HN Showcase
Back to browse
I Built Paul Graham's Social Media Math/Logic CAPTCHA Idea

I Built Paul Graham's Social Media Math/Logic CAPTCHA Idea

by nowflux·May 7, 2026·1 point·3 comments
Visit ProjectView on HN

AI Analysis

●MidBold Bet

Paul Graham's CAPTCHA idea implemented, but friction may kill network effects before quality improves.

Strengths
  • •Retired standardized test questions provide legitimate logic challenges rather than trivial puzzles.
  • •Daily question requirement maintains ongoing engagement with critical thinking exercises.
Weaknesses
  • •High friction onboarding will struggle to reach critical mass against frictionless competitors.
  • •No clear moderation strategy beyond the gate; bad actors can still pass logic tests.
Category
Social
Target Audience

Users frustrated with low-quality social media discussions

Similar To

LessWrong · Hacker News · Substack Notes

Post Description

PG has posted many times about improving social media discussions using a simple math / logic CAPTCHA [1][2][3][4] - "I have often sensed that a really easy math CAPTCHA would improve conversations about economic inequality.", "Make users pass a test on basic concepts like the distinction between necessary and sufficient conditions before they can tweet."

I built one using a mix of simple math, logic, reasoning questions from social media posts and retired standardized test questions.

- Invites are temporarily open to HN users.

- Onboarding test + one daily question before accessing feed, post or reply.

Updated post after addressing feedback on questions and technical issues in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47663207

[1] https://x.com/paulg/status/1235949761359904768 [2] https://x.com/paulg/status/1576517990182359040 [3] https://x.com/paulg/status/1514979883948126209 [4] https://x.com/paulg/status/1505842647319126016

Similar Projects