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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   3028 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of August 10, 2026

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I wouldn't be surprised. In 2024 he claimed his salary was $12,000/year, in this interview

Dwarkesh Patel

Wait if you’re doing $900-1000/month and you’re sustaining yourself on that, that must mean you’re sustaining yourself on less than $12,000 a year. What is your lifestyle like at $12K?

Gwern

I live in the middle of nowhere. I don't travel much, or eat out, or have health insurance, or anything like that. I cook my own food. I use a free gym. There was this time when the floor of my bedroom began collapsing. It was so old that the humidity had decayed the wood. We just got a bunch of scrap wood and a joist and propped it up. If it lets in some bugs, oh well! I live like a grad student, but with better ramen. I don't mind it much since I spend all my time reading anyway.

Dwarkesh Patel

It's still surprising to me that you can make rent, take care of your cat, deal with any emergencies, all of that on $12K a year.

Gwern

I'm lucky enough to be in excellent health and to have had no real emergencies to date. This can't last forever, and so it won't. I'm definitely not trying to claim that this is any kind of ideal lifestyle, or that anyone else could or should try to replicate my approach! I got lucky with Bitcoin and with being satisfied with living like a monk and with my health.

Although that may have changed, for example this guy claims he'd pay gwern $50-100k to live in SF, at least I'm sure the interview caused some increase to his Patreon.

He says as much in the quote, yes.

at least I'm sure the interview caused some increase to his Patreon.

Based on the most conservative estimate possible, he makes at least £2,000 per month from Patreon. It doesn't show the $ amount for me, but that's about $2,700. So $32,400 per year.

A more realistic amount would be double that (I can see £2, £4 and £8 tiers) so about $64,000 per year.

EDIT: It looks like you can join his Patreon without paying, so who knows?

If you scroll down on the About page you can see the number of paid members (280).

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