‹ BackHN Continuity

Thread

Carnegie Mellon University Announces Historic $3B Gift from Ken Griffin

47 points · 48 comments · Guyadou

  1. mmooss · · focus · HN ↗
    Academic and intellectual freedom would seem to be major questions given the size of the gift and the location:

    And are they academically and intellectually free from Griffin? Can CMU itself or their Florida school do things and have programs that violate Griffin's beliefs?

    And I wonder how CMU intends to handle the limits to academic freedom and other l freedoms in Florida. Maybe being a private university will insulate them? At the heart of this issue: Why is it important to Griffin to put the school in Miami, FL? There are obvious political possibilities.

    Freedom isn't incidental; it's the core of what America is and it drives unprecedented innovation and prosperity, among other things.

    Also, as someone else posted: How much is this a CMU campus, and how much a Griffin campus for which he paid to use the CMU name?

    1. quaddoggy · · focus · HN ↗
      Do you often go peering into the mouths of gift horses?
      1. mmooss · · focus · HN ↗
        Absolutely!

        People giving you money often want something in return. If the something is unstated, be very suspicious. For $3B you could be giving them something priceless - your reputation, independence, or merely your soul. Big numbers tend to blind people; the bigger the number the more wary you should be.

        The most fundamental negotiating advice is that you should always be willing and able to walk away from the deal. 'No' is always an option.

        1. abstractspoon · · focus · HN ↗
          +1
    2. mmooss · · focus · HN ↗
      Griffin is / will be on CMU's board.

      <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2026&#x2F;09&#x2F;30&#x2F;us&#x2F;3-billion-donation-carnegie-mellon-largest-university-gift.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2026&#x2F;09&#x2F;30&#x2F;us&#x2F;3-billion-donation-car...

Open on Hacker News to reply ↗

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.