Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

> At Graham’s table, he [Altman] and others discussed how to stop Donald Trump

> If the pandemic does come, Altman’s backup plan is to fly with his friend Peter Thiel

Is this true? How does it work?

Thiel is a very vocal supporter of Trump and yet he's Altman's friend, a friend so close they would want to spend the rest of their life alone together, in the event of a catastrophe.

Altman can certainly have all the friends he wants; but he shouldn't get to pretend he opposes Trump at the same time.




Friends can disagree. Pretty sure it's as simple as that.


Of course, but we're talking about opposite world views here.

I actually read a bit of an insinuation to the fact they're both gay, but maybe I'm overreading into the article.


You guys surprise me. Obviously friends can disagree, including about important things. I'm trying to think of a sublime historical example but I'm tired and all that comes to mind is Camille Paglia and Rush Limbaugh. Oh well.


If the article is to be believed, this is not just "some friend", it's someone Altman would want to spend the rest of his life with in the event of a catastrophe: it's his favorite human being on the planet.

And it's not just one's opinions or even party affiliation; Thiel is working very hard and very publicly to get Trump elected.


It's not just politics, like one would be a little more conservative and the other a little more liberal.

A Trump presidency would be an extinction-level event (for example -- and this is just one small example -- he doesn't "believe" in global warming, and would dismantle the EPA).

How far can friendship go?

The only way to explain this is, Altman doesn't think Trump is that big of a threat. Which makes me question his judgement very much.


> A Trump presidency would be an extinction-level event.

You are amusing. How similar to a meteor strike would you say Trump is, or is there another analogy that you want to make [0]?

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction_event#Most_widely_s...


> How similar to a meteor strike would you say Trump is

Very similar. The main difference is that a meteor strike is bad luck (an "act of God"), whereas electing Trump would be an act of Thiel and friends.


Reagan said it best - "My 80% friend is not my 20% enemy."


Maybe Thiel is pulling a Pascal's Wager on Trump winning?




Join us for AI Startup School this June 16-17 in San Francisco!

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: