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Jim Simons has died

simonsfoundation.org

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Re: Jim Simons has died

#51

Post by rcpt »

tombert wrote: post #10

Sadly I've never been able to snag an interview with RenTech (and I've applied like a dozen times), but they're the ones that actually made me start taking finance a lot more seriously. Maybe if I ever finish my PhD they'll hire me. I had previously thought of HFT and Quant as a bunch of "finance bros", and kind of dismissed it as "not real CS" [1]. Reading about RenTech and Jim Simons made realize that there's actua…

The phone screen was hard and I didn't pass. It's not usual tech interviews they hit you with a lot of stats and math GRE style questions. Maybe the prep in finance is different

Re: Jim Simons has died

#52

Post by infecto »

PaulHoule wrote: post #42
infecto wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That money for the arXiv was a decade late. arXiv barely survived the 2000s. I find this kind of comment quite distasteful on someones death. Was he actively trying to destroy arXiv?

I'm not blaming Simons, I am blaming the people I worked for when I worked at arXiv who, again, took a decade to start looking for sustainable funding.

While this thread is by no means as formal of an event. Picture yourself at someones memorial service, before/during/after the service you bring up a topic that is orthogonal to the person's life and frames it about yourself instead of the person being memorialized. Its just a bit weird.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#53

Post by mycologos »

adversaryIdiot wrote: post #38
imranq wrote: post #5

"My algorithm has always been: You put smart people together, you give them a lot of freedom, create an atmosphere where everyone talks to everyone else. They're not hiding in the corner with their own little thing. They talk to everybody else. And you provide the best infrastructure. The best computers and so on that people can work with and make everyone partners"

if only more companies fostered the idea of employee wellbeing

A somewhat cynical take is that "smart people" is doing a lot of work here. If you get to restrict your hiring to people who have proven themselves to be world-class in something, they are probably much more likely to respond to freedom by pursuing something than by coasting (or worse).

Re: Jim Simons has died

#54

Post by arcanemachiner »

Schiendelman wrote: post #32
mushufasa wrote: post #16

Last month an amazing biographical podcast came out describing his personal journey to starting rentech, and the factors that make the business so competitive. Certainly worth a listen https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/renaissance-technologies

This is by far my favorite podcast series, I’d recommend the ones on Costco, Amazon, and Nvidia as well.

Acquired is amazing. They recently did one on Microsoft which is great too.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#55

Post by mycologos »

markgall wrote: post #13

Will be interesting to see how this affects math research. He has pumped unthinkable amounts of money into the field. The only first-class flights I've taken in my life were to get to Simons-funded conferences at super fancy hotels. (I found these conferences a bit ridiculous, but the luxury treatment did ensure that they could get together a lot of the biggest names in the field in one place.) Besides the conference…

Hopefully the Simons empire has enough people who will keep executing his vision and stave off bureaucratic rot.

Making money is one thing, but circulating so much of it back through math and science is a great legacy.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#56

Post by infecto »

rcpt wrote: post #51
tombert wrote: post #10

Sadly I've never been able to snag an interview with RenTech (and I've applied like a dozen times), but they're the ones that actually made me start taking finance a lot more seriously. Maybe if I ever finish my PhD they'll hire me. I had previously thought of HFT and Quant as a bunch of "finance bros", and kind of dismissed it as "not real CS" [1]. Reading about RenTech and Jim Simons made realize that there's actua…

The phone screen was hard and I didn't pass. It's not usual tech interviews they hit you with a lot of stats and math GRE style questions. Maybe the prep in finance is different

They don't really hire finance people so I suspect most/all of the interview processes are heavy on the match/stat side.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#57

Post by squirrel6 »

markgall wrote: post #13

Will be interesting to see how this affects math research. He has pumped unthinkable amounts of money into the field. The only first-class flights I've taken in my life were to get to Simons-funded conferences at super fancy hotels. (I found these conferences a bit ridiculous, but the luxury treatment did ensure that they could get together a lot of the biggest names in the field in one place.) Besides the conference…

Not to mention Math for America, which is one of the best funded organizations of its kind…

Re: Jim Simons has died

#58

Post by tombert »

karmakurtisaani wrote: post #26
tombert wrote: post #10

Sadly I've never been able to snag an interview with RenTech (and I've applied like a dozen times), but they're the ones that actually made me start taking finance a lot more seriously. Maybe if I ever finish my PhD they'll hire me. I had previously thought of HFT and Quant as a bunch of "finance bros", and kind of dismissed it as "not real CS" [1]. Reading about RenTech and Jim Simons made realize that there's actua…

RT must be one of the most selective companies in the world. Even to get an interview you'd better have a damn good CV (medals in math/cs/science Olympiads, degree from a top tier school etc.). And then after a few years of working there you're a (multi)millionaire. It's totally bonkers.

I don't really blame them for not picking me, clearly whatever they've been doing has been working. I'm not entitled to a job from them, obviously. I don't really know what a "top tier" university is, but I can say for sure that my undergrad (WGU) wouldn't count as that.

The PhD I'm in is from a more prestigious university [1], and I guess FAANG experience isn't enough to snag an interview with them.

[1] University of York, though I don't know if that counts as "top tier" either.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#59

Post by infecto »

questinthrow wrote: post #47
infecto wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That kind of theory is the same as chemtrails are real. Insider trading exists but the amount of secrecy to make that theory a reality would be unobtainable.

There are US senators that make millions by using their spouses as intermediaries to buy and sell shares. Insider trading as a crime only exists for those that are not well connected enough

I am not denying small cash is being made like that. I am referring to the argument that the Medallion fund was a purely a play on insider trading.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#60

Post by tombert »

mhh__ wrote: post #31
tombert wrote: post #10

Sadly I've never been able to snag an interview with RenTech (and I've applied like a dozen times), but they're the ones that actually made me start taking finance a lot more seriously. Maybe if I ever finish my PhD they'll hire me. I had previously thought of HFT and Quant as a bunch of "finance bros", and kind of dismissed it as "not real CS" [1]. Reading about RenTech and Jim Simons made realize that there's actua…

When have high frequency traders and quants ever been finance bros? Wut?

Again, I was wrong and I acknowledged that, but I guess I grouped HFT and Quants into the same camp as the characters from American Psycho.

They're different groups, I respect them now and feel dumb for not respecting them before.

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