The hottest Substack posts right now

according to Hacker News
Category

Unfrozen caveman journalist

The Charlotte Ledger • 432 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
💼 Business Subscription Model Small business
  1. The author started The Charlotte Ledger in 2019 to address the lack of high-quality local information in Charlotte.
  2. They chose a subscription-based business model over advertising, focusing on serving readers rather than chasing clicks.
  3. The team at The Charlotte Ledger has steadily grown, expanded their content, and prioritized quality journalism to attract and retain subscribers.

448: Tyranny of Marginal Users, Twitter Paywall, Airbnb AI, Softbank, Microsoft + Nintendo?, Renaissance Tech, and Rodrigo y Gabriela

Liberty’s Highlights • 432 implied HN points • 20 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Virtual reality Social media Artificial Intelligence Gaming Documentaries
  1. Question the norm and be open to different ways of doing things.
  2. Be cautious of catering solely to marginal users in product design.
  3. Consider the implications of platforms like Twitter potentially implementing paywalls.

SwirlAI Table of Contents

SwirlAI Newsletter • 432 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Systems Thinking Data Engineering MLOps System Design
  1. The newsletter provides a Table of Contents with more than 90 topics, making it easier to find the content of interest.
  2. Topics covered include Data Engineering fundamentals, Spark architecture, Kafka use cases, MLOps deployment processes, System Design examples, and more.
  3. If interested, it's recommended to support the author's work by subscribing and sharing the content.
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New DARPA Tidbit

FOIA Around And Find Out • 432 implied HN points • 28 May 23
🕹 Technology Government Security
  1. ODNI engaged DARPA for litigation consultation on October 7, 2016 attribution statement
  2. Connection between Alfa Bank researchers, DARPA, and DNC hack attribution being explored
  3. Progress being made in uncovering information related to the DNC hack

MCP Is Just an API

The API Changelog • 9 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Integration Product AI APIs Developer Tools Standards Security Governance
  1. MCP is basically another kind of API that lets LLMs access live data and perform real-time actions, making agents more useful.
  2. The spec is evolving fast and now has major industry backing, which pushes it toward becoming a reliable standard. That rapid change also creates adoption, versioning, and security gaps that need tooling, best practices, and governance.
  3. API product teams and existing OpenAPI practices are well placed to manage MCPs, since good API design leads to better MCP servers and the ecosystem will need product-focused governance, gateways, and UI/app support.

Long-Chain Marketing: How Data Engineering & Data Management Create Value For The Business

High ROI Data Science • 297 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
💼 Business Data Engineering Marketing Value Creation Data Management
  1. Understanding the long-chain in marketing is crucial for connecting business outcomes with data and metrics.
  2. Data engineering and knowledge management are essential for transforming data into valuable assets that can be monetized by the business.
  3. Long-chain marketing involves seeing marketing efforts as part of a longer sequence of actions that lead to business outcomes, rather than standalone events.

Mach 1 with Python!

Bite code! • 733 implied HN points • 19 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Hardware Engineering Software IOT Programming
  1. You can measure distance using sonar technology, which was once considered advanced but is now easily available and affordable for projects like Raspberry Pi.
  2. Creating fun experiences, like detecting when people pass through a giant Mario pipe and playing a sound, requires careful planning and some troubleshooting.
  3. Working with hardware can be tricky, as it often involves dealing with unexpected issues and requires patience, but it can lead to creative and playful outcomes.

GroupBy #39: 2000+ DBT models in airflow; Serverless Jupyter Notebooks at Meta

VuTrinh. • 59 implied HN points • 11 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Data Engineering Software Development Analytics Cloud Computing Data science
  1. Meta has developed a serverless Jupyter Notebook platform that runs directly in web browsers, making data analysis more accessible.
  2. Airflow is being used to manage over 2000 DBT models, which helps teams create and maintain their own data models effectively.
  3. Building a data platform from scratch can be a valuable learning experience, revealing important lessons about data structure and management.

TBM 327: Hot Takes and Parochial Altruism

The Beautiful Mess • 674 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Innovation Tech Culture Social Issues Work dynamics
  1. Many people in tech show strong loyalty to their group but criticize those outside of it. This behavior can create division and blame against those who are seen as different or less capable.
  2. The tech industry is experiencing a lot of mixed emotions, with issues like job losses and pressure to perform leading people to cling to their own groups for support and validation.
  3. It's important to reflect on how our own biases shape our views of others. Being aware of our reactions and the impact of societal pressures can help us respond more thoughtfully to negative talk.

Under the microscope: The Weakest Link (PlayStation, PlayStation 2)

Rings of Saturn • 43 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Console gaming Tools Reverse Engineering Gaming
  1. The PlayStation game contains undocumented QA cheat codes that let you move the menu on-screen, reveal the correct answers during the fourth question, and shortcuts to shorten or instantly finish a round (which can also give a resume password).
  2. The championship password system was fully decoded: there are 72 passwords encoded as a starting character plus eight two‑bit moves, the full set and a decoding script are available, and the PS2 port uses the same password logic.
  3. These secrets were discovered by comparing memory snapshots and using Ghidra to find and decompile input-handling functions, showing how reverse engineering can expose leftover developer and QA tools.

Starting from scratch: advice on building a career and finding an audience on Substack

Substack • 1537 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
💼 Business Career Community Creativity Writing Audience Building
  1. Starting a newsletter on Substack from scratch can lead to significant growth and opportunities.
  2. Substack empowers creators to find success without waiting for traditional publishing gatekeepers.
  3. Building a community through Substack can be key to achieving success, even when starting anonymously.

Data and Defensibility

Pivotal • 384 implied HN points • 12 Apr 25
💼 Business Competitive Analysis Data Strategy Market Trends Tech Innovation Startup Growth
  1. Data is becoming essential for business success and can create a competitive advantage, known as a 'moat'. It helps companies keep their customers and stay ahead of rivals.
  2. There are two main types of data advantages: controlling unique data and creating positive feedback loops with data. Both can help businesses grow and fend off competitors.
  3. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your data advantages is crucial. Companies need to know how to maintain their edge and adapt as technology and markets change.

Clouded Judgement 1.30.26 - Software is Dead...Again!

Clouded Judgement • 15 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
💼 Business Markets AI Software SaaS Valuation Investing
  1. SaaS valuations are at decade lows — the median NTM revenue multiple is about 4.1x and FCF multiples have fallen sharply while growth rates are also weak (median NTM growth ~12%).
  2. Investor confidence in the SaaS business model has been shaken because AI and the much lower marginal cost to build software increase competition, threaten retention, and raise the chance that some companies have little or no terminal value.
  3. Markets will likely only recover if companies show stable retention and resilient cash flows despite AI challengers over multiple quarters, and early reports (e.g., ServiceNow) haven’t yet shown widespread retention declines.

Why reverse benchmarking works

A Bit Gamey • 33 implied HN points • 28 Dec 25
💼 Business Positioning Marketing Branding Product Strategy Innovation Startups
  1. Instead of copying market leaders, look for what they can’t do and compete on that different axis. Being meaningfully different in one area can beat being slightly better at the same things they already do.
  2. Big companies optimize measurable metrics and therefore create blind spots like intimacy, humour, or meaning. Small players can own these unmeasured dimensions to attract loyal customers.
  3. People respond to stories and contrast more than features, so changing the frame often beats pure optimisation. Don’t try to run the same race faster — find a race the leader can’t enter.

A Mean Reversion Strategy with 2.11 Sharpe

Quant Trading Rules • 79 implied HN points • 20 May 24
💰 Finance Risk management Trading Strategies Investing
  1. A mean reversion strategy was tested with rules involving computing rolling means and using the IBS indicator, focusing on bouncing back from market drops.
  2. Implementing a market regime filter significantly reduced drawdowns and exposure time, improving the Sharpe ratio and reducing drawdown durations.
  3. By incorporating a long & short strategy, trading QQQ in bull markets and PSQ in bear markets, a good balance of Sharpe ratio, annual returns, and maximum drawdown was achieved.

Apply to the Moku Guild Boost Program now!

Ronin’s Newsletter • 24 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
🔮 Crypto Community Competitions Gaming Grants Tokens
  1. Moku's Guild Boost Program offers grants (up to $50,000 per applicant) to help guilds prepare for Grand Arena Season 1.
  2. Any guild with at least 10 members can apply (competitive experience is optional), and applications are open until two weeks after Season 1 launches or until funds run out.
  3. Guild leaders apply via the online form, wait for approval, add @hantao on Discord, and receive grant funds to buy gems, cards, packs, or contest entries.

The Few Who Move the Many: Standout & Straggler Firms in Leading-Country Industrial Productivity

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 230 implied HN points • 03 Jul 25
💼 Business Innovation Industrial Policy Economics Productivity Management
  1. A few standout companies drive most of the economic growth in leading countries. These companies often make significant advancements that push their industries forward.
  2. It's important to support these successful firms because they create innovations that benefit the whole economy. By helping them grow, we can spread their positive impact more widely.
  3. The U.S. has more standout firms and does a better job reallocating resources from weaker companies. This flexibility fosters growth and encourages risk-taking, which other countries can learn from.

How this solo-dev 'incremental' game hit 100k+ sales!

The GameDiscoverCo newsletter • 235 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Game Engines Artificial Intelligence Gaming Piracy
  1. The solo-developed 'incremental' game Gnorp Apologue sold over 120k copies in a month on Steam.
  2. The game attracted players and YouTubers with unexpected upgrades, swift scaling, and adorable pixel art helpers.
  3. The developer priced the game low at $6.99 to make it accessible and enjoyable for players, leading to its unexpected success.

Accountability and Authority

In My Tribe • 683 implied HN points • 25 Nov 24
💼 Business Management Authority Accountability Leadership Bureaucracy
  1. Clear job descriptions should state the authority and the accountability of a role. This helps everyone know who is responsible for what.
  2. Bureaucracy tends to make it hard to point fingers when something goes wrong. In businesses, leaders try to keep accountability clear, unlike in government.
  3. When people have less authority in their jobs, it's harder to hold them accountable for results. Finding the right balance is crucial for effectiveness.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #153

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 205 implied HN points • 18 Jul 25
🕹 Technology AI Biotechnology Automation Data Centers Investment
  1. There are massive investments in AI infrastructure, mainly in Pennsylvania, with companies like Google and Blackstone pledging billions to build data centers. This investment is expected to create many jobs and boost the local economy.
  2. Meta is working on building a huge data center called Hyperion, which will provide lots of power for AI development. They plan to invest around $70 billion in AI this year, which could lead to significant advancements in their products.
  3. A new study shows that a technique called three-person IVF can produce healthy children by combining DNA from three people to prevent genetic diseases. This could change how families with these conditions approach reproduction.

Insuring Progress

Model Thinking • 259 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
💼 Business Innovation Regulation Technology Urban Development Costs
  1. Replacing process-based regulations with outcome-based regulations can help boost British growth in sectors like childcare, energy, and housing
  2. Introducing Mandatory Insurance Schemes in sectors with low-probability, high-downside events can incentivize safety compliance and ensure victims get compensated
  3. Outcome-based regulations can lead to cost-effective safety procedures, technological innovation, and more resilient policy reforms, thereby helping Britain move forward in various industries

Investors Are Looking for Market Opportunity, Not Just Size | VC Remote Jobs & More

Venture Curator • 219 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
💼 Business Startup funding Venture Capital Investors Pitching
  1. Investors prioritize understanding the market opportunity over just focusing on market size. They want to see a detailed bottom-up approach that showcases how a business will attract and retain customers.
  2. Entrepreneurs should move away from the typical market size slide in pitches. Instead, they should emphasize showing investors a deep understanding of the market opportunity at an individual customer level.
  3. Investors are interested in startups that create new markets rather than compete in established markets. Building a bottom-up model focusing on customer acquisition and satisfaction is critical in pitching to investors.

Embedded Online Conference 2024: My Summary

burkhardstubert • 79 implied HN points • 20 May 24
🕹 Technology Embedded Systems Programming Languages Artificial Intelligence Software Development
  1. Using a top-down approach in software development helps avoid costly mistakes by getting early feedback from customers. It also reduces the blame on software developers when hardware is late.
  2. AI and machine learning can greatly boost productivity in embedded systems by automating repetitive tasks. They can help with coding, documentation, and even testing, making development smoother.
  3. Integrating open source components into embedded systems needs thorough safety analysis. A system bill of materials (SysBoM) helps track interactions and dependencies, ensuring safety and reliability.

Turing Coda: From The AI Mailbag

Technohumanism • 19 implied HN points • 06 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Human factors Cognitive Science Philosophy of Mind
  1. The term 'artificial intelligence' was created as a marketing concept and doesn’t fully capture the complexities of human consciousness. Imitation isn't the same as true intelligence or awareness.
  2. Desire and emotions are central to human thinking, which machines try to replicate but can't truly understand. It's not enough for a machine to just perform tasks; it must have human-like motivations and feelings.
  3. The debate on whether humans are just machines reveals a longing for certainty in our understanding of consciousness. People act with free will, which challenges the idea that we are purely mechanical beings.

OpenAI Introduces New Healthcare‑Focused AI Tools

philsiarri • 22 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Healthcare AI APIs Data Privacy Regulation Model Evaluation Enterprise Software
  1. OpenAI released a healthcare product suite—ChatGPT for Healthcare plus a healthcare API—designed to automate documentation, surface evidence with clear citations, and plug into hospital systems and policies to reduce administrative burden.
  2. The GPT-5.2 models were evaluated by hundreds of clinicians using frameworks like HealthBench and GDPval, and early real‑world studies report fewer diagnostic and treatment errors when the tools are used under proper clinician oversight.
  3. Health systems and vendors are already embedding these tools for chart summarization, care coordination, discharge workflows, translation, appointment scheduling, and ambient documentation, with HIPAA‑aligned controls (BAAs, audit logs, data residency, and customer‑managed keys) to keep PHI under organizational control.

Import AI 321: Open source GPT3; giving away democracy to AGI companies; GPT-4 is a political artifact

Import AI • 599 implied HN points • 20 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Language Models Model Training AI Research Ethical Implications
  1. AI startup Assembly AI developed Conformer-1 using scaling laws for speech recognition domain, achieving better performance than other models.
  2. The announcement of GPT-4 by OpenAI signifies a shift towards a new political era in AI, raising concerns on the power wielded by private sector companies over AGI development.
  3. James Phillips highlights concerns over Western governments relinquishing control of AGI to US-owned private sector, proposing steps to safeguard democratic control over AI development.

The Bear Cave #259

The Bear Cave • 513 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
💰 Finance Corporate Governance Market Analysis Investing Financial regulation
  1. New reports from activist investors reveal concerns about companies like Mercury General and FTAI Aviation. These reports suggest significant financial issues and mismanagement that could affect stock prices.
  2. There's a new tool called FOIAsearch.com that makes it easier to find information about SEC investigations and FOIA requests. This can help investors spot potential problems in companies earlier.
  3. Recent executive resignations in companies like Compass Minerals and NextEra Energy indicate instability. Frequent leadership changes can create uncertainty about the company's future.

Ampere Computing is probably dead.

Irrational Analysis • 79 implied HN points • 20 May 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Market Analysis Tech startups Competition
  1. Ampere Computing is likely facing challenges as most of their customers have transitioned to other solutions.
  2. Despite unique product advantages, Ampere Computing is struggling as customers are moving to alternatives in the market.
  3. Lack of transparency on technical details raises doubts about Ampere Computing's innovation and competitiveness in the semiconductor industry.

The Last Laptop You'll Ever Need For Crypto

DeFi Education • 1019 implied HN points • 07 Feb 23
🔮 Crypto Hardware Education Finance Software Security
  1. Many people have lost lots of money in crypto scams, and hackers are getting smart. Good security is super important for keeping your money safe.
  2. There's a new laptop designed specifically for crypto security. It uses special software and tools to protect your data and makes it easier to use safely.
  3. This laptop isn't for everyone—it's aimed at serious users like business owners and developers who handle a lot of money. If you're not tech-savvy, it could save you headaches.

Yen’s Short-Term Fluctuations and Long-Term Weakness

Japan Economy Watch • 299 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
💰 Finance Economy Trade Interest Rates Inflation Currency
  1. Short-term fluctuations of the yen depend on interest rate gaps between Japan and the US, influencing investors to buy/sell yen.
  2. Long-term weakness of the yen is influenced by the competitiveness of Japanese exports, affecting the overall value of the yen.
  3. The purchasing power of the yen relative to its trading partners has decreased significantly over the past 50 years, impacting Japanese households and companies.