I didn’t realize that so many non-profits and government institutions are controlled by the CIA.
More seriously, I’m not sure why this particular post got folks so offended. A few callouts, but nothing that seems that controversial. Some typos—and writing on this platform myself, you should always strive for none/few as possible, but nothing that was more than a slight bump in reading (and none in skimming).
Interesting topic and a good continuation of the broader “modes” conversation.
I worry about how this behavior crosses organizational boundaries as bureaucratic organizations wind up creating title inflation to go along with large organizations. Larger titles with large on-paper scope make these people easier to hire at other companies, spreading the problem around.
Great post, Andrew! I love reading things that challenge me and my beliefs, and I found myself agreeing with a lot of it, but also thinking about a few areas where I see things differently. I know this will be a long comment, but hopefully, one that you'll enjoy reading and can generate an interesting interaction with the community around here!
While I agree Europe can be too bureaucratic, there are times when regulation has been really helpful, like the EU requiring universal adapters. Without that, we’d still have a ridiculous number of incompatible chargers for every device type. Luckily, since 2000s-2010s we don't have that issue anymore.
However, I also am against it, especially in things such as defining how much kg of fish we can catch every year... But when it comes to things like innovation, it’s clear that too many rules can slow everything down. That’s why Europe struggles to keep up in areas like LLMs and the Space race.
Your post reminded me of a theory by Dennis Mueller that I studied in Political Theory and Decision Theory classes. He argued that bureaucrats don’t have much reason to work efficiently because their pay isn’t connected to results. They often push for bigger budgets and do more than is actually needed because it’s hard for others to check if their work provides real value. This creates a system where the focus is on getting more money, not on producing good outcomes.
This connects to what you said about innovation and AI rules in the EU. The people designing these laws often care more about avoiding risks and controlling problems than helping new ideas grow. While rules can have good goals, like ensuring safety or fairness, they can also add too many steps and make things move very slowly. This is one reason why Europe has a hard time competing with places like the US or China, where things often happen with fewer restrictions. But time will tell if it made sense or not. I also am not a believer that doing first and saying sorry later works, because there are some things that should be considered. People's right to privacy, for instance, or people's right to own their own data, and other things, are essential to be considered so you architect good products from the start. Having these as an afterthought is not good. OpenAIs pivot in how they handle business and their recent defense-industry collaboration might pose itself as a threat in no time. Who's making sure people are protected? Bureaucrats (unfortunately?)
Tech CEOs turned out to be bad at hiring, setting up incentives, delegating and managing. Since they can't introspect and recognize their mistakes, we get the founder mode fad.
In tech, at least we have a cycle of life where new startups can take over.
In government, we have a cycle of bureaucracy that steals more wealth and freedoms until we reach communism.
I work in a large government bureaucracy and hear these phrases and see these tactics daily. Sigh. This was difficult to read.
Such an interesting comparison.
Industrial complexes (i.e. military, academic) are the clots that arrest the flow of ideas, technology, and money throughout society.
Traumatic to read. Ugh.
Your posts are very refreshing and informative. Thank you.
I didn’t realize that so many non-profits and government institutions are controlled by the CIA.
More seriously, I’m not sure why this particular post got folks so offended. A few callouts, but nothing that seems that controversial. Some typos—and writing on this platform myself, you should always strive for none/few as possible, but nothing that was more than a slight bump in reading (and none in skimming).
Interesting topic and a good continuation of the broader “modes” conversation.
I worry about how this behavior crosses organizational boundaries as bureaucratic organizations wind up creating title inflation to go along with large organizations. Larger titles with large on-paper scope make these people easier to hire at other companies, spreading the problem around.
I have always wondered if a culture of empowering teams to do small experiments/Beta launches helps with this problem.
Btw you have a typo "...how maNy people are working on your projects"
fixed!
Has this article been approved by the legal team? lol
The lowkey Europe diss 🤫
i almost wrote a paragraph about it haha. But Draghi report is real
I invite you to sneak in that paragraph here in the comments... curious to hear your thoughts, as always
Plus one :)
another plus one, VVERRRY curious about your view on europe!
Another plus one, I'm very curious about your view on Europe. :)
So many typos in today's edition. The road to hell is paved with poor copyediting, apparently.
i'm in writer mode, not editor mode
typos likely intentional
I find it refreshing to find typos! I'd take them over ChatGPT blogging any day
>>> big technology trend occurs (example: AI and Europe)
I understand AI but what's Europe?
Great post, Andrew! I love reading things that challenge me and my beliefs, and I found myself agreeing with a lot of it, but also thinking about a few areas where I see things differently. I know this will be a long comment, but hopefully, one that you'll enjoy reading and can generate an interesting interaction with the community around here!
While I agree Europe can be too bureaucratic, there are times when regulation has been really helpful, like the EU requiring universal adapters. Without that, we’d still have a ridiculous number of incompatible chargers for every device type. Luckily, since 2000s-2010s we don't have that issue anymore.
However, I also am against it, especially in things such as defining how much kg of fish we can catch every year... But when it comes to things like innovation, it’s clear that too many rules can slow everything down. That’s why Europe struggles to keep up in areas like LLMs and the Space race.
Your post reminded me of a theory by Dennis Mueller that I studied in Political Theory and Decision Theory classes. He argued that bureaucrats don’t have much reason to work efficiently because their pay isn’t connected to results. They often push for bigger budgets and do more than is actually needed because it’s hard for others to check if their work provides real value. This creates a system where the focus is on getting more money, not on producing good outcomes.
This connects to what you said about innovation and AI rules in the EU. The people designing these laws often care more about avoiding risks and controlling problems than helping new ideas grow. While rules can have good goals, like ensuring safety or fairness, they can also add too many steps and make things move very slowly. This is one reason why Europe has a hard time competing with places like the US or China, where things often happen with fewer restrictions. But time will tell if it made sense or not. I also am not a believer that doing first and saying sorry later works, because there are some things that should be considered. People's right to privacy, for instance, or people's right to own their own data, and other things, are essential to be considered so you architect good products from the start. Having these as an afterthought is not good. OpenAIs pivot in how they handle business and their recent defense-industry collaboration might pose itself as a threat in no time. Who's making sure people are protected? Bureaucrats (unfortunately?)
Add to your list:
Ensure your decks have at least 45 versions and 50 pages, even though during the actual presentation you'll never get past page 3.
Tech CEOs turned out to be bad at hiring, setting up incentives, delegating and managing. Since they can't introspect and recognize their mistakes, we get the founder mode fad.