.@vgr’s
also covers many of the issues that come up in discussions of alt-research funding and institutions. This is a common, live discussion among people I talk with often. There’s growing momentum and consensus in the conversation, but will it lead to action?
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I suspect the central challenge here is to find alternative mechanisms for selecting what research/researchers to fund. How do grantors know their money is being well-spent? Who makes those decisions? Is there a way to do this that doesn’t just replicate the existing pathologies?
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David Chapman Retweeted Venkatesh brrrRao
Making alt-research institutions happen will probably require alt-researchers to collectively come up with a coherent story about how they can be managed, convincing enough to persuade grantors that it’s feasible and worthwhile.https://twitter.com/vgr/status/1196491007891652608 …
David Chapman added,
Venkatesh brrrRao @vgrReplying to @MeaningnessProbably not anytime soon, and the fault is probably more on our side as wannabe beneficiaries of such a system as much as those with capital to deploy. There is a significant lack of imagination and energy on both sides of the capital supply/demand equation.5 replies 0 retweets 14 likesShow this thread -
Plausibly, the key missing input is administrative capacity with: openness to fund peculiar, high-risk projects; enough sense to not fund exclusively crackpots; enough bureaucratic expertise to make things run smoothly; enough hatred of bureaucracy to mostly get out of the way
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This is an extremely unusual collection of abilities; and perhaps anyone who could do the job would not want it. But such people are found more often in Silicon Valley than anywhere else, and maybe some successful founder would be willing to take it on for the leverage?
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The mindset and skillset needed to manage alt-researchers is quite different from those most alt-researchers have themselves. Alt-researchers left academia because they want to be left alone to do research and hate bureaucracy. Creating institutions is the last thing they want
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Maybe the way forward is for alt-researchers to explain what is needed clearly enough that the sorts of people who do have the mindset and skillset will understand the importance of the job and step forward to fill the gap.
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Replying to @Meaningness
Won't convincing a smart billionaire to fund your startup effectively be this? Get lots of time to research whatever if something monetizable comes from it great, become Chief Science Officer, if not then too bad?
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Replying to @nosilverv
Startups are supposed to produce exponential revenue within ~18 months. Research isn’t their thing. (Biotech can be an exception.) And they take a lot of admin. The CSO mostly does recruiting and PR.
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Replying to @Meaningness
FWIW I think this is true in general for VCs but some, like Thiel, take a much much longer term view and are looking for 0 to 1, so I don't think this is true of him. I'd be surprised if there aren't more billionaires like him.
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Well, he’s funded a bunch of peculiar things, and I think that’s great! There seem to be few if any others doing this.
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