Benjamin Todd on the history of 80,000 Hours

Benjamin Todd on the history of 80,000 Hours

Author: The 80,000 Hours team December 2, 2023 Duration: 1:50:54

"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.

Links to learn more.

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

"Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue, original 1924 version" by Jason Weinberger is licensed under creative commons


From the team behind 80,000 Hours comes 80k After Hours, a companion podcast that ventures beyond the main feed's structured career advice. Here, the researchers and producers gather for more informal, wide-ranging conversations that reflect their ongoing curiosities. You'll hear discussions that dig into the nuances of effective altruism, grapple with complex ideas in philosophy and policy, and explore unexpected topics in culture and science-all through the lens of how we might better understand and improve the world. The tone is conversational and exploratory, often feeling like you're listening in on a lively lunch debate among experts who don't take themselves too seriously. While the core mission of finding impactful ways to do good remains, this podcast allows for the tangents, personal reflections, and deeper dives that don't always fit a standard format. It’s a space for the team to think out loud, test arguments, and share the interesting, sometimes quirky, material they're engaging with in their own work. For listeners of the main show, it offers valuable background and new perspectives; for newcomers, it provides an accessible entry point into a community of ideas focused on practical problem-solving and self improvement. Tune in for a blend of thoughtful documentary-style analysis, societal deep dives, and candid chats that aim to be both intellectually substantive and genuinely enjoyable.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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