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I just finished reading "Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley" which has a whole section on the PayPal Mafia. I never realized how influential that group was to startup culture.

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I would strongly posit that influence was a bad thing, unless you think following the example of someone who told a gay professor to die of AIDS is a good thing.

The beauty of the Internet: you say one stupid thing (possibly under influence) to one person and you're literally Hitler forever.

One stupid thing? The person later reiterated their stance as:

"I don’t necessarily hate homosexuals, but do believe in Jack Kemp’s suggestion that they may not be the best teachers of young children in public schools and recognize that the spread of AIDS has a direct causal link back to their activity."

Notably, the man who said that is now married to a man himself.

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