Hey Startups, It’s Your Duty to Fight for Net Neutrality | Hacker News Reader

Hey Startups, It’s Your Duty to Fight for Net Neutrality

wired.com

98 pointsamberj12 comments

It's all our duties as hackers. Startups are simply made of hackers. It's us, not the startup, that needs to take action against these kinds of things... primarily by using technology to leave policy behind to catch up later, but the peice we missed doing that since the 90's was that technology is inherently political-affecting, and we need to start getting hackers into office to make up for this technocratic knowledge-deficit.

First step for anyone serious about this is to stop using as many proprietary software systems as possible. (Windows/OSX)

Yes, because "duty" is such a technocratic argument? Maybe the reason people don't listen isn't because they don't have knowledge, but because hackers as a group, label or viewpoint are no longer necessarily that relevant?

I'm generally for net neutrality as stated in the article, but that's still mostly a political view. I've had it quite good in terms of Internet connection living in different parts of Europe. It's generally been fast and uncapped. But it's still been around 40€ per month or more. That's a lot of money for many people. And most people want to communicate with their friends, manage their bank accounts and read the news without having things break, get their data stolen or pay a lot of money for the pleasure.

Some esoteric ideas about freedom doesn't do it for many people. Heck, it doesn't even do it for me anymore and I largely understand the issues. What are you going to tell people when Microsoft, Netflix or other companies offer to pay for the bandwidth when you use their services so you can download updates and watch movies for a cheaper price? That they are missing out on setting up their own Linux server to run a bitcoin market via tor?

At some point these freedom has to boil down to something tangible for normal people, otherwise I'm not sure what the point of having them or if we even deserve them.

Duty? You have to be kidding me.

Startups live on a knife's edge. Nothing is more important than staying alive!

Try making the case that it's in a startup's actual interest to care about this. Why should I bother clicking on a thing that's just going to try to lay unearned guilt on me?

This is just plain offensive.

EDIT: that's it - vote me down, shoot the messenger because you don't like what I have to say. That's the way to convince us of whatever your point is.

Well, unless your startup is to provide vigorous and efficient means for throttling your victims/customers/peers. And deep packet inspection to find the ones trying to sneak through the barbed wire. If so, then happy days.

Why should it be the duty of startups to fight for net neutrality when it's the gatekeepers who control the flow of information and have the resources to actually keep the net open and free.

You don't expect gatekeepers to fight for it? So someone should.

Should be the responsibility of those with the most to gain from startups (ie VC firms)

Of course, the firms with the most to gain from net neutrality are those with the least clout. After that you're left with some enlightened self-interest second order folks and... startup incubators.

If there's a single company on the planet with lots to lose if net neutrality fails, it's YC.

Semi-related, Twitter seems to be okay with taking lobbyist money from those against net neutrality: http://i.imgur.com/Ad2LMxZ.png

Weren't they part of the SOPA/PIPA blackout?

Shouldn't the duty of startups be to survive and grow, rather than devote any time and energy to the cause du jour?

Net Neutrality is incredibly important. I think it should be up to individuals to fight for it, rather than expect fledgling organizations to throw themselves unto the breach.

Normally I would agree, except this particular issue is quite different. Startups and small companies are who net neutrality benefits the most. It is in their own self-interest. Whether they do it because it's good business or whether it's a good cause, there is enough reason.

Sam Altman sounds like a politician.

Oh right, he want to get a politician really really soon. But don't tell it anyone, it's a secrete, pst.

  [dupe] Y Combinator head who pushes basic income is reportedly running for office (arstechnica.com)
  39 points by calvin_c 3 days ago | 4 comments

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14342198

  [flagged] [dead] Sam Altman for governor? (recode.net)
  18 points by tareqak 3 days ago | 5 comments

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14337211

  [flagged] Sam Altman Considering Run for CA Governor (sfchronicle.com)
  112 points by rkaplan 3 days ago | 40 comments

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14337507

  [flagged] Ask HN: Has the HN entry about Sam Altman running for office just been removed?
  98 points by camillomiller 3 days ago | 29 comments

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14342474

  I'm sure it topped the home page ten minutes ago. I came back two 
  minutes ago to see if there were any comments, and the entry is 
  nowhere to be found. What happened?
  This was the story: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/05/y-combinator-head-who-pushes-basic-income-is-reportedly-running-for-office/

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