“Monetary and social incentives in longtermist careers” by Vaidehi Agarwalla

In this post I talk about several strong non-epistemic incentives and issues that can influence people to pursue longtermist[1]career paths (and specifically x-risk reduction careers and AI safety[2]) for EA community members.For what it's worth, I personally I am sympathetic to longtermism, and to people who want to create more incentives for longtermist careers, because of the high urgency some assign to AI Safety and the fact that longtermism is a relatively new field. I am currently running career support pilots to support early-career longtermists.) However I think it's important to think carefully about career choices, even when it's difficult. I'm worried that these incentives lead people to feel (unconscious & conscious) pressure to pursue (certain) longtermist career paths even if it may not be the right choice for them. I think it's good for to be thoughtful about cause prioritization and career choices, especially for people earlier in their [...] ---Outline:(01:00) Incentives(01:04) Good pay and job security(02:04) Funding in an oligopoly(03:54) It's easier to socially defer(05:02) High status(06:49) Role models and founder's effects(07:46) Availability(09:15) Support(09:54) Transferable career capital(10:28) Conclusion and SuggestionsThe original text contained 18 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: September 23rd, 2023 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/SWfwmqnCPid8PuTBo/monetary-and-social-incentives-in-longtermist-careers --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.