Beware of Incentive Bias and Self-Justification
davidmanheim · x · 2026-07-19
The author shares a reflection: under the drive of self-interest, people often don't realize they are acting irrationally. Instead, they package decisions they know are flawed as brilliant strategies 'beneficial to humanity.' Using FTX's regulatory capture and monopolistic urges as examples, the comment warns practitioners in the 'Scaling Era': when incentives are poorly designed, self-persuasion becomes incredibly strong, making it easy to justify power expansion as a greater mission.
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