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Comment by batista | Hacker News Reader

>"I want to stay hungry," says Alexis Ohanian. "I really believe my resources are best used to help projects that make the world suck less."

I hate this kind of over-indulgence.

What "resources"? He built a social news website and had a strike of luck. It's not like the guy is an Einstein or a Tesla. Or that Reddit is something bettering society. It's a glorified internet forum.

Imagine how stupid things like this would sound in other industries:

"I really believe my resources are best used to help projects that make the world suck less" says multi-millionaire inventor of the Post-it / Jelly+Peanut butter combo / facial hair remover...

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Unbelievable.

Alexis spends the majority of his resources (read: time, money, presence, influence) doing things that are not for profit. One big one was heavily campaigning online and offline against SOPA in December and January. SOPA not passing was definitely something good for society -- because it could have handed de facto censorship abilities to corporations.

As for Reddit, as a forum for internet activism like fighting SOPA I'd argue that it is bettering society in many ways. Perhaps the majority of Reddit is cat pictures, but some parts of it can be a tremendous force for activism.

"Making the world suck less" is a tongue in cheek way of saying he's not out spending his well earned millions (Reddit wasn't an overnight success; Steve and Alexis put in work to make it work) on blood diamonds and ferraris. If he wants to say that instead of "I'm spending my time on philanthropic causes" why the fuck shouldn't he?

Take a look at the previous sentence for context:

"I've tithed since the day we sold Reddit, because I believe wealth is a means to an end, and wealth has never made me happy, only comfortable. And I want to stay hungry. I really believe my resources are best used to help projects that make the world suck less."

Yes, luck has had a tremendous impact in my life. Meeting Steve, getting into YC, starting reddit w Steve, breadpig has been going really well ($200K profits donated so far), and hipmunk for that matter has been going swimmingly thus far.

I'd personally love to hear that a 23yr old inventor of post-it/jelly+peanutbutter combo/facial hair remover was using her resources (wealth) to make the world suck less. That'd be awesome. I don't see how that's any less awesome than an NFL 1st round draft pick or a trust fund kid doing the same thing. I'm a lucky person who wants to see more lucky people in the world.

I think I'd be lying to myself if I thought that his stroke of luck and success with Reddit didn't give him more resources than myself. He's had the good fortune to be given more resources than many people, I think it's great he is saying he wants to use them for good.

Not being an Einstein or a Tesla is no reason to just fold up like a lawn chair and pack yourself away. I'm using my substantially more limited resources to do the best I can, I'm glad someone with a bit more is doing the best he can.

I think by 'resources' he means his money. So he wants to invest in start ups that make the world suck less. That's how I read it anyway.

For the longest time, I thought stupidity was the gravest sin. Then I discovered these Hacker News commenters and realized that middling but self-important minds are far more vexing than dumb ones.

Snark on HN gets upvoted faster than puns on Reddit.

At every step of the ladder, the gravest sin changes.

He was talking about money.

"I want to stay hungry." -> "I'm not going to spend all this money on myself."

He might have been in part, but he was also probably referring partly to his talents as an entrepreneur and extensive contacts through YC.

Yep.

WTF is up with that hate for rich people who want to do worthwhile things with their wealth?

You realize the vast majority of rich people just sit on it right? Maybe they would stop sitting on it if we were not so hard on the ones who made good use of it...

Stroke of luck can be equated to being in the right place at the right time, which is often how people rise up through the social ranks.

Plus the guy built something and developed a user base that can only be described as obsessive. That's no luck, that's good talent. What have you done today?

What - you aren't blown away by the philanthropic moves of "Bread Pig?" There's some interesting geeky stuff there, but the "make the world suck less" mission is perhaps overstating things a bit.

they are bettering society..they have a huge NSFW content.

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The story I heard was that Alexis and Steve went to PG together with a somewhat different idea, and PG suggested that they make reddit instead. Steve was the coder, and Alexis was the community manager - a fairly important job when the business is to build an online community.

Yep. Just like in the story. Steve built reddit, I doodled the logo and did the non-tech stuff.

What did that entail in the early days? I only showed up a month or two before comments did and the community was already rolling at that point.

http://spencerfry.com/whats-a-non-programmer-to-do

http://generalassemb.ly/start/fundamentals-of-entrepreneursh...

Oh, and ordering groceries and mocking up all kinds of zany product ideas.

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