(This comment is on career stuff, which is tangential to your main points)
I recently had to pick a computer science job, and spent a long time agonizing over what would have the highest impact (among other criteria). I’m not convinced startups or academia have a higher expected value than large companies. I would like to be convinced otherwise.
(Software) Startups:
1) Most startups fail. It’s easy to underestimate this because you only hear the success stories.
2) Many startups are not solving “important” problems. They are solving relatively minor problems for relatively rich people, because that’s where the money is. Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram are examples.
3) Serious problems are complicated, and usually require more resources than a startup can bring to bear.
4) Financially: If you aren’t a founder, your share of the company is negligible.
(Computer Science) Academia:
1) My understanding is that there are dozens of applications for each tenure-track opening. So your chance of success is low, and your marginal advantage over the next-best applicant is probably low.
2) I trust markets more than grant committees for distributing money.
3) It seems easier to get sidetracked into non-useful work in academia
(This comment is on career stuff, which is tangential to your main points)
I recently had to pick a computer science job, and spent a long time agonizing over what would have the highest impact (among other criteria). I’m not convinced startups or academia have a higher expected value than large companies. I would like to be convinced otherwise.
(Software) Startups:
1) Most startups fail. It’s easy to underestimate this because you only hear the success stories.
2) Many startups are not solving “important” problems. They are solving relatively minor problems for relatively rich people, because that’s where the money is. Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram are examples.
3) Serious problems are complicated, and usually require more resources than a startup can bring to bear.
4) Financially: If you aren’t a founder, your share of the company is negligible.
(Computer Science) Academia:
1) My understanding is that there are dozens of applications for each tenure-track opening. So your chance of success is low, and your marginal advantage over the next-best applicant is probably low.
2) I trust markets more than grant committees for distributing money.
3) It seems easier to get sidetracked into non-useful work in academia