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Comment by correlator | Hacker News Reader

Out of curiosity, have you ever attempted to create something from scratch and bring it to market? Not as an employee, but as someone trying to figure it out?

Your work history will impact the way you view this issue IMO.

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Yes. 28 years ago I founded a small a software company (4 employees) that made test software for a Tier 1 automotive vendor's ECUs. I sold the IP to them in 2007. Next question? Or do you think my background makes my opinion invalid for another reason?

That sounds really cool. The background does provide a lot of perspective on your views. It makes a lot of sense. Thank you for keeping us safe on the road!

It's confusing how someone who has tried to build anything of substance, in say California, couldn't have run into a regulation or ten stifling innovation.

I for one have seen mid-5 figures spent on a dumpster enclosure, because of building codes.

Stifled by a dumpster!!!

Yes. 5 figures were lit on fire, for a dumpster. Two, technically.

Do you intend that isn't stifling, that a regulatory environment that requires spending 5 figured to house 2 dumpsters isn't stifling?

That's a steal! A "La Sombrita" bus shelter-on-a-stick in Los Angeles will set you back $200k. Stiflingly, it doesn't even provide shelter.

I bet there's so much more to this story than you're telling us.

It was amazing just being able to build things back then. These days you need to cough up $1500 for a PDF of ISO 26262 to even think about doing something commercially with automotive ECUs. Depending on what you're trying to do, there are dozens of additional standards with thousands of pages. Not even to mention CARB compliance.

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