Complexity theorist Steven Rudich (1961-2024)

5 hours ago

The author began graduate school at Berkeley in 1985, where Steven Rudich was the theory group's unofficial student leader.
After moving to MIT in 1986, the author interacted with Rudich at conferences and institutional visits, learning about natural proofs from his talk at the University of Chicago and debating its importance.
Steven Rudich passed away due to health issues, and Russell Impagliazzo, a friend since Wesleyan, wrote a personal, moving eulogy recommended by the author and Scott Aaronson.
The response highlights Impagliazzo's honest write-up as powerful and notes challenges in accommodating rare personal cases in academia.

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