I wonder if this is like when Thinking Machines Corporation hired Richard Feynman mostly to get a little clout. They didn't have a lot for him to do, and he thought they were a bunch of naive kids with an idea that would never work in the real world but had a fat pocketbook. In the end he was able to mathematically prove that they could safely do a hardware optimization, but they didn't believe him and tried to overprovision instead, but late in the design they ran short of transistors and had to trust his math. It worked, but the machine was still mostly useless even when it did work properly.
> University of Virginia professor Ken Ono, one of the world's most prominent mathematicians, joins AI startup Axiom Math, which is building an “AI mathematician”
Doubtful. I knew Ono as an undergrad at Wisconsin. He has far too much integrity for that.
He's always been involved in mentoring high schoolers, undergrads, and, of course, his own grad students. It's not surprising that he's working with a 24 year old.
He's a bundle of energy in math and sports and always looking for the new thing. Jumping in on a new project in a burgeoning field is very much his m.o.
That's an odd thing to say. She is 24 years old and has super impressive academic credentials. She raised almost 70 million which is a huge amount for any startup. The professor probably wants a change in his life and wants to work on something more exciting.
I wonder if this is like when Thinking Machines Corporation hired Richard Feynman mostly to get a little clout. They didn't have a lot for him to do, and he thought they were a bunch of naive kids with an idea that would never work in the real world but had a fat pocketbook. In the end he was able to mathematically prove that they could safely do a hardware optimization, but they didn't believe him and tried to overprovision instead, but late in the design they ran short of transistors and had to trust his math. It worked, but the machine was still mostly useless even when it did work properly.
For anyone else who can't see the article:
> University of Virginia professor Ken Ono, one of the world's most prominent mathematicians, joins AI startup Axiom Math, which is building an “AI mathematician”
Gift article: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/math-ken-ono-carina-hong-axiom-s...
Unlocked gift article: https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/math-ken-ono-carina-hong-axiom-s...
Honestly I can't fault people of joining the gold rush, while it is still red hot. Generational amounts of money is being made in a very short time.
I agree with you. Even if this start up fails, it's not like he can't return to academia.
Interesting, seems wsj does not allow archive.is through their paywall
Those two are definitely banging. Mark my words, write it down.
Doubtful. I knew Ono as an undergrad at Wisconsin. He has far too much integrity for that.
He's always been involved in mentoring high schoolers, undergrads, and, of course, his own grad students. It's not surprising that he's working with a 24 year old.
He's a bundle of energy in math and sports and always looking for the new thing. Jumping in on a new project in a burgeoning field is very much his m.o.
That's an odd thing to say. She is 24 years old and has super impressive academic credentials. She raised almost 70 million which is a huge amount for any startup. The professor probably wants a change in his life and wants to work on something more exciting.
Cool story, now do Theranos.