One year, 41M digits: How Luke Durant found the largest known prime number

> The discovery was the result of almost exactly one year of work and about $2 million of Durant’s own money.

> Durant, who made his money off the boom, said he put his time and money into the project to show people that they aren’t helpless to technology giants and that we can figure out massive problems if we work together.

If I sold absolutely everything I owned, I would not even have close to half of what it Durant invested in his pet project. While I like his intended sentiment, I can't help but notice the irony.

"If I sold absolutely everything I owned"

Quite. I get the point but why not volunteer (to do something) and really show your grit?

Pissing around with M primes and trying to make a point is a bit wank as a stance from a multi-zillionaire.

He isn't helpless (to technology giants and that we can figure out massive problems if we work together.)

... and that's lovely.

Yeah I’m totally fine with him spending his money on whatever hobby he likes, but the message is just strange, this and the other message that “he wants [GPUs] to be used for research and discovery”. And donating the $3k prize money to his high school to advance math and science education after burning $2m… It’s obviously still a nice thing, but why would you even mention it…

That said, maybe he felt pressured to give the reporter more than “I was just having fun”.