But the snark has a point: Paul Graham is qualified to give advice about startups, but what qualifies him to dispense parenting advice? Like all other parents, it sounds like he's making it up as he goes along.
There is no point, because he doesn't pretend to be anything than other than a parent, not an expert on parenting. It's like posting to a mommy blog. The call for industry professionals to "stay in their lane" when they want to talk about whatever they want to talk about is ridiculous.
...except you are only listening to his parenting advice compared to, say mine or the GP, because of his relative narrow expertise in a completely unrelated area. I'm not calling for famous people to STFU, but to be extra vigilant about passing on advice outside of their recognized area of epertise. For example: should Jenny McCarthy "stay in her lane" or are you cool with a c-grade actress using her fame to promote dangerous pseudo science?
Perhaps people like his parenting advice because it's insightful on its own merits? I wouldn't expect an expert on startups to be particularly wise when it comes to parenting. If anything, I'd expect the opposite. But the proof is in the pudding.
While that is admittedly a bit snarky, the fact is the context of nearly all PG’s essays are things he is an expert in, and has rightly earned a bit of authority in influencing others in these areas he is an expert in.
So I think it’s fair for others to make it clear he may not have much more authority in this area vs. other “mommy bloggers”, who probably have as much, and in many cases much more experience.
Anybody can make a startup, but it’s incredibly tough to make a successful one, and YC and what PG has built has arguably earned him authority to influence others in this space. And it’s usually pretty objective what constitutes a successful startup.
On the other hand, almost anyone can be a parent, there are many more parents on the planet, and what constitutes an “expert in this space” is incredibly more subjective.
Begs the question, who has the authority in that area? No one, except experienced parents.
When it comes to life advice, it's redundant to point out "lack of authority" when there is no authority body. No disclaimer is needed for life advice.
I wish more people would chill out, love their kids and just make it up as they go along. SPOILERS: there are no secrets; nobody really knows what the hell they are doing
For all you PG super fans: being a good (or great!) parent is the ultimate doing something that does not scale.
Meh. The vast majority of parenting advice lacks scientific evidence anyway. (I tried to find some with a proper evidence base as a new dad and honestly I'm amazed we don't have more for what is clearly such an important topic).
The snark is an over-reaction. This is just a collection of thoughts. He has every right in the world to put his thoughts online. It is up to everyone else whether or not to read them.
And what qualifies anyone here to discount his advice? He's not bringing down stone tablets from Mt. Sinai, just writing about his own thoughts and experiences. If you're not interested, don't read it.
