It's amazing that apparently the best way to save as much suffering and future lives as possible involves giving them obscene wealth and ignoring the very real problems we are dealing with today.

Once again, I've said it elsewhere here, I think we could have nipped this thing in the bud if when the first "effective altruist" started talking about the EV of saving billions of "future lives" vs dealing with today's real problems, someone looked at him, cocked their head to the side, and said "That's fucking ****".

All of those magical future people do not get to live if we bake the Earth today. The best way to take care of future people is to take care of people today. And if they were truly serious about taking care of future people, that's what they would be doing. But it's not, they're just collecting resources. I don't know how the fuck Sam Altman owning a Koenigsegg Regera today helps save 20 quintillion lives in 40,000AD. Deeply unserious people.

I think Altman is closer to a sociopath who is taking advantage of the situation, he’s the only one I cannot see as a true believer (and investors like Andreessen who are just here for the money). I believe he will just say anything to gain power and influence. But yeah, unfortunately mixing EA/rationalists + SF monoculture + infinite money + a media ecosystem that acts more as a PR department resulted in one of the worst cult-like phenomenon possible.