The hottest Substack posts right now

according to Hacker News
Category

The New Startup Scene in China - and What it Means

Christopher’s Newsletter • 334 implied HN points • 02 Jun 23
💼 Business Startups Technology Innovation Entrepreneurship Global Market
  1. Chinese startups focus on AI innovation like in the US, with unique strengths and challenges.
  2. Entrepreneurs in China are shifting focus to address big societal issues with government support.
  3. China's tech talent and companies are advancing rapidly, but face uncertainties with regulations and global competition.
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UnitedHealth Group's Q2 2023 earnings report shows billion dollar gains in pharmacy benefit business, tax-funded programs

HEALTH CARE un-covered • 459 implied HN points • 17 Jul 23
💰 Finance Market Trends Insurance Earnings Reports Investments Healthcare
  1. UnitedHealth Group reported a big increase in revenue and profits, mainly from its pharmacy benefit business and taxpayer-funded programs. They made over $12 billion more than last year.
  2. The company saw significant growth in its Medicare and Medicaid programs, with enrollment in these government programs increasing faster than in traditional commercial plans.
  3. UnitedHealth's Optum division, which provides healthcare services, is growing rapidly, allowing the company to manage costs better and avoid paying out more in claims.

DRAFT: Prosperity & "Utopia": The Moving Target :: History of Economic Growth Lecture Notes 1.5

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 199 implied HN points • 17 Jun 25
📖 Philosophy Cultural critique Historical Analysis Political Philosophy Economic Theory
  1. Utopias represent different ideas of a perfect society, like order, simplicity, pleasure, freedom, and collective purpose. However, real examples often don't match these ideals.
  2. Economic growth is important, but it doesn't guarantee happiness or satisfaction. It's complicated because people might just want more, rather than knowing what truly makes them happy.
  3. Historical models of societies like Sparta, Arcadia, and Rome show that chasing perfection can lead to problems. It's vital to think critically about what we truly want from life.

You're not a true software engineer unless...

A Perfectly Cromulent Software Engineer • 99 implied HN points • 07 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Online Communities Alcoholism Humor Tech community
  1. In some tech communities, there's a concept called 'No True Scotsman' fallacy where group definitions get reshaped to exclude counterexamples.
  2. Humor in tech, especially when joking about expertise, can inadvertently lead to gatekeeping and exclusion, promoting dogmatism and fragmentation.
  3. Tech choices should not define our worth or belonging - divisive jokes can lead to isolated communities that hinder growth and acceptance.

YC Partner: Avoid These Tempting Startup Ideas - Tarpit Ideas | VC Remote Jobs & More

Venture Curator • 179 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Startups Venture Capital Investing Jobs
  1. Avoid 'Tarpit Ideas' in startups, which have an oversupply of founders but low market demand.
  2. Consumer startups are risky due to high competition, user demands, and timing challenges.
  3. Identify Tarpit Ideas by spotting survivor bias, seeking second-order innovations or difficult-to-scale ideas, and pivot by understanding supply-demand dynamics.

Economics Links, 6/2/2025

In My Tribe • 212 implied HN points • 02 Jun 25
💰 Finance Regulation Macroeconomics Policy Banking Cryptocurrency
  1. Closing the FCC could be beneficial, as it often invents new reasons to exist. Some of its functions could be better managed by other government departments.
  2. Trump's idea to make Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae public while keeping government guarantees could lead to problems. This could mean private companies profit while taxpayers take on the risks.
  3. There's some hope in the economy as service costs are stabilizing, suggesting capitalism might be doing better than thought. This could mean a brighter future for the middle class.

Building a Simple Live Streaming Platform[System Design Sundays]

Technology Made Simple • 119 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Coding Software Engineering System Design Live Streaming Platforms
  1. When designing a live streaming platform like Twitch, key steps include ingestion, transcoding, packaging, CDN utilization, and database management.
  2. Challenges like low latency, scalability, and reliability must be addressed for the success of a live streaming platform.
  3. To enhance a streaming service further, consider advanced technologies like adaptive bitrate algorithms, advanced caching, and community features.

Build What You Depend On

Kathy PM • 13 implied HN points • 24 Jan 26
🕹 Technology User Experience Operations Product Management Developer Tools Leadership Software Engineering
  1. Use your own product for real, high-stakes work — not demos — so every moment of friction becomes obvious and compels fixes.
  2. Dogfood the way customers actually do, including the API and cross-team workflows, and do it continuously so slow, repetitive annoyances surface.
  3. Make sure the people who feel the pain can act on it; dogfooding only improves the product when teams have the agency to fix issues and earn real trust.

Live video is available to all publishers in the Substack app

Substack Blog • 449 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Content creation Online Publishing User engagement Social media Video Streaming
  1. Live video is now available to all Substack publishers. This feature lets you connect with your audience and collaborate with other creators in real time.
  2. Collaborative livestreams are really effective. Working with other publishers can help you reach more people and keep your audience engaged.
  3. After your live session, you can share recordings and AI-generated clips on social media. This helps keep the conversation going and attract more subscribers.

A Pragmatic View of Uncertainty in Machine Learning

Mindful Modeler • 359 implied HN points • 06 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Prediction Machine Learning Uncertainty Modeling Calibration
  1. Machine learning models have uncertainty in predictions, categorized into aleatoric and epistemic uncertainty.
  2. Defining and distinguishing between aleatoric and epistemic uncertainty is a complex task influenced by deterministic and random factors.
  3. Conformal prediction methods capture both aleatoric and epistemic uncertainty, providing prediction intervals reflecting model uncertainty.

The 22-Year-Old Who Unlocked the Secrets of Ancient Rome

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1252 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Innovation Competition AI
  1. The Vesuvius Challenge offered a $1 million prize for decoding ancient scrolls, sparking interest in AI deciphering
  2. Luke Farritor won a prize for using AI to read an Epicurean work of criticism on a scroll from the Villa dei Papyri
  3. Deciphering ancient scrolls has the potential to reshape our understanding of the ancient world and rewrite assumptions about history

Wang Yongli: The rapid development of USD-backed stablecoins offers a profound warning

Pekingnology • 184 implied HN points • 07 Jul 25
🔮 Crypto Stablecoins Digital Currency Blockchain Regulation Global Finance
  1. USD-backed stablecoins are growing fast and giving the U.S. an edge in global finance. This increase is affecting the demand for U.S. Treasury bonds and the overall influence of the dollar.
  2. Stablecoins are different from traditional currencies as they operate more like digital tokens linked to fiat money. They allow for constant online trading, making them a key part of the future economy.
  3. Regulations are becoming important for stablecoins to avoid problems like overissuing and to ensure they have enough reserves. This could lead to stablecoins being used more for payments rather than investments.

How would anarchist societies protect themselves?

The Novelleist • 553 implied HN points • 13 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Society Governance Protection Conflict Anarchism
  1. Anarchist societies might struggle with conflict and violence without a police force or official laws, as history shows many groups resolved issues through harsh means.
  2. The idea of countries without states not going to war seems optimistic; history shows that powerful groups have often conquered more peaceful societies.
  3. It's unclear how communities could operate without structured work and schools while still getting things done, and more examples are needed to understand how this could work in practice.

Axie Classic Competitive S6 is LIVE!

The Lunacian • 598 implied HN points • 04 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Blockchain Online Communities Digital economy Gaming
  1. Axie Classic Competitive Season 6 is happening for four weeks, with lots of AXS rewards to earn for guilds and players. This is the last chance for guilds to get Placement Points before the next Guild War.
  2. New features like Axie Delegation and Level 2 Card Effects are now part of the game. Players can delegate their Axies or test 33 new card effects in the Cursed Coliseum.
  3. The Guild Point system has been updated to reduce player burnout. Now, only the highest points per player count, and a new guild chat feature allows for better communication among members.

Leonardo AI: il più ricco per creare immagini

Vincos Newsletter • 176 implied HN points • 27 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Stats Tech news AI
  1. Leonardo AI has become a versatile and feature-rich alternative to Midjourney for image creation.
  2. Hotwire Global and House of Beautiful Business explore how AI is revolutionizing branding and marketing strategies.
  3. Updates from Apple, Google, ElevenLabs, Midjourney, and Microsoft showcase advancements in technology and innovation.

JWTs - Use Responsibly

Permit.io’s Substack • 59 implied HN points • 23 May 24
🕹 Technology Authentication Web Development Cybersecurity APIs Data Structures
  1. JWTs are great for authentication but should be used carefully. They are not meant for detailed permission checks and can create security issues if misused.
  2. They are static once issued, meaning any changes to a user's role won't be reflected until the token expires. This can lead to potential security risks.
  3. JWTs are suitable for stateless, distributed systems and coarse-grained authorization, but for fine-grained control, other tools should be used.

Tidy First? in One Page

Software Design: Tidy First? • 1237 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Technical Debt
  1. Resistance to tidying in software development can come from various angles like product managers and colleagues.
  2. To ensure lasting change in software development, there needs to be a partnership between implementors and executives.
  3. Creating a 'Surprise Factory' in software development involves incorporating software design in the right proportions and at the right times.

How To Build A Brand On WhatsApp and Make A Lot Of Money From It.

Day One • 3933 implied HN points • 01 May 20
💼 Business Income Generation Personal Branding Social media Entrepreneurship Marketing
  1. WhatsApp has a massive reach with over 5 billion downloads, making it a platform with a vast pool of users to tap into for creating income.
  2. Building a brand and making money on WhatsApp requires providing value to your audience consistently, which can lead to growth and engagement.
  3. Sustainable ways to make money on social media, like WhatsApp, involve processes that require patience and dedication to build a successful and trusted brand.

Elon Musk Blocks "Hostile Rival" Substack - Here's Why

Kristina God's Online Writing Club • 539 implied HN points • 08 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Digital Communication User engagement Social media Content creation Online Content Tech industry
  1. Elon Musk has blocked Substack links on Twitter, making it hard for creators to share their work. This is a big deal because many writers rely on Twitter to grow their audience.
  2. Substack is seen as a competitor to Twitter, so Musk's decision seems to be aimed at limiting its influence. He has done similar things before with other platforms like Mastodon and Instagram.
  3. Creators express disappointment over the block, arguing it restricts free sharing of their work. Many believe that writers deserve to share links freely without being censored.

Bitscam

Life in the 21st Century • 196 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
💰 Finance Cryptocurrency ETFs Bitcoin Investing SEC
  1. SEC approved bitcoin ETFs with caution for investors due to risks associated with crypto.
  2. ETF funds will use cash, not bitcoin, for transactions, highlighting challenges in using bitcoin directly.
  3. Bitcoin's focus on speculation rather than utility may hinder its potential as a replacement for the dollar.

Why did Databricks build the Photon engine?

VuTrinh. • 99 implied HN points • 06 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Database Systems Data Engineering Cloud Computing Software Development Big Data
  1. Databricks created the Photon engine to simplify data management by combining the benefits of data lakes and data warehouses into one system called the Lakehouse. This makes it easier and cheaper for companies to manage their data all in one place.
  2. Photon is designed to handle various types of raw data and is built with a vectorized approach instead of the traditional Java methods. This means it can work faster and better with different kinds of data without getting bogged down.
  3. To ensure that existing customers using Apache Spark can easily switch to Photon, the new engine is integrated with Spark’s system. This allows users to continue running their current processes while benefiting from the speed of Photon.

Should you sell your words to AI?

In My Tribe • 516 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Content creation AI Ethics Digital Rights Intellectual Property
  1. Selling your words to AI can be seen as a smart idea, especially if it helps share your insights with more people. It could lead to interesting discussions and a chance to educate others.
  2. Some believe that using AI this way could harm the trust between a writer and their readers. They think that real human connection is essential in writing and shouldn't be replaced by machines.
  3. Personal legacy matters a lot. For some, like older writers, having an AI that reflects their thoughts can be a way to continue sharing their ideas even after they're gone.

Chronicle Your Quest

Eliot Peper • 157 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💼 Business Marketing Writing Entrepreneurship
  1. Chronicle your journey to create a narrative explaining what you do and why it matters, help others understand you better, faster.
  2. Having a prose narrative about your quest is high-leverage, valuable for recruiting, fundraising, team alignment, and more.
  3. Telling your story through essays or narratives is a parallel art form to writing novels, providing a powerful way to document your company's journey.

Lean Data Engineering with Dagster and DuckDB

The Data Jargon Newsletter • 158 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Data Engineering Data Management Software Tools Cloud Computing Data Analytics
  1. Data lakes can be convenient but often lead to problems when trying to manage the data effectively. Keeping things simple with familiar tools can help make the data more useful.
  2. Using Dagster and DuckDB allows you to process data efficiently without complicated setups. You can do key tasks like aggregation and data cleaning right in your data flow.
  3. It's important to consider memory limits and choose the right file formats, like Parquet, for better processing. This way, you can keep your data pipeline running smoothly and avoid needless costs.

Economics Links, 1/25/2025

In My Tribe • 410 implied HN points • 25 Jan 25
💰 Finance Market Trends Economics Investing Data Analysis Political Economy
  1. Many experts believe that relying on government decisions can be inefficient because it often favors those with political power instead of addressing real needs.
  2. Inequality is a natural part of society, and efforts to eliminate it through government action can lead to problems, including promoting wokeness.
  3. Economic data can often be misleading due to measurement errors, making it hard to trust figures that inform important decisions like GDP or monetary policies.

Modern Meditations: Caleb Watney

The Generalist • 500 implied HN points • 19 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Biotechnology Governance R&D Startups AI
  1. We need to improve government hiring processes to attract good talent. Many talented people are turned off by low pay and slow bureaucratic procedures.
  2. Public investment in scientific research can lead to breakthroughs that the private market often ignores. Funding areas like disease research or innovative technologies can yield unexpected benefits for society.
  3. Understanding and improving how government works is essential. There are many effective ways to enhance efficiency that are often overlooked but can significantly help society.

Launching Attention: make tech fun, make fun of tech

12challenges • 428 implied HN points • 24 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Tech Analysis Creative Coding Digital Culture
  1. There's a new publication called Attention that aims to make technology fun and poke fun at it too. It's about finding joy in tech rather than just being serious all the time.
  2. The focus will be on playful analysis of tech, satire about its issues, and creative interactive content. It's a space for fun ideas that don't usually get attention.
  3. The creator wants to invite others to join in on this journey. It's about building a community of people who enjoy tech and want to bring some light-heartedness to it.

What is Ethereum for?

Something to Consider • 39 implied HN points • 20 Jun 24
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Decentralization Economics Cryptocurrency Smart Contracts
  1. Ethereum is a programmable blockchain, allowing for more than just currency transactions. It's unique because it can create smart contracts that automatically enforce agreed terms.
  2. It’s useful especially when contracts can be clearly defined and don’t require constant human input. Things like online services or products that are fully digital fit this well.
  3. Ethereum has potential for improving access to banking for underserved communities, like in Africa. Its ability to facilitate transactions without traditional banking could help many people who lack basic financial services.

Six Startups to Watch

The Generalist • 400 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
💼 Business Finance Technology Entrepreneurship Startups Investing
  1. There are six startups that are worth paying attention to right now. They offer fresh ideas in areas like DNA sequencing and AI.
  2. These startups include a competitor to 23&Me and an AI accounting tool, which could change their industries.
  3. Joining a subscription service can give you exclusive insights into these startups and keep you updated on new trends.