Epstein to be the middle man for his $2 mil donation? Why didn't he just donate to the Media Lab directly? And given his insistence that the donation be made anonymously, it seems like he was well aware the optics would be bad if the public knew there was a connection between the two, and yet he chose to make the donation through Epstein anyway.

Leaving aside this particular situation...

Many philanthropists will say "I wish to donate $X", and then ask a friend/group/organization, "Where would you like me to donate this?", hence a "directed donation".

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#43

Post by hos234 » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:17 PM UTC

breck wrote: post #14

Those in glass houses... “They were models. Eastern European, definitely,” she told me. Among the lab’s staff, she said, “all of us women made it a point to be super nice to them. We literally had a conversation about how, on the off chance that they’re not there by choice, we could maybe help them.” And what did these people go home and start doing for Eastern European models since then? I find this pretty condescen…

Well America currently runs the biggest outrage factories in the world. Don't expect the output to reduce anytime soon. The Attention Economy is still scaling up.

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#44

Post by tempsy » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:18 PM UTC

FireBeyond wrote: post #42

tempsy wrote: post #19

Why would Bill Gates need Epstein to be the middle man for his $2 mil donation? Why didn't he just donate to the Media Lab directly? And given his insistence that the donation be made anonymously, it seems like he was well aware the optics would be bad if the public knew there was a connection between the two, and yet he chose to make the donation through Epstein anyway.

Leaving aside this particular situation... Many philanthropists will say "I wish to donate $X", and then ask a friend/group/organization, "Where would you like me to donate this?", hence a "directed donation".

Gates is denying Epstein was involved in this donation at all, despite the emails. Plus, Gates was well aware how unsavery Epstein was given his insistence the donation be made anonymously.

Doesn't add up.

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#45

Post by journalctl » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:19 PM UTC

frankwiles wrote: post #5

Jesus. Who lets a guy get away with that for so freaking long?

An entire system that incentivizes and absolves this behavior at all levels. I’m serious. This is what power and wealth do: they allow you to break the rules that the rest of us plebs have to abide by.

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#46

Post by FireBeyond » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:19 PM UTC

CalChris wrote: post #37

Good. These were in no way innocent ties. He knew who Epstein was and misled people. Ito could be on the hook for civil fraud. The elements of fraud are: a purposeful misrepresentation of a fact with knowledge that it is false to a victim who justifiably relies on the misrepresentation who suffers actual loss as a result.

That's reaching, a whole lot. Ito knew who Epstein was, as did everyone else - Epstein's conviction wasn't a secret. That harms Ito through his poor decision making, but other people were just as capable of knowing who Epstein was.

Who suffered an actual loss as a result of these donations? Civil fraud is grasping, some.

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#47

Post by khazhou » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:19 PM UTC

chaostheory wrote: post #21

frankwiles wrote: post #5

Jesus. Who lets a guy get away with that for so freaking long?

Most people would if it’s normalized. Not long ago Saudi Arabian money and PRC money was just fine. It’s hard not to take it when it’s about survival.

> Not long ago Saudi Arabian money and PRC money was just fine

Wait, did something change this morning? AFAIK it's still fine and dandy to take Saudi money (esp. if you're the US government) and Chinese too.

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#48

Post by krapp » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:21 PM UTC

journalctl wrote: post #45

frankwiles wrote: post #5

Jesus. Who lets a guy get away with that for so freaking long?

An entire system that incentivizes and absolves this behavior at all levels. I’m serious. This is what power and wealth do: they allow you to break the rules that the rest of us plebs have to abide by.

    "I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. 
    You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."

-- future President of the United States, Donald Trump.

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#49

Post by pessimizer » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:21 PM UTC

chaostheory wrote: post #21

frankwiles wrote: post #5

Jesus. Who lets a guy get away with that for so freaking long?

Most people would if it’s normalized. Not long ago Saudi Arabian money and PRC money was just fine. It’s hard not to take it when it’s about survival.

To certain values of "survival" which apply to people in no physical danger.

Re: Joi Ito Resigns from M.I.T. Media Lab After Outcry over Jeffrey Epstein Ties

#50

Post by bogomipz » Sat, Sep 07, 2019, 8:21 PM UTC

>'In an email in October 2014 — six years after Mr. Epstein had pleaded guilty to a sex charge involving a minor in Florida — Mr. Ito wrote that a $2 million gift from Mr. Gates was “directed by Jeffrey Epstein.” Peter Cohen, then a development official at the lab, wrote in a subsequent email, “For gift recording purposes, we will not be mentioning Jeffrey’s name as the impetus for this gift.”

Mr. Cohen, now the director of development for computer and data science initiatives at Brown University, did not respond to messages seeking comment on Saturday.'

While Ito is rightfully being held to account I think it's important to consider all the other enablers who condoned and accepted these arrangements as well.