All of CarolineEllison's Comments + Replies

Agreed, that is unfortunate and seems like an important part of what's going on.

I'm referencing this Slate Star Codex post: https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/06/14/the-virtue-of-silence/

So not indiscriminate silence, but more like avoiding spreading infohazards, contributing to inflammatory and unproductive conversations, sharing cruel gossip, that sort of thing. Scott makes the point that this is a very difficult virtue to practice, because by its nature it's sort of impossible to get noticed and praised for it.

I agree it's very valuable, but how can it be a good signal and impossible to notice at the same time?

BTW we now think we've gotten back to everyone! We are still working through our remaining interviews so haven't finalized all the decisions yet, but everyone who applied should at least have heard back with a yes/no/interview. If you haven't, feel free to reach out on here or via fellowships@ftx.com!

probably sometime February-April?

  • fellows starting to come in ~1.5 months, so before then there will be fewer EAs and less infrastructure set up before then (though still some)
  • I expect highest density of people being here from current round of fellowships/visits to be from late January through late May, more uncertainty after that
  • weather is best in December-March, worst in June-September (unless you like hurricanes)

Just noting that applications close tomorrow, and want to say we really appreciate all the applications!

We've been pleasantly surprised by the number and quality of the applications and expect it'll take a bit of time to go through them all; still planning to get back to everyone one way or another by 12/1 but don't be alarmed if you haven't heard back yet or don't hear back right away.

oops sorry, should work now!

FTX moved there due primarily to the friendly regulatory environment: on crypto specifically, they're basically the first country in the world to put out a comprehensive framework for crypto regulation, while most countries have been working on this for years and will probably still be working on it for years to come. More generally, the government seems excited about encouraging tech/innovation and cutting back on red tape. 

It's a fairly small country, and I think if a lot of EAs move there EA could end up being a somewhat influential force in the co... (read more)

FWIW I'd also want to watch out for a "town/gown" dynamic developing over time where the newcomers and locals basically don't interact, which could cause various problems down the road. I'm sure FTX has thought about this, but I'd love to see the vision of "an EA community in the Bahamas" include people who are from the Bahamas as well.

Haven't decided on a minimum, was figuring we'd see how long people want to stay/what their other commitments are and work around that

To some extent TBD: this is a bit experimental. That said, some examples of who I'd imagine this might be a good fit for:

  • people working on PhD writing or research that can be done remotely
  • EA group organizers who want to spend time coworking with each other in person
  • people founding startups and looking for space from their current routines

But also just excited to see what applications we get!

Yep definitely not intended to impose a financial strain on anyone! Since travel, housing, and office space will be paid for, we intended $10k as a reasonable amount for expenses above that. But it wasn't chosen super carefully, so we can run some numbers and increase it if it seems like more will be helpful.