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Jim Simons has died

simonsfoundation.org

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Re: Jim Simons has died

#61

Post by belter »

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.

That is what they said about Google....

Re: Jim Simons has died

#62

Post by csours »

ldjkfkdsjnv wrote: post #6

The reality is that most extremely wealthy people are very far on the right tail of intelligence. People exist that can predict the market, they are just very rare.

> People exist that can predict the market, they are just very rare.

It's not hard to predict the market. It's hard to beat the market.

I can very easily predict that Tesla will continue to lose share price (as one example). I cannot use that prediction to make money.

As they say, "It's Priced In"

Re: Jim Simons has died

#63

Post by markgall »

squirrel6 wrote: post #57
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…

Another important one! I think they pump a lot of money into the MoMath as well. It's just hard to come up with every way the math world depends on Simons money.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#64

Post by CliffStoll »

I'm personally grateful to Jim Simons -- and his foundation -- for supporting and extending mathematical research in Berkeley, and throughout the world.

Jim Simons did fundamental research in topology; his work in mathematics, cryptography, and topological quantum field theory.

Beyond this, he pressed for higher quality public education in math and encouraging training and presige for math teachers.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#65

Post by lvkv »

As an alum of Stony Brook, I’m grateful for all Jim Simons did for the university. Aside from having been the chairman of the math department, he’s the reason we have the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, as well as the “Renaissance” School of Medicine. Not to mention his recent gift of $500 million—the largest unrestricted donation to a public university in American history. I’m sure there’s much, much more that he’s done that I’m not even aware of.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#66

Post by amelius »

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…

I have to confess that I still think that. Where would you recommend I start reading to find financial enlightenment?

Re: Jim Simons has died

#67

Post by jetrink »

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"

> create an atmosphere where everyone talks to everyone else.

The company is an interesting example of Conway's Law[1]. I learned from the recent Acquired episode on RenTech[2] that in contrast to how most other firms work, there is only a single model within RenTech that everyone contributes to. You don't have a bunch of small teams working in silos building specialized or competing models. As a result, every new development gets shared with the whole group.

1. [O]rganizations which design systems are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations.

2. https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/renaissance-technologies

Re: Jim Simons has died

#68

Post by blackhaj7 »

Anyone got a link to the rentec money machine source code? I fancy an early retirement.

Jokes aside, really sad to hear this. The guy did a lot of good with the money from what I understand

Re: Jim Simons has died

#69

Post by infecto »

belter wrote: post #61
karmakurtisaani wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That is what they said about Google....

And RT has been around for about twice as long as Google. Has a headcount of around ~300.

Re: Jim Simons has died

#70

Post by 22SAS »

I work at a trading firm. RIP to the GOAT, the god of quants.Reading about him and RenTec, back in high school, was one of the first things that got me attracted to the field.
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