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Comment by diN0bot | Hacker News Reader

this is exactly what i thought when i saw the title on hn's front page. the domain name smells of pyramid scheme.

that said, when i went to the actual site it looks genuinely community oriented. this business guy seems both slick and businessy but also honest and genuinely interested in social good.

i don't know what to think. i like grassroots and community efforts, so i want to support what he's doing. cynicism holds back progress. nonetheless, i can't shake the fishy smell. he wasn't very clear about what he's looking for--is he donating to a good cause or looking for business partners (see video) !?

anyone else applying?

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Guys, this is Ramit (the founder of the scholarship). No, it's not a scam, and no, I'm not looking for business partners.

I want to give back to someone who is likely to achieve something meaningful. Maybe this person will do it, or maybe next year's winner will (when I give it out again).

If you think I'm cherrypicking for ideas, then I'm sorry you're so cynical and this award isn't for you. But if you read through my site -- which I've been writing for the last 4 years -- you'll see what I'm about.

Obviously, $2,500 isn't a huge amount of money. But for some people, that small amount AND the motivation from winning something public can make all the difference. The scholarship is aimed at people who can benefit from that. If $2,500 won't do anything for you, then no big deal! But for the 1 person who will really benefit from advice, a little money, and most importantly support, I hope they hear about this.

Thanks.

P.S. He's co-founder of PBWiki?

Thanks for replying Ramit. There are many things one could do, but you're at least trying one thing, so I salute you.

I still think "I will teach you to be rich" is an odd domain name and motto, but I'll pass that off as part of the mysterious finance culture that doesn't often leak into my penniless programming world :-) Though I'm starting to see that when you say rich you might not mean $$.

It's tongue in cheek. Maybe you should watch some more Monty Python to build up a measurable amount of humor?

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