Geoff Hinton and I have notoriously disagreed for years on many things. On his new post, I am in full 100% agreement:
History will judge Musk harshly, for many reasons, including what he has done to science (as I discussed here last a few weeks ago).
Brian Wandell, Director of the Stanford Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging, has described the situation on the ground concisely:
The cuts are abrupt, unplanned, and made without consultation. They are indiscriminate and lack strategic consideration.
Funding for graduate students across all STEM fields is being reduced. Critical staff who maintain shared research facilities are being lost. Research on advanced materials for computing, software for medical devices, and new disease therapies—along with many other vital projects—is being delayed or halted.
Please call your congress people and come Stand up for Science, March 7, in DC and 31 other cities across the US.
Gary Marcus is broken-hearted by what has happened to research institutions in the US in recent weeks. Institutions that took decades to build are being rapidly disassembled, for no good reason.