Startups as status | Optimizing
My internet education has taught me to see the world in terms of status.1 Keeping tabs on status inflows and outflows can give a plausible explanation to almost any social puzzle. Why do people say X in conversation? (A: To be the high-status individual). Why do people do [tacky thing]? (A: it’s high-status in their social sphere, not yours). What explains big chunks of modernity? (A: We’re — allegedly — drunk on status). Status has a lot of explanatory power, and this convinces me it has great social power as well. Self-reflection should support this. Everyone has felt the tug of status. It’s what can power a preference for the Good School versus State School, or the Big Firm versus Small Firm. It’s part of why your chest swells on mentioning you’re a math major, but it’s dreadful to say you major in philosophy. When you talk to upper-middle class high schoolers, they’ll say they don’t know what they want to do, only that they want to be successful. I read this as a desire for status,
Startups as status | Textures Startups as status 2021/11/21 Status My internet education has taught me to see the world in terms of status. 1 Keeping tabs on status inflows and outflows can give a plausible explanation to almost any social puzzle. Why do people say X in conversation? (A: To be the high-status individual ). Why do people do [tacky thing]? (A: it’s high-status in their social sphere, not yours). What explains big chunks of modernity? (A: We’re — allegedly — drunk on status ). Status has a lot of explanatory power, and this convinces me it has great social power as well. Self-ref
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- Varun Shenoy
- Daniel Tao
- Camille Nibungco
- Eli Qian
- Bo Lau
- Shivam Patel
related reading
- The Status Trapevery.to
- How Tech Hype is Ruining College Students in Techsarv.substack.com
- Status as a Service (StaaS) - Remains of the Dayeugenewei.com
- Underrated predictor of success: willingness to be low-statusnews.ycombinator.com
- VC-Backed Startups are Low Statusmhdempsey.substack.com
- Startups are an act of desperationblog.eladgil.com
- Status as a Disserviceevery.to
- Status Is The Game Of The Losers' Bracket — LessWronglesswrong.com
- Big companies v. startupsdanluu.com
- How Status Signaling Evolved - Erik Torenbergeriktorenberg.substack.com
- Low Status, High Status - Marvy101marvy101.posthaven.com
- Pt1: Why Status Is Confusing - by Aella - Knowinglessaella.substack.com