I'm not Chilean, but I live here and I've discussed this with Chileans and people abroad. First, the money is not that much (especially for people from richer countries). Second, the idea is not that they are buying a company, but that they are bootstrapping an attitude. And I think that is working. Look at startechconf, dynlangchile, huevapi, first tuesday, etc etc...

PS Are you guys here? Drop me an email when you arrive if you need anything ([email protected]) although I am not well-connected here it's always nice to chat in English (I'm a programmer - work from home for an American company...).

I'm chilean, and I very much agree with you. I'm not sure about the strength or real impact in the long run, since this depends on the government and government changes every 4 years. In any case, I think it's a great initiative and would never say they are wasting our money.

PS: I'm the founder of a chilean startup, I have a few contacts here and there, and would love to keep connecting with other hackers and startup enthusiasts. My contact info is in my profile.

Huh? This guy is already reporting profits he will almost certainly be spending in Chile. So his participation will probably end up being a net positive for Chile even if you don't include the value of his knowledge and experience in creating a top-1000 site.

Part of the money already got it's worth for appearing on the front page of HN :) Everybody needs to manage their project, it's a big market and all this from someone who's been there and done that.

If you think that's wasteful - bad news, that's how governments work in general. A good example of the 4 ways to spend money: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RDMdc5r5z8

The way to get a good economy is to get rid of obstacles, not for the government to try to pick winners. Less red tape and lower taxes would be better.

Is your point from the fact that the author isn't Chilean or that your government is running this program in the first place?

I don't have any problem with the fact that the author isn't chilean but I'd prefer projects like the Show HN and weekend project links posted on HN.

And I'm not sure how these things (government giving money to private companies) are 'working' since we're recently having a huge problem dealing with corruption.

I don't know much about the product, it seemed a bit sparse after looking quickly. However, I think the point is not what it looks like now, but what will it look like next year after the investment. A project management app is probably general enough to be beneficial to the country.

I agree, this is program is a fraud on Chile's taxpayers. Chile's economy is relatively successful because it is one of the most free-market in Latin America, and this program of directed government investment is a turn away from that tradition.

no it's not. the government has many investment programs. it's a mixed economy like any other.

what a weird comment. are you american?