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0 pointsembedding-shape8d ago0 comments

> I was really searching for a position that would let me do my work, which is to translate the fundamental science into industry impact. I’ve been entrusted with a very high position in my home country, but at the same time, I’m seriously concerned that, if I were asked by the [U.S.] Department of War to perform certain tasks, I probably won’t be able to do it. Things like [making better batteries for] drones, or humanoids for war fighting. Maybe they already have their own expertise. But I just don’t want to risk it.

> I also think it’s important that I maintain my reputation as someone who’s always building things, not destroying things. So, I decided it’s probably better for somebody else to [direct the DOE hub].

Really inspiring and hearth-warming to see a scientist to consider the full impact of their work, in such a direct way, and then not only thinking these things, but also acting on them to ensure she feels right with what she does. We really need more of these types of people in the world :)

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andsoitis8d ago

And so they chose Singapore, that bastion of human rights? More seriously, it will be interesting to track this person for a few years to see whether they thrive in Singapore. Good luck to her and hope she makes a difference.

ben_w8d ago

Moving, especially internationally, is disruptive. Even in bad times, you need to look to where things are going, not where they are in the moment. The USA is dropping on various freedom indices; if you move for this reason, you must ask if will it drop further, will it stabilise, or will it recover? And the same for the destinations you consider.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/human-rights-index-vdem?t...

andsoitis8d ago

Great chart! Thanks. I used it to compare a couple of other places too.

Yeah I don't see the gap between the US and Singapore closing in the next 5, 10, or 50 years. The current drop in the US is temporary. The lower score for Singapore is structural.

EDIT: but these are "just" stats, and do not speak to any person's personal position, like Meng's.

2 more replies

embedding-shapeOP8d ago

What was the last country Singapore waged war against, and when was that? AFAIK, I don't think Singapore has threatened the sovereignty of a single state after the inception of the country.

Probably it isn't a perfect country, probably no country is.

andsoitis8d ago

If decarbonization, immigration, and human rights are the drivers, there are better countries to pick than Singapore, including Japan, many in Europe, Costa Rica, New Zealand, etc.

On the other hand, Meng is probably right in picking Singapore from a self-interested position because that's where she studied (so has ties) and she believes it gives her a better stage for her research. Notably, she did not choose to go to China, which is where she grew up. So it is noteworthy that she has concluded better opportunities in Singapore.

dathinab8d ago

it isn't

but reading the article helps

her reason wasn't some my tech shouldn't be bad people high moral ground but that she felt she can't do here work on here previous job anymore and the next job happened to be in Singapore, and the reasoning in order was also

- reduced funding / many projects getting side lined

- US moving away from decarbonization

- immigration policies discrimination against Chinese born people (even if they have left Chinese citizenship behind/are US citizens)

- and here not wanting to be put in a position where she is pressured to work directly on batteries for weapon systems like drones (!= general use systems being used in a military context)

so she chose Singapore because someone in Singapore presented here with a good job offer where she doesn't have to worry about this things

i.e. this isn't about the US being "evil" and Singapore being better, but about the US no longer being as good a place for civilian use battery production scientist

awakeasleep8d ago

When you think of the outlook of the USA, where for example the secretary of health and human services is a crusader against vaccination, do you feel like it’s a country that’s rising to meet the challenges of the future? Because to me it feels like we are in the beginning of a fall of civilization!

I don’t have the perspective to really say I know what’s going on, but I trust the scientist knows her business and her industry well enough to make a call for herself.

Do you have anything specific to show she’s making the wrong decision?

andsoitis8d ago

> Because to me it feels like we are in the beginning of a fall of civilization!

That's a bit dramatic!

1 more reply

ndr428d ago

It's not the only reason cited, the first one:

  Meng took the job because she thinks the U.S. has turned away from a commitment to decarbonize its economy.

Also:

  The Trump administration’s immigration policies

andsoitis8d ago

> Meng took the job because she thinks the U.S. has turned away from a commitment to decarbonize its economy.

If they are mapping that to "reduction in green energy" or "reversal of green energy adoption" I think they are very wrong indeed.

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delusional8d ago

That's an ironic comment to see on hackernews, a forum most closely associated with silicon valley. Where creating attention traps and gambling apps while claiming to "make the world better" is accepted with a straight face.

That's not to "whatabout" it, but I do find it interesting how blind we are to our own delusions.

embedding-shapeOP8d ago

It's ironic to me to see comments like these, I've posted commentes on HN since 2013 sometime and never even visited SV, and do my best to reject what I see as the "worst ideas from SV", I'm probably almost purely opposite of that typical person. And there are a lot of people like me here too.

I don't think there are many "make the world better but actually I mean make myself more money" types are left here on the forum, if they are, they're a lot more silent today than they were around 2012-2014.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

andsoitis8d ago

ben_w8d ago

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/human-rights-index-vdem?t...

andsoitis8d ago

Great chart! Thanks. I used it to compare a couple of other places too.

Yeah I don't see the gap between the US and Singapore closing in the next 5, 10, or 50 years. The current drop in the US is temporary. The lower score for Singapore is structural.

EDIT: but these are "just" stats, and do not speak to any person's personal position, like Meng's.

2 more replies

embedding-shapeOP8d ago

What was the last country Singapore waged war against, and when was that? AFAIK, I don't think Singapore has threatened the sovereignty of a single state after the inception of the country.

Probably it isn't a perfect country, probably no country is.

andsoitis8d ago

If decarbonization, immigration, and human rights are the drivers, there are better countries to pick than Singapore, including Japan, many in Europe, Costa Rica, New Zealand, etc.

dathinab8d ago

it isn't

but reading the article helps

- reduced funding / many projects getting side lined

- US moving away from decarbonization

- immigration policies discrimination against Chinese born people (even if they have left Chinese citizenship behind/are US citizens)

- and here not wanting to be put in a position where she is pressured to work directly on batteries for weapon systems like drones (!= general use systems being used in a military context)

so she chose Singapore because someone in Singapore presented here with a good job offer where she doesn't have to worry about this things

i.e. this isn't about the US being "evil" and Singapore being better, but about the US no longer being as good a place for civilian use battery production scientist

awakeasleep8d ago

I don’t have the perspective to really say I know what’s going on, but I trust the scientist knows her business and her industry well enough to make a call for herself.

Do you have anything specific to show she’s making the wrong decision?

andsoitis8d ago

> Because to me it feels like we are in the beginning of a fall of civilization!

That's a bit dramatic!

1 more reply

ndr428d ago

It's not the only reason cited, the first one:

  Meng took the job because she thinks the U.S. has turned away from a commitment to decarbonize its economy.

Also:

  The Trump administration’s immigration policies

andsoitis8d ago

> Meng took the job because she thinks the U.S. has turned away from a commitment to decarbonize its economy.

If they are mapping that to "reduction in green energy" or "reversal of green energy adoption" I think they are very wrong indeed.

2 more replies

delusional8d ago

That's not to "whatabout" it, but I do find it interesting how blind we are to our own delusions.

embedding-shapeOP8d ago

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse