Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program • Hacker News Board

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#81

Post by ader5ty » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 9:49 PM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #60

evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

Theil didn't just hurt a bully. He took it a step further. For one, he financed someone else's lawsuit, because his own was unwinnable (they did in fact print the truth, that he is gay). More importantly, he hurt free speech through the chilling effect of his suit. What he basically did was say, "don't ever print anything negative about a billionaire because they can take down your entire business". So now if a billi…

Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#82

Post by dragonwriter » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 9:49 PM UTC

meritt wrote: post #30

eighthnate wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Paul Graham compared him to Stalin. Both Altman and Graham believe, like I do, that Trump is an existential threat to our democracy." Good god. It's crazy how politically driven people immediately demand nobody talk about politics as soon as they get their way. The guy was ranting and raving about end of democracy. Now that thiel is out, he wants everyone to be silent. Truly an "unhacker" type of mindset which has g…

Any sort of forum that enforces rampant censorship, mods personally scold users for looking into another users post history, and flags/deletes/bans any comments touching taboo topics (politics is the big one here) makes it very difficult to have a decent conversation. Couple that with the anonymity and rampant upvote/downvote based on disagreements (My comments on this thread rapidly oscillate between -5 and +5 -- it…

> Couple that with the anonymity and rampant upvote/downvote based on disagreements (My comments on this thread rapidly oscillate between -5 and +5 -- it's crazy how enormous the pro-Trump population on HN actually is and how blissfully Silicon Valley pretends they don't exist)

I think you are making an unjustified and inaccurate guess as to the source of your downvotes.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#83

Post by briandear » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 9:51 PM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #60

evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

Theil didn't just hurt a bully. He took it a step further. For one, he financed someone else's lawsuit, because his own was unwinnable (they did in fact print the truth, that he is gay). More importantly, he hurt free speech through the chilling effect of his suit. What he basically did was say, "don't ever print anything negative about a billionaire because they can take down your entire business". So now if a billi…

EFF funds other people’s lawsuits too. Isn’t that the exact same thing you are complaining about?

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#84

Post by samsonradu » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 9:55 PM UTC

sov wrote: post #68

jedberg wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Theil didn't just hurt a bully. He took it a step further. For one, he financed someone else's lawsuit, because his own was unwinnable (they did in fact print the truth, that he is gay). More importantly, he hurt free speech through the chilling effect of his suit. What he basically did was say, "don't ever print anything negative about a billionaire because they can take down your entire business". So now if a billi…

The sad take-away from Hogan v Gawker isn't that a millionaire can spend money on a whim to exert justice where he so desires, it's that you need that level of money to seek justice in the first place.

This! I honestly can't understand how one can blame Thiel for killing free speech. He basically evened the chances in front of justice. If there's anyone to blame for killing free speech it's the legal system who decided against Gawker.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#85

Post by JonFish85 » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 9:55 PM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #60

evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

Theil didn't just hurt a bully. He took it a step further. For one, he financed someone else's lawsuit, because his own was unwinnable (they did in fact print the truth, that he is gay). More importantly, he hurt free speech through the chilling effect of his suit. What he basically did was say, "don't ever print anything negative about a billionaire because they can take down your entire business". So now if a billi…

"What he basically did was say, "don't ever print anything negative about a billionaire because they can take down your entire business""

No, he didn't. Gawker died on its own merits; in an alternative world where Gawker continued to flaunt the law because someone couldn't afford to fund a lawsuit, I'm OK with this outcome. Not to mention, Gawker did themselves absolutely no favors, from ignoring a federal judge to flippantly answering questions under oath, they garnered no pity from me.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#86

Post by dragonwriter » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 9:55 PM UTC

evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

It's less Trump and Gawker and more his (older than either of those) perceived (accurately, as far as I can tell) association with the explicitly anti-democratic and pro-aristocratic neoreactionary movement.

His support for Trump fits into that, though, because it's seen as part and parcel of Thiel's neoreactionary politics.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#87

Post by Amygaz » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 9:59 PM UTC

evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

I doubt it is one those two things. You need to think of the overall personality, all the small and big things, the ideology, the narcissism... these add up, and overtime one just get fed up. I am not connected to YC, but when I read that that's how what I presume happened, because I wish there were more people with a low tolerance for narcissistic personalities.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#88

Post by dragonwriter » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 9:59 PM UTC

tensor wrote: post #75

samsonradu wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've watched more than a dozen talks from him and the education topic was one of the most interesting points. Care to elaborate what you mean by hostile?

He's of the opinion that university is a waste of time and has gone so far as paying people to drop out. This isn't for people who are going into trades and might strictly not need a university education, but for people who he thinks should go on to found technical, medical, and engineering startups. I'm of the opinion that university is good for everyone, even people who don't strictly need it for their jobs. Democr…

> Democracy only works if you have an educated public that values critical thinking.

Thiel has openly said that democracy has become incompatible with his notion of freedom (and seems to prefer the latter given the conflict), so its not hard to see why he might not support something essential to the function of democracy.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#89

Post by trhway » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 9:59 PM UTC

evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

blood boys - https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/06/this-anti-aging-star...

>why Peter Thiel so so hated.

he just receives back what he gives. I mean there is huge difference between being disappointed/critical/etc. (i'm not a big fan of humanity myself) which is necessary for the progress and being hellbent on promulgating hate for and destroying, just for the sake of personal comfort, those few good things we, humans, have been able to achieve so far.

Re: Y Combinator Cuts Ties with Peter Thiel After Ending Part-Time Partner Program

#90

Post by dogruck » Fri, Nov 17, 2017, 10:00 PM UTC

evangelista wrote: post #42

I am still really puzzled over exactly why Peter Thiel so so hated. I believe the level of hatred is completely unwarranted. From my understanding, it boils down to this: - He is remotely associated with Trump - He helped take down Gawker - ....something something something...but he backed Trump! For the Gawker part: Gawker outed him without his permission. Outing a gay man is something the tabloids used to do in the…

Peter Thiel is not universally hated. He’s only hated by a subset of society. He’s greatly admired by another subset.