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We can't stop AI, we can't control it, so we must become it.
D. Scott Phoenix
1,339 posts
D. Scott Phoenix
@fuelfive
Partner at @fiftyyears investing in deep tech and a flourishing future. Former AI founder ($250M raised, acq by Alphabet). Host of thisisprogress.substack.com
- Hard truth: 99% of founders pick nearby problems instead of valuable ones. How do you build a company that matters? Richard Hamming’s advice changed my life:
- Big news: I’m joining @fiftyyears to help more founders build deep tech startups! Last year, Alphabet bought my startup Vicarious AI ($250M raised from Elon, Zuck, Bezos…). Why switch to VC as my next thing? ⬇️
- Today we're launching the 50Y Progress Index, an open source project to quantify and track humanity's advancements. Food, energy, timber, and steel are 80-90% cheaper today than in late 1800s, air travel is 30X cheaper per mile than in 1950, computing is 10 trillion times
- What happens when @vicariousai makes robots ubiquitous? A 🧵 Today we live in a world of infinite digital abundance because bits are ~free. Information at marginal cost ~0 makes the poorest person alive today information-richer than kings and presidents even 30 years ago.
- Replying to @fuelfive2/ Hamming worked on the Manhattan Project and led Bell Labs at its peak. He asked new researchers 3 questions: - What are you doing? - What are the top problems in your field? - Why are the two different?
- Replying to @fuelfive6/ Regardless of the problem you choose, the road to success is brutal. Knowing this from the outset, you might as well pick something that is worthy of the sacrifice. As Hamming says, “If you do not work on important problems, you will not do important work.”
- Replying to @fuelfive3/ Most startup advice (Lean Startup book, YC "make something people want") is the opposite of Hamming. Founders are encouraged to react to customers rather than think from first principles about what new tech might push humanity forward most.
- After a whirlwind year integrating Vicarious + Intrinsic, I’m leaving Alphabet to begin a new chapter! No immediate plans to start something new – I first want to catch up with all of the progress in AGI and hard tech. If you’re working on something cool, feel free to reach out!
- Replying to @TaylorLorenz and @balajis@TaylorLorenz his tweet is a copy and paste of yours (cropped out of your screenshot, how convenient). Honestly asking, why is it OK for you but not for him?
- Replying to @dileeplearningI propose a six month pause on all gzip development until we can guarantee its safety
