[mcphilip]

I expect my reply to be buried in the flood of others, but I enjoyed the essay because of the various responses it provokes internally:

1. Optimistic response.

Right on! More influential VCs need to beat the drum of rebuilding the American Dream and the manufacturing base in spite of there being less potential return than shoveling more money into ad tech. We clearly have the talent to build things again, what we need to work on now is the incentives for talented people to take long term risks instead of joining a FAANG or a hedge fund.

2. Cynical response.

The American Dream has absolutely been crushed. We need triage in the short term, not thought leaders writing about the wonderful opportunities ahead of us in rebuilding after the COVID crisis subsides. Those sitting on large amounts of capital should make mass donations to things like food banks across the country because there is a massive risk of millions of people falling into long term poverty in the immediate future. The short term must be about helping those in desperate need. Long term planning can come later.

3. Response as a father

I hope others read this essay and get inspired about taking more risks in building a better future. As for me, I’m a sole provider for my family and must focus my career on making enough money to support those that depend on me.

I could go on, but you get the idea. A good essay is thought provoking in spite of bits and pieces being easily criticizable.

[StandardFuture]

Here Here! We need more reasonable responses from someone not living in the SV bubble putting on a front.

I swear, sometimes I feel like the VCs are stupid enough to be very Marie Antoinette about their monologuing. As if stating the obvious and doing nothing about it helps anyone or anything.