To me this is like arguing that something like high frequency trading is ok because it doesn’t generate c02. The reality is that hundreds of millions in wasted human capital, particularly the best mathematical minds on the planet, is extremely costly. That much human capital, if allocated correctly, could likely do a lot to offset climate change, for example, among many other positive things.

Sure, go ahead and start a new project. Money's cheap with zero interest rates, funding startups has been ridiculously easy for the past 10 years.