Comment by tidepod12 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by tidepod12 | Hacker News Reader

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> I haven't told anyone to quit and start their own company rather than work for Google

Your past comments and submissions to HN say otherwise. You have been very outspoken and proud about the fact that you haven't taken money from "the man" (my words, not yours), and that others should do the same [0][1]. Whether it be a VC or Google, your messaging is clear.

>Who is using SourceHut to build software I disagree with on ethical terms? I am not aware of such a project.

You're dodging the question. Have you done an audit on every single project hosted on SourceHut to see if you disagree with them? Would such an action even be something you agree with? What if someone was hosting such a repository (I'll go create one right now), would you remove it? But that is censorship, is it not? Do you even have the technical capability to do such an audit? If not, that means people could easily use your site for nefarious things, so how do you justify keeping it running?

0: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23080655

1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23073740

>Your past comments and submissions to HN say otherwise. You have been very outspoken and proud about the fact that you haven't taken money from "the man" (my words, not yours), and that others should do the same [0]

Your link omits context. A couple of comments up is this:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23080485

In the quoted link I am speaking from the perspective of a startup founder offering advice to potential startup founders. In today's discussion I am speaking from the perspective of a tech worker speaking to other tech workers. I have been in both roles, and I have different advice for different kinds of people with different kinds of goals. Do me the courtesey of not assuming that I expect every person in all circumstances to be exactly like me.

>You're dodging the question. Have you done an audit on every single project hosted on SourceHut to see if you disagree with them?

This is a disingenous line of questioning. Google employees are aware of their employer's misbehaviors. In order to even have seen my comments in the first place, they would have had to visit a discussion about those bad behaviors. Google employees cannot claim ignorance in the way you're assuming I am.

I am familiar with most public projects on sourcehut, of course. I do not conduct an audit on private projects, but if something was brought to my attention, I would conduct an investigation which may result in the termination of the account. For example, if some knucklehead on HN went to create a bunch of abusive repositories to prove their point in an internet argument, I would definitely terminate their account.

>Your link omits context. A couple of comments up is this:

So your context arguing against my assertion that you are telling people to quit and start their own company is a link to a comment telling people they should quit and start their own company?

How about this [0] comment? I'll quote it here for you:

>But, I may suggest an additional option: do something about it. Build a business that eschews VC culture, or become a VC who doesn't fit in among their blood-sucking peers.

>This is a disingenous line of questioning. Google employees are aware of their employer's misbehaviors.

You're still dodging the question, and your reasoning is "I've stuck my head in the sand and I'm going to pretend nobody is using my site for things I disagree with"?

I'll ask it again and maybe you won't dodge it this time: You just admitted that you do not conduct audits on private projects. Without a doubt, someone is now or will be in the future using your site to build software that you disagree with. Knowing this, how do you justify still hosting your site instead of shutting it down?

0: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23073740

I told (past-tense) a person (singular) to consider founding a company in the context of their individual circumstances, while reassuring them that if they chose not to that I would support that decision; in a discussion entirely unrelated to the one we're having now.

You are arguing in bad faith and I have no interest in entertaining it any further.

>You are arguing in bad faith and I have no interest in entertaining it any further.

Ironic, because this entire comment chain was started by you with a loaded question that was asked in bad faith. I guess it's fine when you do it, but not others, eh? Is this the same mentality you're holding in regards to sourcehut? "It's fine that I'm building something that may be used nefariously, but when Google employees do that, they're bootlickers"?

The fact that you still dodged the question is duly noted, btw.

I'll remind you that this "line of questioning" wasn't intended to bash SourceHut or you in any way, but rather to try to get you to empathize with the fact that "quit your job and stop working on things you enjoy just because someone on the internet disagrees with your company" is hardly a winning stance to take.

You are obviously arguing in bad faith. You pose the rhetorical:

> Is this the same mentality you're holding in regards to sourcehut? "It's fine that I'm building something that may be used nefariously, but when Google employees do that, they're bootlickers"?

And yet it was previously asked:

> Who is using SourceHut to build software I disagree with on ethical terms? I am not aware of such a project.

It is clear to me that Drew has declared an absence of knowledge of such malfeasence with his products.

TL;DR take a huge life risk; just don't forget to be both exceptional and successful!

99% of startups fail (a turn of phrase, not a real statistic AFAIK), and that is usually said in reference to those that do take VC money. Tell me: what happens when my bootstrapped startup fails?

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