Metaculus

Forecasting platform and community improving prediction accuracy.

Santa Cruz, USA
Founded 2015

Company Links

Industries

ScienceMathematicsTechnology

Funding

Philanthropically FundedRevenue Generating

Narrative

Metaculus fostered innovation through a culture deeply rooted in quantified forecasting and collaborative learning. The platform's core methodology centers on aggregating diverse perspectives into a single, weighted probability distribution for future events. This "wisdom of the crowd" approach, coupled with a rigorous scoring system that rewards accurate predictions and incentivizes continuous improvement, fostered a unique environment where forecasters actively challenge each other's assumptions and refine their models. Metaculus embraces radical transparency by making all predictions, reasoning, and associated data publicly available, encouraging open research and replication while accelerating the collective learning process.

This distinctive culture emerged organically, driven by a core group of intellectually curious individuals passionate about applying probabilistic reasoning to real-world problems. Its initial growth was amplified by a desire to improve the accuracy of predictions related to long-term global risks, filling a crucial gap in traditional forecasting methodologies. By offering a platform for accessible, quantifiable predictions, Metaculus not only attracts a diverse pool of forecasters globally but also empowers them to collectively identify biases, refine forecasting techniques, and ultimately drive more accurate and informed decision-making.

Key People

  • Name: Nate Soares

    • Relationship: Founder
    • Bio Snippet: One of the original creators of Metaculus, known for his work in rationality and forecasting.
  • Name: Jessicata

    • Relationship: Key Member, Community Manager (formerly)
    • Bio Snippet: Played a significant role in building and moderating the Metaculus community.
  • Name: Many other contributors and users.

    • Relationship: Community Members, Forecasters
    • Bio Snippet: A large, diverse group responsible for the platform's forecasting data and success. Individual identification would require more extensive research.

Related Entities

  • Type of Relationship: Influenced By

    • Name of Related Entity: Forecasting community, prediction markets, Good Judgment Project
    • Detail: Metaculus is a prediction market platform inspired by and learning from existing forecasting communities and prediction market research, particularly the Good Judgment Project's success.
  • Type of Relationship: Collaborated With

    • Name of Related Entity: Various researchers and academics
    • Detail: Metaculus collaborates with researchers to improve forecasting methods and analyze prediction data.
  • Type of Relationship: Competitor

    • Name of Related Entity: PredictIt (defunct), Manifold Markets, Polymarket
    • Detail: Metaculus competes with other prediction market platforms for users and forecasters.
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