If someone believes in high existential risk, then they already have strong incentive to prevent it, because if they don’t, they will die. I’m confused as to how this would provide additional incentive.
Walmart has incentive to be the institution that provides groceries for a reasonable price, not just for there to be reasonably priced groceries at all. Everyone already has incentive for food to be affordable, often so that they can afford food, but also because of the adverse effects of starving a populace.
Yes, individuals have the incentive to mitigate existential risk, but only in their lifetime, and possibly the lifetime of their grandchildren.
Institutions can last many generations and also allow people to coordinate and work together. In theory it’s difficult to form a company with the sole purpose of mitigating existential risk, since investors will be pushing you to grow big or make huge profits (in practice it seems like Conjecture managed to do this?). With an eternal company the bondholders want your company to not take risks for big-profits.
This seems potentially useful, but less useful than I thought you were claiming when I read the post. If I understand correctly, an eternal company has no greater incentive to prevent near-term existential risk than a non-profit (or Conjecture), but has slightly greater incentive to prevent long-term existential risk.
If someone believes in high existential risk, then they already have strong incentive to prevent it, because if they don’t, they will die. I’m confused as to how this would provide additional incentive.
Walmart has incentive to be the institution that provides groceries for a reasonable price, not just for there to be reasonably priced groceries at all. Everyone already has incentive for food to be affordable, often so that they can afford food, but also because of the adverse effects of starving a populace.
Yes, individuals have the incentive to mitigate existential risk, but only in their lifetime, and possibly the lifetime of their grandchildren.
Institutions can last many generations and also allow people to coordinate and work together. In theory it’s difficult to form a company with the sole purpose of mitigating existential risk, since investors will be pushing you to grow big or make huge profits (in practice it seems like Conjecture managed to do this?). With an eternal company the bondholders want your company to not take risks for big-profits.
This seems potentially useful, but less useful than I thought you were claiming when I read the post. If I understand correctly, an eternal company has no greater incentive to prevent near-term existential risk than a non-profit (or Conjecture), but has slightly greater incentive to prevent long-term existential risk.