This is even more important than people think, since this may not be the first time EA had questionable relationships with millionaires/billionaires. I consider Kerry Vaughan’s tweets about it plausible because this is a common theme of failure: small failures are normalized or rationalized, this allowing bigger failures to happen, like this fraud.
Here’s links to normalization of deviance and Kerry Vaughan’s tweets:
I don’t think Avraham Eisenberg was ever touted in EA like Delo or SBF were and I’m not even sure if he self-identifies as an EA or makes EA-related donations.
Not directly related to the main point here, but Vaughan has commented on some of the points in this thread on the forum and the replies add some additional information and context to the 2018 SBF stuff from other people involved at the time:
Oh definitely, that’s why I wanted to emphasize that my point wasn’t directly relevant to the one you were making, I just thought it would be useful context for anyone who read the Twitter thread but not the ensuing discussion that clarified or nuanced some of the points it raises.
This is even more important than people think, since this may not be the first time EA had questionable relationships with millionaires/billionaires. I consider Kerry Vaughan’s tweets about it plausible because this is a common theme of failure: small failures are normalized or rationalized, this allowing bigger failures to happen, like this fraud.
Here’s links to normalization of deviance and Kerry Vaughan’s tweets:
https://danluu.com/wat/
https://twitter.com/KerryLVaughan/status/1590807597011333120
Which millionaires/billionaires are you thinking of? I’m thinking of:
- Ben Delo
- Avraham Eisenberg
I don’t think Avraham Eisenberg was ever touted in EA like Delo or SBF were and I’m not even sure if he self-identifies as an EA or makes EA-related donations.
Agree on touting. Eisenberg has been rather active in the meme side of EA facebook for several years, but I don’t know his donation history.
These were the big ones.
Not directly related to the main point here, but Vaughan has commented on some of the points in this thread on the forum and the replies add some additional information and context to the 2018 SBF stuff from other people involved at the time:
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/xafpj3on76uRDoBja/the-ftx-future-fund-team-has-resigned-1?commentId=GoDd83K7ipktDtWWs#GoDd83K7ipktDtWWs
Yes, it wasn’t outright fraud, but this is still a bad sign for worse things to come.
Oh definitely, that’s why I wanted to emphasize that my point wasn’t directly relevant to the one you were making, I just thought it would be useful context for anyone who read the Twitter thread but not the ensuing discussion that clarified or nuanced some of the points it raises.