Aravind Srinivas On Academia, Lossless Compression, And More

HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 03: Actor Thomas Middleditch attends the premiere of HBO's "Silicon Valley" ... More at Paramount Studios on April 3, 2014 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
There’s an iconic scene in season one of Mike Judge‘s Silicon Valley TV show, where Christopher Evan Welch, playing the character Peter Gregory, beseeches young career professionals not to go to college.
A professor in the audience chimes in, irate at Gregory‘s attacks on his livelihood.
“The value of a college education is intangible,” he sputters.
Welch, who sadly did not survive the end of the show, (Gregory‘s character had to be written out), eyes the bearded gent and replies sardonically:
“The value of snake oil is also intangible.”
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I’ve been writing about the tension between academic goals and the goals of innovation – between the urge to pursue higher degrees, and the value of getting out in the world and building startups.
But you can have both – case in point, a recent interview I did with Aravind Srinivas.
At the very beginning at the very beginning of his remarks, Srinivas noted how his parents are prouder of his PhD than his business track record, even though he’s the cofounder of one of the most famous model services around.