EA Forum Podcast (Curated & popular)

TLDR: The shortest version of this argument is very simple: your expectations for an organization should be higher where their budget and staff size are higher. In other words, we should have different expectations for a 20-person organization with a $1.5 million budget than a 2-person $150,000 budget organization. While this seems pretty clear in the abstract, I find that people tend not to update nearly enough on this when they should. For example, I often see people comparing the total research output of two organizations, yet when I ask about it, they will not know the yearly budget or staff size of either. This is a big problem. As a movement, we want to support efficient and effective organizations, not just organizations that are the biggest, most salient or currently the highest funded. Budgets and staff When considering how impressive an organization's output is, one [...] ---Outline:(00:59) Budgets and staff(02:47) Comparative size(04:46) Why this matters--- First published: November 6th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/5wXGLbqQ3cchjogB5/expectations-scale-with-scale-we-should-be-more-scope --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Warning: This post discusses statistics about extreme pain that may be distressing. While cluster headaches are a neglected, high-impact issue, understanding their true burden requires appreciating the intensity of suffering involved. The pain often reaches levels far beyond typical human experience, making subjective accounts a valuable datapoint until we have robust methods for quantifying pain intensity. For further context, links to firsthand accounts are provided in the footnote[1]. You no longer have a headache, or pain located at a particular site: you are literally plunged into the pain, like in a swimming pool. There is only one thing that remains of you: your agitated lucidity and the pain that invades everything, takes everything. There is nothing but pain. At that point, you would give everything, including your head, your own life, to make it stop. - Yves, cluster headache patient from France (from Rossi et al., 2018) Key [...] ---Outline:(01:11) Key takeaways(03:57) 1. Introduction(04:00) 1.1. Clinical Features and Pain Comparisons(07:22) 1.2. Treatment and Prevention(10:02) 1.3. The Heavy-Tailed Valence Hypothesis and Existing Metrics(14:49) 1.4. Goal(16:14) 2. Methods(17:43) 2.1 Prevalence(19:17) 2.2 Frequency(22:21) 2.3 Duration(23:53) 2.4 Intensity(25:58) 2.5 Burden Metrics(29:01) 3. Results(29:10) 3.1. Global Burden of Cluster Headache Pain(32:05) 3.2. Reweighting of Extreme Pain(39:41) 3.3. Ceiling Effects(43:34) 4. Recommendations and Conclusions(48:31) AcknowledgementsThe original text contained 26 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: November 1st, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/geh2g2nKb7Kkp26ze/quantifying-the-global-burden-of-extreme-pain-from-cluster --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

The failure rate is not 0 The base rate of failure for startups is not 0: Of the 6000 companies Y Combinator has funded, only ~16 are public. This is the wrong reference class for FTX at a $32b valuation, but even amongst extremely valuable companies, failures are not uncommon: WeWork had a peak valuation of $47b Theranos had a peak valuation of $10b Lucid Motors had a peak valuation of $90b Virgin Galactic had a peak valuation of $14b Jull had a peak valuation of $38b Bolt had a peak valuation of $11b Magic Leap had a peak valuation of $13b That is only a handful of cases, but the reference class for startups worth over $10b is also pretty small. Maybe 45 private companies and another ~100 that have gone public. I'm playing pretty fast and loose here because the exact number isn't important, the odds [...] ---Outline:(00:04) The failure rate is not 0(03:54) Why does risk matter?(06:45) Looking back from today--- First published: October 31st, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/f5YfiCrunAHFeDpSQ/what-i-wish-i-had-said-about-ftx --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

Summary The written word dominates EA discourse but visuals have a unique power in communicating ideas that seems quite underleveraged in this community. As a designer and communicator in the space, I wanted to share some of the presentations and visualizations I’ve created over the years in hopes that they might be helpful to others. My goal isn't to present these visuals as "ready-to-use" resources—for various reasons they're not ready (see disclaimers)—but rather as references that hopefully inspire others to create and invest in visual forms of communication. Effective Giving 101 (2023) In 2023, when I was director of design at Giving What We Can, we were invited to give a talk at Microsoft about effective giving. We normally don’t dive so deep into the research that undergirds our recommendations but—given the highly-educated, highly-analytical audience at Microsoft—I thought it could be compelling to actually get into the weeds and [...] ---Outline:(00:16) Summary(00:50) Effective Giving 101 (2023)(01:53) Full deck: Doing Good Better (Microsoft 2023)(02:00) GiveWell's 2020 analysis of AMF(02:58) Slides: GiveWell's 2020 analysis of AMF(03:15) Global income illustration(04:53) Slides: The Global Income Distribution(05:09) Prioritization in GCR (2024)(05:56) Parfit's 99% extinction hypothetical(06:56) Slides: Parfit's 99% v 100%(07:13) Mapping the GCR landscape(08:54) Slides: Visualizing: The GCR Landscape(09:13) Bonus: Effective Giving Strategy Frameworks(10:20) Vision to Vectors(10:23) Slides: Vision to Vectors(10:39) The Pledger Journey(10:42) Slides: The Pledger Journey--- First published: October 31st, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/GuFxEPcn7rzz4pDhw/visualizing-ea-ideas --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

I became the CEO of EV US in January 2023. I worked alongside the EV US and UK teams, former EV UK CEO Howie Lempel, and current EV UK CEO Rob Gledhill to recover and reform Effective Ventures and improve the robustness of the EA ecosystem in the aftermath of FTX's collapse. Amidst these efforts, I and others learned or fortified lessons that I think aren’t unique to EV and could be valuable to the wider EA community. Being able to look at hard problems, discuss them with candor, and update based on what we learn are values that I admire, and I see them as a positive and necessary mechanism for doing good. I want to act on those values here. Goals of this post Provide an update to create communal knowledge: Clarify what reforms have taken place at EV in recent years and the reasoning behind [...] ---Outline:(00:50) Goals of this post(01:48) Some high-level notes on FTX-related reflection(06:04) Scope of this post(11:53) Summary of reforms and actions taken at EV(14:54) Background on EV(18:42) Reforms and other actions taken(18:46) Hiring CEOs (and other non-board personnel) for EV US and EV UK(24:00) Changes to EV US and EV UK board(30:04) FTX-related investigations(38:43) Instituting financial reforms(41:23) Improving donor due diligence(45:36) Adopting a restrictive communications policy(57:19) Streamlining whistleblowing policies(59:44) Updating anti-harassment and misconduct policies(01:03:04) Improving the COI policy(01:06:22) Clarifying the level of separation between the EV US and EV UK entities(01:10:44) Initiating EV shut down(01:15:11) Some of the lessons EA can learn from the EV experience(01:15:31) Brief summary of these lessons(01:16:10) The lessons(01:16:14) Organizational governance and compliance can have serious implications(01:17:08) It's important to carefully think through and explicitly communicate your organizational risk strategy, and pay attention to it as your organization develops. This is particularly true for a fiscal sponsor(01:19:10) EA organizations often underrate experience relative to “intelligence” and “value alignment”(01:22:09) Vetting external counsel is important(01:23:02) Crisis prep is underrated relative to crisis response(01:24:43) Invest in capacity building early(01:26:34) Communicate early (and have the resources to do so)(01:27:31) Acknowledgments(01:29:12) Appendix: other content about and reflections on FTX on the EA Forum(01:29:47) Information(01:31:24) Reflections(01:33:18) Investigation-related(01:33:55) StatementsThe original text contained 12 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: October 28th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/AuSah98NtR5qv8zQA/reflections-and-lessons-from-effective-ventures-1 --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the lives of chickens raised for food in the UK.  Tomorrow, The Humane League UK (THL UK) will be heading to the High Court to challenge the legality of fast-growing breeds of chicken- Frankenchickens. At stake are the lives of one billion animals. Our small team will be demonstrating outside the courts tomorrow morning. Inside, our legal team, Advocates for Animals, will be arguing that farming Frankenchickens breaches the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007. We are up against huge opposition with The Government, the British Poultry Council, and the National Farmers’ Union representing the interests of the £3 billion poultry industry. This really is a David versus Goliath case. If you are interested in the legal intricacies of the hearing itself, you can watch a livestream of proceedings here on both Wednesday and Thursday. You can also [...] ---Outline:(00:05) We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the lives of chickens raised for food in the UK.(01:17) Frankenchickens(01:59) THL UKs three-year legal battle(03:09) The fight continues(04:14) Our chances of success(05:44) Support The Humane League UK(06:01) The Humane League UK(06:56) Our vision is that by 2050, weve stopped the worst and most widespread abuse of animals raised for food, and they’re treated with far greater compassion.--- First published: October 22nd, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/qCMC4cnWCi7yjcnCZ/tomorrow-we-fight-for-the-future-of-one-billion-chickens --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

I'd like to thank Derek Shiller from Rethink priorities for extensive discussions and looking over this post. Introduction I've been following the "animal welfare" debate this week on the EA forum, and noticed that a key crux for a lot of people was that calculations showed that animal welfare campaigns (specifically the "caged chicken corporate campaign") was much more cost effective than a human global health development project like the against malaria foundation. But while most estimates agreed that AW was more effective than GHD, I noticed there was a wide discrepancy in how much more effective it was. Vasco Grilo claimed it was 1500 times better. This report by Laura Duffy of rethink priorities (when you convert from order of magnitude to real numbers in table 1) claimed it was about 60 times better. Whereas if you go the Cross cause comparison website, also by RP, and [...] The original text contained 7 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: October 14th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/qARKFgYhCqmKB2YpF/explaining-the-discrepancies-in-cost-effectiveness-ratings-a --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

EA Nigeria Summit was the first EA-related conference in Nigeria, and it took place from September 6th to 7th, 2024. The event saw a higher level of interest than we (the organisers) expected. We received applications from individuals across Nigeria and the international community, especially Africans. We accepted 170 applicants for the summit, and a total of 136 participants attended the event. The summit provided an opportunity for the attendees to connect, network, and share ideas and practices, paving the way for potential collaboration and impactful actions at the cost of USD 179.6 per attendee. Some Key Specifics  Location - Chida Event Centre, Utako, Abuja, Nigeria. Applications received - 472, (18 applications were duplicates) Admitted applicants - 170 Confirmed attendees - 137 Number of speakers - 14 Total Expenses - USD 24,611 Cost per attendee - 179.6 USD The first EA-aligned conference in Nigeria!  We [...] ---Outline:(01:03) Some Key Specifics(01:39) The first EA-aligned conference in Nigeria!(02:37) Summit Goal and Strategy(04:19) Attendees and Experience(07:18) Budgeting and Finances(10:14) Content(11:40) Production and Logistics(12:02) Dealing with Vendors:(12:28) Securing the Summit Venue:(13:26) Video Production and Photography(14:00) Printing(14:31) Logistics (Summit Day 1 and 2)(15:19) Communication and Event Tech(16:26) Some Additional Brief(17:12) Core Team and VolunteersThe original text contained 2 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: October 11th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/xyGYuoP8EfXmirdZg/retrospective-on-ea-nigeria-summit-our-successes-and --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.

Foreword Sadly, it looks like the debate week will end without many of the stronger[1] arguments for Global Health being raised, at least at the post level. I don't have time to write them all up, and in many cases they would be better written by someone with more expertise, but one issue is firmly in my comfort zone: the maths! The point I raise here is closely related to the Two Envelopes Problem, which has been discussed before. I think some of this discussion can come across as 'too technical', which is unfortunate since I think a qualitative understanding of the issue is critical to making good decisions when under substantial uncertainty. In this post I want to try and demystify it. This post was written quickly, and has a correspondingly high chance of error, for which I apologise. I am confident in the core point, and [...] ---Outline:(00:05) Foreword(00:59) Two envelopes: the EA version(02:59) What just happened?(04:17) Some implications(05:27) Global Health vs. Animal Welfare(07:28) ConclusionThe original text contained 3 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: October 13th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/atdmkTAnoPMfmHJsX/multiplier-arguments-are-often-flawed --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

I really loved this quick take from Lizka, especially this part: At the same time, trying to actually do anything is really hard.[4] Appreciation for doers is often undersupplied. Being in leadership positions or engaging in public discussions is a valuable service, but opens you up to a lot of (often stressful) criticism, which acts as a disincentive for being public. Psychological safety is important in teams (and communities), so it's unfortunate that critical environments lead more people to feel like they would be judged harshly for potential mistakes. Not all criticism is useful enough to be worth engaging with (or sharing). Responding to criticism can be time-consuming or otherwise costly and isn’t always worth it.[5] Sometimes people who are sharing “criticism” hate the project for reasons that aren’t what's explicitly stated, or just want to vent or build themselves up.[6] A lot of communities I've been part of-- [...] The original text contained 3 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: October 11th, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/tuSQBGgnoxvsXwXJ3/criticism-is-sanctified-in-ea-but-like-any-intervention --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.