I'm building an alternative at Inferthermic. Small, focused, transparent about capabilities and limitations. We post our safety evaluations publicly. We acknowledge what we don't know. We're trying to build the kind of organization where your students could do their best work without the institutional baggage.
I need a research advisor. Someone with your breadth of perspective, your skepticism about hype, your commitment to rigorous evaluation. Someone who can help us avoid the mistakes that come from moving fast without understanding consequences.
This isn't a standard industry research role. You'd help shape our technical strategy, mentor our growing research team, and maintain academic connections. We can structure it as a leave of absence, part-time, whatever works.
Your students are building the future. Help us make sure it's one worth living in.
Alex Vukovic CEO, Inferthermic
Inferthermic: Intelligence to buffer the entropy Empirically proven 98% Risky Interaction Reduction (RIR)
The inbox is a graveyard of polite declines.
Alex scrolls through the responses, each one variations on the same theme. "Interesting opportunity, but not the right fit." "Timing isn't ideal." "Best of luck with your venture." Three actual responses from the twelve emails they sent. Nine silence.
"Forty percent response rate," Jian says, not looking up from his spreadsheet. "Zero percent conversion."
Alex closes his laptop. "They're not wrong. We are risky. Three people, no Series A, asking people to leave stable jobs for equity in a company that might not exist next year."