This strikes me as really inappropriate for HN, almost to the point of being offensive. Judging by the poster's comments, he/she clearly believes that the founders on HN are "contributing" to the problems the world is facing by pursuing their dreams and starting companies. I would argue that just the opposite is true, for three reasons:
1. People with large amounts of disposable income have the opportunity to have a huge impact in developing nations. Many charitable foundations and global health & poverty efforts were started by people who made their wealth in a tech startup. Look at the efforts of the Gates Foundation, for example.
2. Some startups have actually targeted problems that "really matter" and are trying to do their part to have a positive impact on the world. The first example that comes to my mind is CO2Stats.
3. Technological innovation actually creates wealth in the world, and as someone else pointed out, we are seeing many countries emerge from extreme poverty, largely due to the influences of technology over the last fifty years. People like many of those found here on HN have driven those technologies and I'm proud to hang out on a forum with so many people who are hungry for their chance to change the world for the better.
Regardless, the poster has obviously made a blanket judgment that none of us are aware or care. The truth is that many of us are aware and care deeply, but this is Hacker News, not Starving Children News. Welcome to contextual relevance.
1. People with large amounts of disposable income have the opportunity to have a huge impact in developing nations. Many charitable foundations and global health & poverty efforts were started by people who made their wealth in a tech startup. Look at the efforts of the Gates Foundation, for example.
2. Some startups have actually targeted problems that "really matter" and are trying to do their part to have a positive impact on the world. The first example that comes to my mind is CO2Stats.
3. Technological innovation actually creates wealth in the world, and as someone else pointed out, we are seeing many countries emerge from extreme poverty, largely due to the influences of technology over the last fifty years. People like many of those found here on HN have driven those technologies and I'm proud to hang out on a forum with so many people who are hungry for their chance to change the world for the better.
Regardless, the poster has obviously made a blanket judgment that none of us are aware or care. The truth is that many of us are aware and care deeply, but this is Hacker News, not Starving Children News. Welcome to contextual relevance.