[asveikau]

I don't know much about the suspect, but I do know that people have been saying for years that they go into deep debt to get degrees, even in things that are supposed to be respected or in demand, and then it turns out there is actually no job market or success path for that degree. I assume the implication is it had something to do with this kind of frustration. (Though the suspect went to school two decades ago and did not receive a degree)

Since this site has a lot of people who have successful tech careers, many of us are isolated from these stresses.

But honestly, this guy's turn to violence makes me suspect he had some serious issues driving him, possibly in the mental health realm. Most people, even economically distressed people, won't turn to murder.

[Aurornis]

I think there’s a lot of projecting going on in these comments. The truth is we don’t know the motivation. Guessing at student debt seems unlikely given that he didn’t finish the degree, left the country, and made vague posts about deception on physics message boards around the time.

[asveikau]

You misread me. I said "with this kind of frustration", meaning a broad category of frustration with the system of academia and education. That is not that 100% of the problem is student debt. It's that aspiring academics and scientists can have a hard time supporting themselves.

[Aurornis]

No I understood. Your guess that it was related to finances is just a guess.

[tsol]

I haven't heard any clear motives yet. Some people are saying it's simply a case of someone who was a genius that ended up in a mediocre place in life, leading to to killing. Still that story is so common in America I don't see how it leads to killing innocent children at your alma mater? It makes no sense to me.

But as with many of these situations the truth might not make sense-- sometimes it's simply irrational thinking by someone mentally unwell. It reminds me a bit of the Reiner killings as well, considering there too there's no clear motive except maybe a hypothetical mental break. Truthfully, we might just never have a satisfying answer as to why this tragedy happened.

[GaryBluto]

The most obvious motive seems to be a vendetta against higher education.

[willis936]

Not at all obvious. I'm not sure why HN comments are overlooking that the killer was the same age, from the same country, and studied at the same undergrad university as the MIT professor while starting a graduate degree in the same field. We don't know the exact nature, but it is difficult to believe that these points are not highly involved with the motive.

[chrisweekly]

"this guy's turn to violence makes me suspect he had some serious issues driving him, possibly in the mental health realm"

You "suspect possible mental health issues"? Amigo, what further evidence could possibly be required?

[asveikau]

I actually have tons of experience with people who suffer mental health issues, including psychotic illness. One thing that experience gives me is to be cautious about making armchair diagnosis from afar.

[kelipso]

If someone else had posted exactly the same thing you just did, I would have assumed it was supposed to be funny…

[rectang]

When we define criminality as evidence of mental illness, all we’ve done is medicalize criminality — which if anything hinders our ability to recognize abnormalities of the mind which may or may not lead to criminality.

[ndriscoll]

At least when I was in school 15 years ago (math/engineering), a non- or partially-funded (including living stipend) grad school "acceptance" in the US was understood by all of my peers to be a rejection. I saw a post on reddit a few years ago saying that's still true and is in fact also true in the humanities (with an assumed TA role). Is that not accurate? Why are people going into debt for grad school? Did no one tell them you're not supposed to pay for it? Are they just unwilling to accept they were rejected?