Johanna

Hiring is all about probabilities. When we evaluate a candidate, we are basically just trying to predict whether that candidate will be a success in the position being filled. We're trying to know the future, but we have no prophets and no Oracle.

In the 1950s, nuclear was the energy of the future. Two generations later, it provides only about 10% of world electricity, and reactor design hasn‘t fundamentally changed in decades.

Most scientists strongly favor more research funding. They like to portray science in a positive light, emphasizing benefits and minimizing negatives. While understandable, the evidence is that science has slowed enormously per dollar or hour spent. That evidence demands a large-scale institutional response. It should be a major subject in public... See more

Basic jobs don’t help the disabled. (...) First, the disability application process is a mess. Imagine the worst DMV appointment you’ve ever had to obtain the registration to a sketchy old car you got from a friend, then multiply it by a thousand – then imagine you have to do it all while being too disabled to work. (...) Second, disability is... See more

You will not get 100% of your hires right. When it’s obviously not working, it’s unlikely to start working. It’s better for everyone involved to part ways quickly, instead of hanging on to unrealistic dreams that it’s going to get better.

Anyone has the right to move. When we think about mobility, we also have to think about immobility. Who doesn’t get to move and why? We need to look at the practical and systemic reasons that stop people from getting to the places they need to go.

Picking a single, lifelong career feels like an impossible task for me.As soon as I’ve gone deep into one domain, I feel compelled to explore another. Stability spawns a desire for novelty. Novelty spawns a desire for stability. The cycle goes on ad infinitum.