i entered the world of computer programming as a sheltered teenager with no money. this world was one where my soon-to-be peers had spent their lifetimes sharing their knowledge, making it available for free, indexing it and arranging it so that it could be discovered. all so people like me could "break in" to their industry. idealism and optimism, instead of gatekeeping and pulling up the ladder. a culture of education and camradeirie that made you feel proud to be part of it.
the people who run the big LLM companies hoovered up that knowledge, all the effort of my heroes and tutors, repackaged it, and started selling it back to us. Like Gehazi claimed the reward that Elisha rejected after the healing of Naaman, these corporations will accept compensation for the work that was freely shared by thousands of generous craftspeople.
that, at the core of it, is what makes my blood boil. even if you could get rid of all the theft, the ethics violations, the environmental toll, the impact on energy prices, the authoritarian surveillance advancements, the society-wide sapping of wealth and labor rights away from workers and over to corporations, the kernel at the center of the LLM industry will always be the same simple trick: steal from the vulnerable and sell to the desperate.
fuck that.
i wont touch this poisened shit until there's no money in it at all.
LLM salespeople are trying to sell you the idea that fulfillment can be attained through "output". you can make fantastic art! you can compose wonderful music! your peers will be dazzled by your email! life will be better if you can do everything well and right now.
it doesn't matter if you create a great work after a long career of slavish devotion or if a machine just vomits it out for you after an hour of prompting. neither will make you complete or happy, and the moment you die your eyes will close on it forever.
you must find contentment and fulfillment in the moment, in the process, in the inbetween times, because that is all you have.
please do not let anyone sell you life's worth back to you.