Top all-time · #2941
Ben Reinhardt
Personal blog · benjaminreinhardt.comscienceeconomicscareer
Ben Reinhardt writes The Green Dragon, a personal blog at benjaminreinhardt.com about science, economics and career. Since 2018, 26 different Hacker News readers have linked it 30 times, most often “Why Does DARPA Work?”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2025-09-11, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (9) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers link Ben Reinhardt's posts on why DARPA works, ARPA-style research funding, and program managers. Commenters call the DARPA explainer the best available account and a long but worthwhile read.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 9 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Most-linked posts?
- Why Does DARPA Work?6 people · 6 mentions · first linked 2020-06-28
- Shifting the impossible to the inevitable: A Private ARPA user manual4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2021-05-06
- Grants only go so far4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2021-12-19
- The Endless Frontier Act3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2020-06-28
- Business networking for nerds (2017)3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2018-10-13
- Networking for Nerds2 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2021-08-09
- /fusion-never/2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2023-07-09
What Hacker News says?
Author here. I actually wrote a discussion of the Endless Frontier Act: https://benjaminreinhardt.com/the-endless-frontier-act/ I agree that the ARPA model is not suitable for all (or even the majority of research) and the act doesn't inspire confidence that shifting the NSF towards a DARPA-like model would do well.
Comment linking /the-endless-frontier-act/
on “Why Does DARPA Work?”Submitted Why Does DARPA Work? as a story · 347 points
HN discussionIf people are genuinely curious, this is the best explanation I've seen of why DARPA worked: https://benjaminreinhardt.com/wddw > The Advanced Research Projects Agency model is of an organization set up to maximize the agency and effectiveness of world-class program managers (PMs) who coordinate external research to midwife technology that wouldn’t otherwise happen (Programs.) > The model has changed over time, but…
Comment linking /wddw
on “UK to launch taxpayer-funded high-risk tech research agency exempt from FOI”Submitted Business networking for nerds (2017) as a story · 157 points
HN discussionLikely more than you ever wanted to know on the topic: https://benjaminreinhardt.com/wddw A couple things I'd pull out: Program managers sit limited terms to prevent empire building Program managers have a great deal of autonomy once funding is initially allocated DARPA has a high appetite for risk. They're ok with 90% of projects failing to hit their goal.
Comment linking /wddw
on “UK to launch taxpayer-funded high-risk tech research agency exempt from FOI”Submitted Shifting the impossible to the inevitable: A Private ARPA user manual as a story · 56 points
HN discussion> specifically in the federal government...unfortunately that is not likely to be the source of the next great tech innovator The federal government helps build and fund innovative research projects and private businesses. Notable examples include the Manhattan project, GPS, SpaceX, and the Internet. I’d bet the US government will continue to be a source, and assist other sources, of innovation. Edit: The following…
Comment linking /wddw
on “Viewpoint: 'I feel like I was accidentally hired'”Submitted The Endless Frontier Act as a story · 39 points
HN discussionNot about Bell Labs - https://benjaminreinhardt.com/parpa
Comment linking /parpa
on “Bringing back the golden days of Bell Labs”Submitted Networking for Nerds (2017) as a story · 6 points
HN discussionTo obligatory long-reads for anyone interested in DARPA model - Why does DARPA work? - https://benjaminreinhardt.com/wddw - A private ARPA user manual - https://benjaminreinhardt.com/parpa
Comment linking /parpa
on “A growing number of governments hope to clone DARPA”Submitted Shifting the impossible to the inevitable: a private ARPA user manual as a story · 3 points
HN discussionyep! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23670246 https://benjaminreinhardt.com/wddw took me almost a month to get through it but well worth the read.
Comment linking /wddw
on “Economics of Innovation: Detailed Reading List (2019)”Submitted Type I and Type II Progress as a story · 3 points
HN discussion> I didn't say I trust them. Ok, let me refresh your memory: "I don't know, that's what the experts say". Does that not sound like rhyming with "I trust them" to you? > No one else can be trusted to have a good take on this except the experts. Fusion is complex topic. Yes, fusion is a complex topic. But so is building fission nuclear power plants. If the experts in fission power plants keep telling you they can buil…
Comment linking /fusion-never/
on “Will better superconductors transform the world?”Submitted Grants Only Go So Far as a story · 2 points
HN discussionThe funding is really not that great, we are on the funding level described as "fusion never" ( https://benjaminreinhardt.com/fusion-never/ )
Comment linking /fusion-never/
on “Ask HN: Problems for the Next Decade”Submitted What are technology readiness levels and why should you care as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Networking for Nerds (2017) as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Grants only go so far as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Grants Only Go So Far as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Why Does DARPA Work? as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Networking for Nerds as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Predictably Successful Ideas as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Frontiers as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted Grants Only Go So Far as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted Networking for Nerds (2017) as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted Networking for Nerds (2017) as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted Making NSF more like DARPA? as a story · 1 points
HN discussion
