scrape_r_rational/data/cache/2ujgos.md

If I Just Proved That P = NP, How Do I Start Taking Over the World?

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• u/None:

  You aren't really guaranteed anything practically useful just from P=NP. Suppose you find an algorithm to (efficiently) transform any NP-Complete problem into a problem that can be solved with time complexity O(n^(3|||3)), but which cannot be optimized further. That algorithm is squarely in P, and you have just proved P=NP. But good luck actually getting anything done with that.
  

• u/None:

  This assumes you won't get easily caught by tracing the transactions or that you'll instantly know how to use the proof to make an algorithm to solve all those problems. Proving P=NP publicly would probably make you insanely famous from the start anyway.
  

  • u/itisike:

    If you're smart enough to prove it, you probably have enough knowledge to make the algorithm. And obviously you don't prove it publically.
    

    • u/CthulhuIsTheBestGod:

      Not necessarily, it could be a non-constructive proof, and the actual algorithm might not even be suggested by the proof.
      

• u/Qwertzcrystal:

  Nice try.
  
  Well, I guess you could keep quiet and develop efficient algorithms for many problems used in cryptography, finance/trading, logistics and simulation research, if you are actually able to derive these from your proof. Then patent them all, sell on a provisional basis by their profitability and somehow use all the money to take over the world. And hire some bodyguards.
  

  • u/MoralRelativity:

    And some very good lawyers.
    

  • u/derefr:

    I choose to believe this would be Lex Luthor's path in a rationalist!Superman story.
    

• u/TimTravel:

  There are probably some brokenly powerful AI things you can do, to give the universal answer this sub usually gives.
  

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