The hottest Substack posts right now

according to Hacker News
Category

The 20 Year Fall of Japan's Sharp Corporation

The Asianometry Newsletter • 1692 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
💼 Business Technology Leadership Finance Manufacturing Acquisition
  1. Sharp Corporation, a giant in consumer electronics, faced a 20-year decline due to reliance on the challenging LCD panel business.
  2. Founder Tokuji Hayakawa's journey from a young apprentice to creating iconic products like the Hayakawa Mechanical Pencil and Sharp radios.
  3. Sharp's move towards LCD technology led to financial strain, intense competition, and ultimately being acquired by Foxconn in 2016, marking the first foreign takeover of a major Japanese electronics firm.

ICYMI: Where the Jobs Are; Doc Drama; TV News Star $$ Falling

The Ankler • 137 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💼 Business Jobs Salaries Market Analysis Media Entertainment
  1. Learn about job opportunities in entertainment: Discover growing fields, unexpected job areas, and where Hollywood professionals are being placed by recruiters.
  2. The documentary market shifts: From small stories to celebs and sports stars, there's a potential return to a lucrative phase.
  3. TV news star salaries declining: High-profile news anchors like Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity are seeing budget cuts and changes, indicating a shift in the industry.

What Exactly is Data Storytelling? Here Are Some of The Basics

Data at Depth • 79 implied HN points • 15 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Data Analysis Data Visualization Data storytelling Narrative
  1. Data storytelling brings calmness and clarity to complex datasets by revealing the story behind the numbers.
  2. To engage interest and drive change, data needs to be transformed into a narrative that resonates with the audience.
  3. The three core components of data storytelling are: finding/creating a good data set, visualizing data to identify trends, and providing a narrative based on these trends.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Look out! Hackers are coming for your travel account

Elliott Confidential • 137 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Data Privacy Online Services Travel Cybersecurity Authentication
  1. Use two-factor authentication and authenticator apps to protect your online travel accounts from hackers.
  2. Enable login notifications and maximize security settings on platforms to monitor any unauthorized access to your accounts.
  3. Avoid using simple or repeated passwords, practice safe Wi-Fi usage, and be cautious of urgent emails or suspicious links to prevent hacking incidents.

METI's “2025 Digital Cliff,” Part I

Japan Economy Watch • 399 implied HN points • 04 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Legacy Systems Digitalization Digital Divide
  1. Japan faces a significant shortage of ICT professionals, reaching 450,000 by 2030, impacting digital transformation efforts.
  2. Legacy systems and mindset challenges hinder Japan's ability to adapt to current digital trends, leading to economic losses and productivity issues.
  3. There is a growing digital divide between large companies and SMEs in Japan, with SMEs lacking the personnel and resources needed for digital transformation.

Grow Your Software Engineer Career

Tech Ramblings • 19 implied HN points • 21 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Communication Skills Education Tech industry Career development Software Engineering
  1. Many young software engineers make common mistakes that can hold back their careers. It’s important to recognize these traps early on.
  2. Good communication skills are essential for solving problems and sharing ideas effectively. Learning to articulate your thoughts can make a big difference.
  3. Experience in different domains, like academia and tech companies, can provide valuable insights. Be open to learning from various industries to grow your career.

Entourage

Venture Prose • 359 implied HN points • 26 Feb 23
💼 Business Communication Relationships Entrepreneurship Self-Improvement Bias
  1. Entrepreneurs need a variety of support and feedback from different types of people in their circle, including friends, family, collaborators, and external contacts.
  2. Effective communication with one's circle involves sharing, confiding, and receiving feedback authentically and purposefully.
  3. Being aware of biases in interactions and being open to feedback and self-reflection can help entrepreneurs navigate their relationships and improve their decision-making.

My Toddler Loves Planes, So I Built Her A Radar

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 1304 HN points • 27 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Mobile Apps API Integration User Experience App Development Software Development
  1. The idea for the app came from the author's toddler's fascination with planes, leading to the creation of a radar app.
  2. The app was built to be engaging and fun for kids, with features like showing nearby flights and being oriented correctly.
  3. The author went through user testing with their toddler to ensure the app was enjoyable and successful before launching it on the App Store.

The Tech Buffet #21: Deploy A Production-Ready Streamlit App with Cloud Run and Cloud Build

The Tech Buffet • 99 implied HN points • 22 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing App Development DevOps CI/CD
  1. Cloud Run lets you deploy containerized applications without worrying about server management. You only pay when your code is actively running, making it a cost-effective option.
  2. Using Pulumi as an Infrastructure as Code tool simplifies the process of setting up and managing cloud resources. It allows you to deploy applications by writing code instead of manually configuring settings.
  3. Automating your deployment with Cloud Build ensures your app updates easily whenever you make code changes. This saves time and effort compared to manually deploying each time.

Sora What

Don't Worry About the Vase • 1075 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Media Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Video Generation
  1. OpenAI's new video generation model Sora is technically impressive, achieved through massive compute and attention to detail.
  2. The practical applications of Sora for creating watchable content seem limited for now, especially in terms of generating specific results as opposed to general outputs.
  3. The future of AI-generated video content may revolutionize industries like advertising and media, but the gap between generating open-ended content and specific results is a significant challenge to overcome.

Inside AI

John Ball inside AI • 39 implied HN points • 12 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Data processing Natural Language Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence
  1. AGI might not come from current machine learning methods. Instead, understanding how human brains work could be the key to achieving it.
  2. The theory behind brain functions can help solve AI challenges. Learning from how brains process information could lead us to better AI solutions.
  3. Language is crucial for interacting with AI. Building a trustworthy AI community focused on language can improve how we communicate and use technology.

Import AI 344: Putting the world into a world model; automating software engineers; FlashDecoding

Import AI • 279 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
🕹 Technology AI Simulation Efficiency Language Models
  1. Automating software engineers is challenging due to the complexity of coordinating changes across multiple functions, classes, and files simultaneously.
  2. Fine-tuning AI models can compromise safety safeguards, making it easier to remove safety interventions even unintentionally.
  3. Flash-Decoding technology can make text generation from long-context language models up to 8 times faster, improving efficiency for generating responses from lengthy prompts.

Every Jobs Report In 2025 Has Been Revised Lower

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 16 implied HN points • 10 Jan 26
💰 Finance Monetary Policy Macroeconomics Central Bank Economic data Labor Market
  1. Every month of 2025 has been revised lower, often sharply, which undermines confidence in the official payroll numbers.
  2. Much of the reported job growth relies on the BLS birth/death adjustment rather than actual payroll gains, so headline positives look artificial once the baseline is considered.
  3. The household survey and broader indicators show mixed signals and structural weakness—lower labor force participation, sector softness, and shifts between full‑time and part‑time work—implying the economy is weaker than the headline jobs figures suggest.

Securing AI: Addressing the Emerging Threat of Prompt Injection

Gradient Flow • 219 implied HN points • 30 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Generative AI AI Security Machine Learning Weather Forecasting Blockchain
  1. Prompt injection is a critical threat to AI systems, manipulating model outputs for harmful outcomes.
  2. Mitigating prompt injection risks requires a multi-layered defense approach involving prevention, detection, and response strategies.
  3. Collaboration between security, data science, and engineering teams is essential to secure AI systems against evolving threats like prompt injection.

Why 'What is your CAC?' is the Wrong Question to Ask

Nail It and Scale It • 39 implied HN points • 11 Jun 24
💼 Business Growth Strategy Startup funding Entrepreneurship Investment Insights Market Analysis
  1. When asking about customer acquisition cost (CAC), it's important to know the full story behind the number. Questions like how long the data covers and how much was spent can reveal if the figure is reliable.
  2. Some businesses may share only their best data to look good, which can be misleading. It's smart to ask how recent and continuous the data is to get a clearer picture.
  3. CAC shouldn’t be seen alone. Understanding what a company is trying to achieve can change how we interpret that cost, especially as they grow and scale their spending.

AI Blogger Declares AI Will Take Every Job Except Blogging (About AI)

The Algorithmic Bridge • 435 implied HN points • 19 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Automation AI Ethics Workforce Blogging
  1. AI is expected to replace many jobs, but blogging about AI is seen as safe from automation. This is because it requires a unique human touch and deep understanding.
  2. AI writing often lacks personality and can produce shallow content. This makes human writers still valuable to bring freshness and relatability to their work.
  3. Some critics believe AI is fast and can churn out content that many readers enjoy, even if it's not deeply insightful. This shows there's diverse opinions on the role of AI in writing.

Wage Hikes in April Fail Their First Test

Japan Economy Watch • 299 implied HN points • 07 Jun 23
💰 Finance Wages Economy Consumption Inflation Monetary Policy
  1. Wage hikes in April in Japan fell short of expectations, rising only by 1% instead of the predicted 2%, indicating a potential setback for interest rate hikes by the Bank of Japan.
  2. Real wages in Japan have been dropping for years, not just a temporary post-Covid issue, leading to reduced consumer spending and overall economic impact.
  3. The slow wage growth in Japan has implications on inflation rates, with the Bank of Japan waiting for a 3% nominal wage hike to consider monetary policy changes.

Tang Xiaoyang: Stitch Africa’s Fragmented Supply Chains with Chinese Capacity

Pekingnology • 49 implied HN points • 11 Nov 25
💼 Business Manufacturing International Trade Investment Supply Chain Economic Development
  1. Chinese companies can help build strong supply chains in Africa, using their existing industrial parks to improve mining, agriculture, and light industry.
  2. China and Africa have complementary economies; while China exports manufactured goods, Africa supplies raw materials, supporting growth in both regions.
  3. Collaboration between China and Africa is evolving to integrate trade, infrastructure, and investment, boosting local production and creating jobs.

Software: Liability, Safe Harbor and National Security

Resilient Cyber • 139 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🕹 Technology National Security Software Cybersecurity Innovation
  1. Software developers may need to be held responsible for security flaws that lead to cyber attacks. This could protect critical infrastructure from being misused.
  2. Creating clear standards for software safety is important. These rules could help developers understand what they're responsible for and how to improve their products.
  3. A safe harbor could protect developers who follow best practices. This means they won't face lawsuits if they do everything right and still have issues.

MCU land #11: Linux toolchain for Cortex-M

lcamtuf’s thing • 1428 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Coding Hardware Programming Linux Development
  1. Setting up a Linux toolchain for Cortex-M microcontrollers can be challenging but beneficial.
  2. When setting up the toolchain, ensure to get the Cortex-M cross-compiler, CMSIS library, and Device Family Pack.
  3. Compiling and programming the device requires additional steps like using the newlib C library and flashing the binary onto the chip.

AI tooling benchmarks: PR throughput and usage by tool (Q1 2026)

Engineering Enablement • 11 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Developer Experience Data Analysis Productivity Metrics Software Development Developer Tools AI Tools
  1. AI-native, agentic coding tools are driving the biggest increases in PR throughput. Cursor, Claude, and GitHub Copilot showed notable quarter-over-quarter gains while Tabnine registers lower throughput, often in large enterprises.
  2. Adoption patterns vary by cadence: Copilot is the stickiest daily driver, Cursor is becoming a primary weekly workspace, and tools like Windsurf and Tabnine are used more monthly for specialized tasks.
  3. Organizations should correlate tool usage with PR throughput and measure ROI rather than counting seats alone. A multi-vendor approach and stronger practices are recommended because technical limits and policy gaps still constrain productivity gains.

Favorable Winds for AMD in the GenAI Chip Market

Gradient Flow • 139 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Hardware AI Software Privacy Analytics
  1. AMD's hardware offers performance and efficiency gains for AI tasks, with specialized optimizations making them well-suited for training and inference in advanced AI scenarios.
  2. AMD has invested in mature and optimized open-source software like the ROCm stack, providing a critical foundation for maximizing the performance of their hardware in real-world AI applications.
  3. Market trends are aligning favorably for AMD, with shorter lead times improving chip availability, notable endorsements from industry leaders, and growing momentum indicating a strong position in the AI silicon landscape.

AI will replace you at your job if you let it

Technically • 28 implied HN points • 16 Dec 25
💼 Business Careers Automation Productivity Technology Management Marketing Finance Sales
  1. If you hand the core parts of your job to AI without meaningful oversight or creativity, your employer may decide the AI can do it instead of you.
  2. Relying on AI for foundational tasks prevents you from learning the craft and developing good judgment, which makes you less valuable over time.
  3. Use AI to augment your work, not replace it. Start small by automating narrow repetitive tasks, keep guardrails and testing in place, and combine model outputs with your own insight and personalization.

New Stablecoin Challenger - GHO

DeFi Education • 399 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
🔮 Crypto Lending Stablecoins DeFi Finance Blockchain
  1. GHO is a new stablecoin by Aave, aimed at competing with existing stablecoins like DAI. It will charge a lower borrowing fee of 1.5% compared to MakerDAO's 3.5%.
  2. Aave needs to create demand for GHO to be successful. Without incentives or market makers, people might not want to hold or use GHO.
  3. The security of GHO has issues, as some audits pointed out potential problems in the code. This raises concerns about how reliable it will be for users.

Balancing the Conflicting Pulls on Time in a Startup

Running Lean Mastery • 137 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
💼 Business Time management Startup Productivity
  1. Time in a startup is pulled in different directions - outside and inside the building. Startup founders need to balance both effectively.
  2. Creating a flow state is crucial for productivity. Flow involves being fully immersed in a task, limiting interruptions, and receiving immediate feedback.
  3. To optimize work, establish uninterrupted time blocks for focused tasks, prioritize maker goals early in the day, and schedule manager activities later to maintain flow.

Essay Club: The Origins of Cognitive Thought by B. F. Skinner

Mind & Mythos • 199 implied HN points • 16 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Critical Thinking Cognitive Science Behaviorism
  1. Skinner believed that all behaviors, including thoughts and language, are learned through our environment. He claimed that we respond to rewards and punishments, shaping how we act and think.
  2. He thought that understanding our feelings and thoughts is best achieved by looking at the history and meaning of the words we use to describe them. The words we choose reveal a lot about our experiences and behaviors.
  3. Skinner emphasized the importance of focusing on observable behavior in psychology. He felt that many internal mental states are too complicated and not easily measurable, so we should concentrate on what we can see and test.

Ragnarok Online Landverse America (ROLA) Grand Launch is LIVE!

Ronin’s Newsletter • 24 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Gaming Marketplace Play-to-Earn Wallets NFTs
  1. Ragnarok Landverse America has launched with new North and Latin American servers, so you can jump into the free-to-play Web3 version of the game right now.
  2. The update removes key trading restrictions, adds a single, cheaper Happy Mini Service Box, and introduces a NOVA Key mechanic that makes finding and exchanging rare item fragments easier.
  3. You can claim pre-registration rewards and earn more by hitting level milestones, completing challenges, forming and leveling a guild, and doing mission events — sign up, download the game, and connect a Ronin Wallet to receive assets.

I spent 6 hours understanding the design principles of BigQuery. Here's what I found

VuTrinh. • 159 implied HN points • 20 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Big Data Architecture Cloud Computing Data Engineering
  1. BigQuery uses SQL again after moving away from it, making data analysis fast and easy. Users can now analyze huge datasets quickly without complex coding.
  2. It separates storage and compute resources, allowing for better performance and flexibility. This means you can scale them independently, which is very efficient.
  3. Dremel's serverless architecture means you don’t need to manage servers. You just use SQL, and everything else is automatically handled for you.

God Help Us, Let's Try to Understand the Self-Memory System

Mind & Mythos • 119 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
📖 Philosophy Autobiography Cognition Identity Memory
  1. Autobiographical memory is how we remember our personal life experiences, like childhood or important events. It’s not just about facts but also how we feel about those memories.
  2. The Self-Memory System connects our memories to our sense of self. It has three parts: the Episodic Memory System for short-term details, the Long-Term Self for broader life stories, and the Working Self that manages our thoughts and goals.
  3. When we recall memories, we don’t just pull them up exactly as they happened. Instead, we reconstruct them based on our goals and how we see ourselves, which can sometimes change over time.

IGN is unionizing

Updater, Shannon Liao's gaming newsletter • 137 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Tech industry Tech Partnerships Online Media AI
  1. IGN employees are forming a union with the majority of them signing union authorization cards due to current industry instability and a desire for protection.
  2. Xbox reassured employees in a town hall that they have no plans to stop making consoles amidst rumors of Xbox exclusives moving to the PS5.
  3. Disney is investing in Epic Games, hinting at a possible metaverse collaboration without using the term explicitly. The potential partnership is seen as a strategic move by Disney after past gaming industry setbacks.

What A Horse Can Tell Us About Machine Learning

Mindful Modeler • 279 implied HN points • 10 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Predictive Modeling Data Analysis Machine Learning
  1. Animals like horses and machines can appear clever by relying on cues and shortcuts, rather than true understanding.
  2. When designing or evaluating machine learning models, watch out for 'Clever Hans Predictors' that rely on spurious correlations.
  3. To spot potential Clever Hans Predictors, look for unexpectedly good model performance, apply causal thinking, examine data closely, and use interpretation methods to investigate model behavior.