I’m puzzled by the lack of push to convert Patrick Collision. Paul Graham once tweeted that Stripe would be the next google, so if Patrick Collision doesn’t qualify as a billionaire yet, it might be a good bet that he will someday (I’m not strictly basing that on PG’s authority, I’m also basing that on my personal opinion that Stripe seems like world domination material). He cowrote this piece “We need a science of progress” and from what I heard in this interview, signs point to a very EA-sympathetic person.
Donor engagement isn’t part of my job, so I can’t be sure about this, but I think it’s quite likely that EA-affiliated people have many conversations with wealthy and successful people, and those conversations just happen quietly. I wouldn’t be so sure that Patrick Collison hasn’t had these conversations; most people keep their giving relatively private, and I don’t see why he would be an exception.
I also don’t advise using the word “convert” to describe situations where someone is thinking of changing where they donate; the word has religious connotations, and I think it often isn’t helpful to think of someone as being “in EA” or “not in EA”.
There also may be organizations that Patrick supports in the area of “progress studies” or “the science of progress” that have goals very similar to some EA orgs but don’t happen to be formally linked to our movement. Many such organizations likely exist. (For one, I think there’s a good chance that Patrick is among the supporters of Tyler Cowen’s Emergent Ventures.)
I’m puzzled by the lack of push to convert Patrick Collision. Paul Graham once tweeted that Stripe would be the next google, so if Patrick Collision doesn’t qualify as a billionaire yet, it might be a good bet that he will someday (I’m not strictly basing that on PG’s authority, I’m also basing that on my personal opinion that Stripe seems like world domination material). He cowrote this piece “We need a science of progress” and from what I heard in this interview, signs point to a very EA-sympathetic person.
Donor engagement isn’t part of my job, so I can’t be sure about this, but I think it’s quite likely that EA-affiliated people have many conversations with wealthy and successful people, and those conversations just happen quietly. I wouldn’t be so sure that Patrick Collison hasn’t had these conversations; most people keep their giving relatively private, and I don’t see why he would be an exception.
I also don’t advise using the word “convert” to describe situations where someone is thinking of changing where they donate; the word has religious connotations, and I think it often isn’t helpful to think of someone as being “in EA” or “not in EA”.
There also may be organizations that Patrick supports in the area of “progress studies” or “the science of progress” that have goals very similar to some EA orgs but don’t happen to be formally linked to our movement. Many such organizations likely exist. (For one, I think there’s a good chance that Patrick is among the supporters of Tyler Cowen’s Emergent Ventures.)