Quoting Jake Boggan

Blog · Watch/Read · (gathered 2026-10-14)

• The quote from Jake Boggan on Hacker News captures the complex emotional experience of a researcher learning that a problem they dedicated decades to, Barnette’s Conjecture, has been solved, particularly in the context of “openai/math.”
• Boggan, who spent “thousands of hours” over 24 years on the graph theory problem, describes his reaction as “sad in a far-off way, like hearing an ex-girlfriend died suddenly,” highlighting the deep personal attachment to the intellectual pursuit itself.
• The advent of AI-driven solutions to long-standing problems will likely evoke “odd emotions” among human experts, challenging the traditional value placed on the journey of discovery and the human role in intellectual breakthroughs.