Hi, I'm Max Dalton.

What I’m working on now

I’m doing various independent projects, including:

• Coaching some leaders
• Thinking for myself about AI and future macrostrategy stuff
• Helping to set up a new research group in Oxford - currently a set of seminars, maybe it turns into an org

I’m not sure how long I’ll keep doing these things - right now I’m enjoying the freedom and growth they’re giving me, but maybe I’ll get a normal job in a bit.

What I did before

Until 2023, I was the Executive Director of the Centre for Effective Altruism

CEA has driven the growth of the effective altruism and existential security communities, by bringing people together to discuss how we can most effectively improve the world. Its work has been one of the most important contributors to people doing critical work on emerging technologies, including AI safety.

When I took over, CEA was unfocused. I narrowed its remit by hiring experienced leaders for EA Funds and Giving What We Can, supporting their growth while part of CEA (45% and 300% annual growth respectively) and successfully spinning those projects out of CEA. I also closed the EA Grants program, redirecting applicants to EA Funds.

I then grew our most important programs:

• Our key metrics doubled each year (for instance, the number of connections made at our events grew 8.7x and the number of hours of engagement online grew by over 10x).
• We pioneered and grew new programs (training up local group leaders and providing an online course for people new to EA), helped to build up our community health function, and overhauled our online presence and communications (effectivealtruism.org).
• Headcount and budget grew to 40 people and $30m/year, and I’m very proud of the team and culture we built.

In late 2022, with the FTX crisis, my job changed from one I loved (building up a great team and product) to one that I couldn’t handle (dealing with lawyers and media), so I stepped down. Before leaving CEA, I led a successful search for a new CEO and advised throughout the transition. I then took a bit of time to work on my mental health, and I’m building back up!

(I joined CEA straight out of uni - in the couple of years before I became Exec Director I did various other projects, including helping to set up what-became-EA-Funds, revamping effectivealtruism.org, and some bits of research. Before that, I got a first in PPE at Balliol College, Oxford. You can read the gory details on LinkedIn.)

Important things in my life include:

• my wife Rose, our two kids, our families, a few close friends
• trying to figure out how the world works, and triangulate the experience of being a human with friends over cooking and eating
• a deep care for all living beings, including (especially?) nematodes
• circling, meditation, and embodiment (I keep this somewhat separate from work though)
• admitting and addressing my mistakes, and learning how to be a better human
• pushing myself to my physical limits and exploring the wild
• listening to (mostly classical/film) music
• cooking, both trying to hone technique and experimenting with new combinations
• writing and exploring ideas
• reading/listening to intuitive explanations of bits of science/maths/history
• giving 10% of my income to effective charities

You can give me feedback anonymously here.