This episode of 80k After Hours explores the history of 80,000 Hours with Benjamin Todd. They discuss the organization's humble beginnings, scrappy early days, and its evolution. They also touch on team trips, mistakes made along the way, and the future of 80,000 Hours.
The early days of 80,000 hours were characterized by unfocused exploration of important ideas but lacked clarity and direction.
Despite challenging accommodations and office spaces, the team remained motivated by the significance of their ideas.
The team had intense debates on topics such as long-termism and existential risks, leading to valuable work but could have been better streamlined.
The team had to be resourceful with limited resources and financial constraints, finding creative solutions to carry out their work.
The focus on creating online content, particularly articles, resulted in exponential growth in web traffic and a broader audience reach.
Deep dives
The early days of 80,000 hours: Unfocused but Exciting
In the early days of 80,000 hours, the organization was unfocused but fueled by the belief that the ideas they were exploring were important. They focused on providing online content, including a blog and career profiles, while also doing talks and offering one-on-one career advice. The team experimented with different projects, including an advocacy campaign, an internship program, and a focus on existential risks. However, there was a lack of clarity and direction, resulting in scattered efforts and suboptimal use of resources. Despite the challenges, the team remained motivated by the importance of their ideas.
Challenges of Accommodation and Office Space
The early days of 80,000 hours were characterized by tight finances and makeshift accommodations. The team had to find affordable housing and make do with limited office space, starting from a small room at the back of a real estate agent's office. The accommodation and office situations were often challenging, with noisy environments, low ceilings, and cramped conditions. However, despite the less than ideal conditions, the team remained focused on their mission and fueled by the excitement around the ideas they were exploring.
Diverse Perspectives and Intense Debates
During the early days of 80,000 hours, there were intense debates and discussions about various topics, including long-termism, existential risks, and the effectiveness of different interventions. People had diverse perspectives and opinions on what issues were most important and how to approach them. The debates often involved discussions about focus, the communication of ideas, and the balance between research and advocacy. Despite the differences, the team managed to maintain a sense of cohesion and produce valuable work, albeit with some areas of focus that could have been better streamlined.
Financial Constraints and Limited Resources
In the early days of 80,000 hours, there were financial constraints and limited resources, which affected things like salaries, office space, and accommodation. The team had to be resourceful and make do with what was available. This led to creative solutions, such as finding affordable housing and making use of existing office spaces. Despite the challenges, the team remained committed to their mission and found ways to carry out their work with the resources they had.
Importance of Focusing on Online Content and Search Traffic
One of the main strengths of the podcast was its focus on creating online content, particularly articles that would generate search traffic. This strategy resulted in exponential growth in web traffic and helped build a library of valuable resources. By focusing on search optimization and creating shareable articles, the podcast was able to reach a broader audience and have a greater impact.
Implementation of Organizational Processes
The podcast recognized the importance of implementing basic organizational processes such as regular feedback rounds, line manager meetings, all-hands meetings, and goal setting. By consistently following these processes, the podcast ensured effective communication, accountability, and transparency within the organization. This attention to maintaining organizational structure and alignment contributed to high retention rates and a well-run organization.
Supportive and Open Culture
The podcast fostered a supportive and open culture within the organization, where individuals felt comfortable discussing mental health issues and seeking support. This culture of openness and understanding enabled employees to bring up challenges, share tips, and receive pragmatic solutions. The emphasis on mental health and well-being created a positive work environment and contributed to overall employee satisfaction and productivity.
Focusing on high-traffic content and web growth
During the podcast episode, the speaker highlights the success of 80,000 hours in focusing on creating high-traffic content and website growth. They discuss how their investment in creating content that attracts a lot of traffic has resulted in consistent traffic and new readers over the years. This strategy has made 80,000 hours one of the biggest pathways into effective altruism, with a strong interest in high-impact careers. They attribute their historical impact to their ability to introduce people to effective altruism through their content and community involvement.
Expansion of programs and the need for focus
The podcast episode also touches upon the expansion of programs within 80,000 hours and the challenges it posed. While the addition of various programs like podcasts and specialized advising seemed like logical progressions, the speaker reflects on the need for caution and focus. They discuss the importance of careful evaluation before starting new programs and the potential negative impact of losing focus. They highlight the temptation to pursue multiple initiatives simultaneously, even when the potential benefits may not outweigh the costs of losing focus. The episode concludes by emphasizing the need to retain focus as the organization grows to ensure the most effective use of resources and impact on the community.
"The very first office we had was just a balcony in an Oxford College dining hall. It was totally open to the dining hall, so every lunch and dinner time it would be super noisy because it'd be like 200 people all eating below us. And then I think we just had a bit where we just didn't have an office, so we worked out of the canteen in the library for at least three months or something. And then it was only after that we moved into this tiny, tiny room at the back of an estate agent off in St Clement’s in Oxford. One of our early donors came and we gave him a tour, and when he came into the office, his first reaction was, 'Is this legal?'" — Benjamin Todd
In this episode of 80k After Hours — recorded in June 2022 — Rob Wiblin and Benjamin Todd discuss the history of 80,000 Hours.
Chapters: • Cold open (00:00:00) • Rob's intro (00:00:44) • Ben's origin story (00:04:07) • The birth of 80k (00:12:23) • The early vision for 80k (00:30:12) • The general vibe in the EA community back then (00:37:35) • How 80k evolved (00:48:46) • Trips to Thailand and China (01:13:00) • Setting up several programmes (01:17:48) • Moving to California (01:24:54) • 80k strengths (01:33:49) • Why Ben left the CEO position (01:39:03) • The future of 80,000 Hours (01:42:06) • Rob's outro (01:45:09)
Who this episode is for:
People who work on or plan to work on promoting important ideas in a way that's similar to 80,000 Hours
People who work at organisations similar to 80,000 Hours
People who work at 80,000 Hours
Who this episode isn’t for:
People who, if asked if they’d like to join a dinner at 80,000 Hours where the team reminisce on the good old days, would say, “Sorry, can’t make it — I’m washing my hair that night”
Producer: Keiran Harris Audio mastering: Ryan Kessler and Ben Cordell
