Tap a claim on the ring to put it at the centre.
← The cynical view that all human interactions are power struggles is not only cynical but wrong
17 connected korrents · 13 moments from 10 May 2004 to 28 Jul 2026.
Everything filed under startups
startups
Everything filed under democracy
democracy
Everything filed under government
government
Everything filed under America
America
Everything filed under venture capital
venture capital Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: The cynical view that all human interactions are power struggles is not only cynical but wrong The cynical view that all human interactions are power struggles is not only cynical but wrong Last stated 2 years ago
28 Oct 2024
YH
Yuval Noah Harari — holds since 2024-10-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Never trust a cynic: seeing bad behaviour in everyone is how a person excuses their own, and it is not true, because most people are medium good. — tap to centre the map on it Never trust a cynic: seeing bad behaviour in everyone is how a person excuses their own, and it is not true, because most people are medium good. Last stated 3 years ago
9 Nov 2023
EM
Elon Musk — holds since 2023-11-09 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Concentrated power has been bad at every moment of human history, and a society is best off when power is spread as widely as possible. — tap to centre the map on it Concentrated power has been bad at every moment of human history, and a society is best off when power is spread as widely as possible. Last stated 3 months ago
28 Jul 2026
SA
Sam Altman — holds since 2026-07-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Democracy is based not on human rationality but on human feelings, so whoever can manipulate feelings threatens it — tap to centre the map on it Democracy is based not on human rationality but on human feelings, so whoever can manipulate feelings threatens it Last stated 8 years ago
8 Jun 2018
YH
Yuval Noah Harari — holds since 2018-06-08 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Wanting to build a utopia is fundamentally anti-human, because what it says is that you like humans apart from the bad bits. — tap to centre the map on it Wanting to build a utopia is fundamentally anti-human, because what it says is that you like humans apart from the bad bits. Last stated 12 months ago
31 Oct 2025
DH
Dan Houser — holds since 2025-10-31 — tap for who they are
Same subject: There is no clearly defined notion of who the right people are to entrust with power, which warrants deep skepticism of government on public choice grounds. — tap to centre the map on it There is no clearly defined notion of who the right people are to entrust with power, which warrants deep skepticism of government on public choice grounds. Last stated 3 years ago
1 Oct 2023
TC
Tyler Cowen — holds since 2023-10-01 — tap for who they are
Same subject: America has no chance of becoming humane and reasonable, because power corrupts and human beings get drunk on it — tap to centre the map on it America has no chance of becoming humane and reasonable, because power corrupts and human beings get drunk on it Last stated 22 years ago
10 May 2004
KV
Kurt Vonnegut — holds since 2004-05-10 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Almost everything anyone believes rests on trusting other people, and there is no alternative to that. — tap to centre the map on it Almost everything anyone believes rests on trusting other people, and there is no alternative to that. Last stated 5 years ago
23 Nov 2021
HK
Holden Karnofsky — holds since 2021-11-23 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Justifying cruelty toward another person requires first reducing them to an abstraction rather than a full human being. — tap to centre the map on it Justifying cruelty toward another person requires first reducing them to an abstraction rather than a full human being. Last stated 9 months ago
14 Jan 2026
BT
Brandon Taylor — holds since 2026-01-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company can run on truth only if its leader deeply desires it and rules with a firm hand rather than by democracy. — tap to centre the map on it A company can run on truth only if its leader deeply desires it and rules with a firm hand rather than by democracy. Last stated 2 years ago
6 Mar 2025
KG
Kapil Gupta — holds since 2025-03-06 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company is not a democracy: every voice should be heard and then one person decides, and the decision should not be the popular one. — tap to centre the map on it A company is not a democracy: every voice should be heard and then one person decides, and the decision should not be the popular one. Last stated 5 months ago
2 Jun 2026
MP
Mark Pincus — holds since 2026-06-02 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A conversation needs several legitimate voices; if the people has only one, democracy becomes dictation — tap to centre the map on it A conversation needs several legitimate voices; if the people has only one, democracy becomes dictation
YH
Yuval Noah Harari — holds since c. 2024–2025 — tap for who they are
Same subject: “Why now?” is the wrong question to make a founder answer — the honest answer can simply be that you started now. — tap to centre the map on it “Why now?” is the wrong question to make a founder answer — the honest answer can simply be that you started now. Last stated 3 months ago
28 Jul 2026
BS
Blake Scholl — holds since 2026-07-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A belief nobody else shares is a warning, and a belief everybody shares is also a warning; the right number of people who agree with you is small but not zero. — tap to centre the map on it A belief nobody else shares is a warning, and a belief everybody shares is also a warning; the right number of people who agree with you is small but not zero. Last stated 3 months ago
28 Jul 2026
SA
Sam Altman — holds since 2026-07-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A business can have market fit, real advantages, and sustained effort behind a hard product and still fail if it doesn't give customers a strong enough reason to switch from what they already use. — tap to centre the map on it A business can have market fit, real advantages, and sustained effort behind a hard product and still fail if it doesn't give customers a strong enough reason to switch from what they already use. Last stated 5 months ago
2 Jun 2026
JJ
Justin Jackson — holds since 2026-06-02 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A first-time founder has an advantage over a repeat winner, because past success makes it too easy to raise money and hire against a big vision before there is product-market fit. — tap to centre the map on it A first-time founder has an advantage over a repeat winner, because past success makes it too easy to raise money and hire against a big vision before there is product-market fit. Last stated 4 months ago
14 Jun 2026
MP
Mark Pincus — holds since 2026-06-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A founder should take half the valuation if it buys all of the control, because the right to be wrong in your own way is what founding was for. — tap to centre the map on it A founder should take half the valuation if it buys all of the control, because the right to be wrong in your own way is what founding was for. Last stated 5 months ago
2 Jun 2026
MP
Mark Pincus — holds since 2026-06-02 — tap for who they are
Same subject: About 5% is the most common final ownership stake for the founder of a VC-funded startup that works out. — tap to centre the map on it About 5% is the most common final ownership stake for the founder of a VC-funded startup that works out. Last stated 3 months ago
18 Jul 2026
PL
Pieter Levels — holds since 2026-07-18 — tap for who they are
At the centre
The cynical view that all human interactions are power struggles is not only cynical but wrong
Holds Read this korrent →
Never trust a cynic: seeing bad behaviour in everyone is how a person excuses their own, and it is not true, because most people are medium good.
Holds
Concentrated power has been bad at every moment of human history, and a society is best off when power is spread as widely as possible.
Holds
Democracy is based not on human rationality but on human feelings, so whoever can manipulate feelings threatens it
Holds
Wanting to build a utopia is fundamentally anti-human, because what it says is that you like humans apart from the bad bits.
Holds
There is no clearly defined notion of who the right people are to entrust with power, which warrants deep skepticism of government on public choice grounds.
Holds
America has no chance of becoming humane and reasonable, because power corrupts and human beings get drunk on it
Holds
Almost everything anyone believes rests on trusting other people, and there is no alternative to that.
Holds
Justifying cruelty toward another person requires first reducing them to an abstraction rather than a full human being.
Holds
A company can run on truth only if its leader deeply desires it and rules with a firm hand rather than by democracy.
Holds
A company is not a democracy: every voice should be heard and then one person decides, and the decision should not be the popular one.
Holds
A conversation needs several legitimate voices; if the people has only one, democracy becomes dictation
Last stated c. 2024–2025
Holds
“Why now?” is the wrong question to make a founder answer — the honest answer can simply be that you started now.
Holds
A belief nobody else shares is a warning, and a belief everybody shares is also a warning; the right number of people who agree with you is small but not zero.
Holds
A business can have market fit, real advantages, and sustained effort behind a hard product and still fail if it doesn't give customers a strong enough reason to switch from what they already use.
Holds
A first-time founder has an advantage over a repeat winner, because past success makes it too easy to raise money and hire against a big vision before there is product-market fit.
Holds
A founder should take half the valuation if it buys all of the control, because the right to be wrong in your own way is what founding was for.
Holds
About 5% is the most common final ownership stake for the founder of a VC-funded startup that works out.
Holds