The darkness persists and so do I.
@sarlalian.bsky.social
🏢 Engineering Manager @ NSG
🎥 Former Lead Systems Engineer @LAIKA
Pronouns: he/him
🎥 Former Lead Systems Engineer @LAIKA
Pronouns: he/him
It really wasn't rude, and many of the responses were borderline unhinged.
November 26, 2025 at 7:42 PM
It really wasn't rude, and many of the responses were borderline unhinged.
Wow, everyone being super shitty in this thread apparently really misses the pile-ons from twitter. Absolutely love the depth and nuance to the discussion.
November 26, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Wow, everyone being super shitty in this thread apparently really misses the pile-ons from twitter. Absolutely love the depth and nuance to the discussion.
If I knew this was on the table I would have moved to NY just to vote.
October 27, 2025 at 9:47 PM
If I knew this was on the table I would have moved to NY just to vote.
While we’re at it pin minimum wage to a value relative to median rent in the area. Make landlords and businesses owners fight it out.
September 23, 2025 at 6:05 PM
While we’re at it pin minimum wage to a value relative to median rent in the area. Make landlords and businesses owners fight it out.
Any wealth greater than 1000x the median household will be taxed at 75%. Encourage people to want everyone to have more.
September 23, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Any wealth greater than 1000x the median household will be taxed at 75%. Encourage people to want everyone to have more.
I’m reminded of Law 20, from Akin’s laws of spacecraft design. “A bad design with a good presentation is doomed eventually. A good design with a bad presentation is doomed immediately.”
Where design is a book cover.
www.ece.uvic.ca/~elec399/201...
Where design is a book cover.
www.ece.uvic.ca/~elec399/201...
www.ece.uvic.ca
September 15, 2025 at 7:48 PM
I’m reminded of Law 20, from Akin’s laws of spacecraft design. “A bad design with a good presentation is doomed eventually. A good design with a bad presentation is doomed immediately.”
Where design is a book cover.
www.ece.uvic.ca/~elec399/201...
Where design is a book cover.
www.ece.uvic.ca/~elec399/201...
I’ve had a couple coworkers bring him up today in a way that makes me look at them with side eye, thinking “huh, didn’t peg you as a fascist”.
I feel for his children, but he’s a victim of a world he helped create.
I feel for his children, but he’s a victim of a world he helped create.
September 11, 2025 at 6:26 PM
I’ve had a couple coworkers bring him up today in a way that makes me look at them with side eye, thinking “huh, didn’t peg you as a fascist”.
I feel for his children, but he’s a victim of a world he helped create.
I feel for his children, but he’s a victim of a world he helped create.
Me too. The Franz Ferdinand of the 21st century.
September 11, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Me too. The Franz Ferdinand of the 21st century.
Your number for self made is correct, all it means is that they didn’t inherit their billions. However it does not mean that they started with nothing.
I’m not sure why you really want there to be no luck (birth, circumstances, timing) in the process… but you certainly seem to.
I’m not sure why you really want there to be no luck (birth, circumstances, timing) in the process… but you certainly seem to.
September 4, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Your number for self made is correct, all it means is that they didn’t inherit their billions. However it does not mean that they started with nothing.
I’m not sure why you really want there to be no luck (birth, circumstances, timing) in the process… but you certainly seem to.
I’m not sure why you really want there to be no luck (birth, circumstances, timing) in the process… but you certainly seem to.
For the average person without substantial initial wealth, connections, or other advantages, both outcomes are extremely unlikely - though building substantial (non-billionaire) wealth through consistent saving and investing has much better odds.
September 4, 2025 at 3:37 AM
For the average person without substantial initial wealth, connections, or other advantages, both outcomes are extremely unlikely - though building substantial (non-billionaire) wealth through consistent saving and investing has much better odds.
While the raw statistical comparison suggests roughly 20-40 times more likely to become a billionaire than win Powerball, this is misleading. For most people starting from average circumstances, the practical likelihood of becoming a billionaire approaches lottery-level improbability.
September 4, 2025 at 3:36 AM
While the raw statistical comparison suggests roughly 20-40 times more likely to become a billionaire than win Powerball, this is misleading. For most people starting from average circumstances, the practical likelihood of becoming a billionaire approaches lottery-level improbability.
Major lottery jackpots:
- Powerball: ~1 in 292 million
- Mega Millions: ~1 in 302 million
- EuroMillions: ~1 in 140 million
- Powerball: ~1 in 292 million
- Mega Millions: ~1 in 302 million
- EuroMillions: ~1 in 140 million
September 4, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Major lottery jackpots:
- Powerball: ~1 in 292 million
- Mega Millions: ~1 in 302 million
- EuroMillions: ~1 in 140 million
- Powerball: ~1 in 292 million
- Mega Millions: ~1 in 302 million
- EuroMillions: ~1 in 140 million
- Odds: roughly 1 in 7-15 million globally
- There are 2,600-3,000 billionaires worldwide out of 8 billion people
- Varies dramatically by circumstances - if born into wealth, have advanced education, live in certain countries, or work in high-growth sectors like tech, odds improve significantly
- There are 2,600-3,000 billionaires worldwide out of 8 billion people
- Varies dramatically by circumstances - if born into wealth, have advanced education, live in certain countries, or work in high-growth sectors like tech, odds improve significantly
September 4, 2025 at 3:35 AM
- Odds: roughly 1 in 7-15 million globally
- There are 2,600-3,000 billionaires worldwide out of 8 billion people
- Varies dramatically by circumstances - if born into wealth, have advanced education, live in certain countries, or work in high-growth sectors like tech, odds improve significantly
- There are 2,600-3,000 billionaires worldwide out of 8 billion people
- Varies dramatically by circumstances - if born into wealth, have advanced education, live in certain countries, or work in high-growth sectors like tech, odds improve significantly
Luck being a part of their success doesn’t take away from their hard work and ingenuity, but most people are more likely to win the lottery than to become a billionaire by building a business.
September 3, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Luck being a part of their success doesn’t take away from their hard work and ingenuity, but most people are more likely to win the lottery than to become a billionaire by building a business.
There are obviously counter examples, but most billionaires, even “self-made” ones aren’t from humble beginnings. Other counter examples include Oprah Winfrey and Howard Schultz …. Most billionaires will happily admit at the very least to some level of right place right time luck.
September 3, 2025 at 12:56 AM
There are obviously counter examples, but most billionaires, even “self-made” ones aren’t from humble beginnings. Other counter examples include Oprah Winfrey and Howard Schultz …. Most billionaires will happily admit at the very least to some level of right place right time luck.
While I’m certain he would have been a great success on his own, he started out in a wealthy family, got a great education and his family invested 250k in Amazon when it started. He was also lucky enough to be born at the right time to take advantage of the birth of the internet.
September 2, 2025 at 8:17 PM
While I’m certain he would have been a great success on his own, he started out in a wealthy family, got a great education and his family invested 250k in Amazon when it started. He was also lucky enough to be born at the right time to take advantage of the birth of the internet.
A way to develop expertise and automation in the logistics and warehouse space. Books were the easiest product to start with, due to size and uniformity, but overall the disruption was in logistics not online sales. That said not everyone has the same opportunities as Bezos.
September 2, 2025 at 8:16 PM
A way to develop expertise and automation in the logistics and warehouse space. Books were the easiest product to start with, due to size and uniformity, but overall the disruption was in logistics not online sales. That said not everyone has the same opportunities as Bezos.
Bezos is clearly brilliant, and ruthless. Arguably the book store was his second best decision, the best was his API mandate, which ended up creating the way for AWS, which is actually where Amazon a lot of its money, which also funded the store for a long time. The store was alway…
September 2, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Bezos is clearly brilliant, and ruthless. Arguably the book store was his second best decision, the best was his API mandate, which ended up creating the way for AWS, which is actually where Amazon a lot of its money, which also funded the store for a long time. The store was alway…
You’re missing the step where they start with a wealthy family who invests in their company, and whose contacts provide them with initial employee’s who make the business a success. I’m not saying that Bezzos and others didn’t have good ideas or create value, just that without startup capital.. 🤷♂️
September 2, 2025 at 7:46 PM
You’re missing the step where they start with a wealthy family who invests in their company, and whose contacts provide them with initial employee’s who make the business a success. I’m not saying that Bezzos and others didn’t have good ideas or create value, just that without startup capital.. 🤷♂️
No one in history has ever considered that possibility.
Millionaires are often made by hard work, billionaires are made by luck mostly.
Millionaires are often made by hard work, billionaires are made by luck mostly.
September 2, 2025 at 1:55 AM
No one in history has ever considered that possibility.
Millionaires are often made by hard work, billionaires are made by luck mostly.
Millionaires are often made by hard work, billionaires are made by luck mostly.