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Comment by alt227 | Hacker News Reader

> He can fucking afford to have some fucking principles.

Who is to say he doesnt? Just because they dont align with yours doesnt mean he doesnt have his own principles.

> he's choosing to do the wrong thing

To many millions he is doing the right thing. I am on the fence personally, but I know many people who think that increasing defense capabilities at any cost is something that the governmetn should be doing. Any company that helps them do that is 'doing the right thing'.

> I wouldn't let being a coward stop me from doing the right thing

The 'right thing' is always subjective, and for you it is decided by you alone. Try to remember that and see things from both sides.

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He posted like seven hours ago about these principles and changed them like twenty minutes after the president had a temper tantrum about Anthropic.

Whether or not he agrees with my principles isn’t the issue. He doesn’t even agree with his own stated principles. He posted his stipulations about AI models used by the department of defense to presumably get social credit, and then changed his mind over the course of a few hours.

He claims that the Department of Defense principles just happen to now align with these principles but as far as I can tell he seems to just be trusting their word. The word of a Fox News TV host and a convicted fraudster.

You can judge his actions all you like, but unless you know the man and sit down and discuss it with him everything you are saying is just speculation and opinion. That is fine, just realise that.

Actions are the only thing that matter.

"He does evil things, but maybe he feels conflicted about it. That makes them okay."

So youve never done anything that you look back and regret?

Umm, no shit? This isn’t actually saying anything. I am saying that his stated principles are inconsistent with his actions.

Yes, sure, maybe deep down on his heart of hearts he actually is the most kind caring person who ever existed, but I have no way of knowing what is in his heart of hearts so I can only judge him by what he has said and done, and I am arguing that his actions don’t match his words.

You really think that a CEOs public statements match their real thoughts and feelings?

Everything you hear from any CEO is constructed to form a desired image and narrative. Any public statements from a CEO that you are using to judge their character is completely false and misguided. You have no idea what the real man is behind the image.

Are you trying to say he might be a great guy if you get past the things he says and the actions he takes? What's left?

Are you saying you have never done anything where your hand was forced, or that you have never done anything that you look back on and regret?

People change, as do their circumstances and opinions. You have no idea what forces and pressures are making a man do what he does.

I'll note you didn't answer my question. I assume this is because the answer to "what's left" is "excuses," which is what you appear to be describing now.

You haven’t really gone through my comment history here, which is fine, I haven’t gone through yours, but if you had you would see that today I posted about how you can’t trust anything billionaires say because there’s no negative consequences for lying.

I am arguing that he posted on Twitter not even 24 hours ago a post laying out what looked like principles. Not even 24 hours later he decided that those principles aren’t actually important.

I am not a psychic because psychics don’t actually exist, so I can’t read minds, so I cannot know what he is actually thinking. I am claiming that he’s a piece of shit for not following his own stated principles. I actually do think billionaires should face consequences for lying.

There has to be a line that will not be crossed, in order to be seen to have principles.

Until that line has been reached, we can safely assume there are no principles at play.

You are the one drawing that line for yourself. Everybodies line of principles is in a different place.

No, you're incorrect.

Some people never reach a line. And if they do get close, it gets hastily redrawn.

Thats exactly what I said/implied. Everybody has their own line, and can draw it and move it wherever they like.

If you draw a line and somebody else crosses it, that affects you and you only. Its unfair to impose your own standards onto another person.

A person can be judged by their actions. Especially if they have a habit of redrawing their own 'line'.

"increasing defense capabilities at any cost "

Ugh

Agreed, but in this society of fear created after 9/11 it is a very popular sentiment across many millions of people.

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