It seems like there’s a disconnect between EA supposedly being awash in funds on the one hand, and stories like yours on the other.
This line is spot-on. When I look around, I see depressingly many opportunities that look under-funded, and a surplus of talented people. But I suspect that most EAs see a different picture—say, one of nearly adequate funding, and a severe lack of talented people.
This is ok, and should be expected to happen if we’re all honestly reporting what we observe! In the same way that one can end up with only Facebook friends who are more liberal than 50% of the population, so too can one end up knowing many talented people who could be much more effective with funding, since people’s social circles are often surprisingly homogeneous.
This line is spot-on. When I look around, I see depressingly many opportunities that look under-funded, and a surplus of talented people. But I suspect that most EAs see a different picture—say, one of nearly adequate funding, and a severe lack of talented people.
This is ok, and should be expected to happen if we’re all honestly reporting what we observe! In the same way that one can end up with only Facebook friends who are more liberal than 50% of the population, so too can one end up knowing many talented people who could be much more effective with funding, since people’s social circles are often surprisingly homogeneous.