The hottest Substack posts right now

according to Hacker News
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Unintended Consequences

Fish Food for Thought • 20 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Product Growth Platforms Human behavior Leadership Metrics UX Design
  1. Unintended consequences are inevitable; well-meaning fixes can create worse problems or surprising new opportunities, so assume surprises will happen.
  2. Chasing metrics without context makes products drift from their purpose, because optimizing numbers can reward harmful or shallow behaviors; always measure real human outcomes and watch for distortions.
  3. Treat every launch as the start of learning: test for misuse, listen to real users, and build a culture that adapts quickly instead of blaming mistakes.

🚪 A filmmaker SaaS acquired for $15k

No-Code Exits • 117 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship No Code Acquisitions Marketing Tech startups
  1. Starting small and testing ideas is important to reduce risk and adapt quickly based on feedback.
  2. Creating revenue-driven and sustainable businesses that do not rely on external funding is crucial.
  3. Learning and mastering no-code tools like Bubble can lead to successful ventures with lower maintenance costs and faster shipping times.

HILL: Solving for LLM Hallucination & Slop

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 39 implied HN points • 23 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Development Machine Learning NLP User Interface
  1. HILL helps users see when large language models (LLMs) give wrong or misleading answers. It shows which parts of the response might be incorrect.
  2. The system includes different scores that rate the accuracy, credibility, and potential bias of the information. This helps users decide how much to trust the responses.
  3. Feedback from users helped shape HILL's features, making it easier for people to question LLM replies without feeling confused.
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Do Large Language Models have a "theory of mind"?

The Counterfactual • 219 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Human-computer interaction AI Data Analysis Machine Learning Cognitive Science
  1. Large language models (LLMs) show some ability to understand the beliefs of other characters in scenarios, indicating a form of Theory of Mind. This means they can predict behaviors based on what a character knows or believes.
  2. However, LLMs don't perform as well as humans on these tasks, suggesting their understanding is not as deep or reliable. They score above chance but below the typical human accuracy.
  3. Research on LLMs and Theory of Mind is ongoing, raising questions about how these models process mental states compared to humans and if traditional tests for mentalizing are sufficient.

The Game-Changing Clause For Entrepreneur , VC Funds Are Mostly Just Wasting Their Time and Your Money, VC Jobs & More

Venture Curator • 219 implied HN points • 19 Aug 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Jobs Startups Investments Venture Capital
  1. In negotiating convertible notes, entrepreneurs should include a clause to prevent early investors from taking advantage of rising valuations.
  2. A study by Morgan Stanley calls into question the superior returns claimed by VC funds, highlighting challenges and inconsistencies in the industry.
  3. Investors often face struggles in accurately valuing equity in VC investments due to complex structures, contributing to potential overvaluation.

Harry Frankfurt (1929-2023): A Tribute (UNLOCKED)

Philosophy for the People w/Ben Burgis • 219 implied HN points • 06 Aug 23
📖 Philosophy Moral responsibility Free will Compatibilism Determinism
  1. Harry Frankfurt's work had a significant impact on the philosophical debate on free will and moral responsibility.
  2. Frankfurt's argument challenges the Principle of Alternate Possibilities in determining moral responsibility, leading to a new understanding of free will.
  3. His work on free will and moral responsibility has sparked decades of discussion, reshaping philosophical perspectives and raising important questions about human agency.

Spotlight: Rob Desborough - Managing Partner @ Seraphim Space & CEO Seraphim Space Accelerator

Space Ambition • 219 implied HN points • 25 Aug 23
💼 Business Investment Technology Venture Capital Startups Space Tech
  1. Rob Desborough leads a major space-focused venture capital firm that helps many spacetech startups grow. They are not only funding new space ideas but also managing a special trust that invests in this sector.
  2. There is a growing interest in spacetech investments, with more people and companies getting involved. Recent years have seen a rise in new investors and significant funding, especially in Europe and Asia.
  3. Space technology is now focused on important issues like climate change and global security. The industry is looking at exciting areas like sustainability and space mining to solve big problems on Earth.

Decoding Apple's AI Ambitions

Gradient Flow • 219 implied HN points • 29 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Applications Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Data processing Data Management
  1. Apple's AI focus is on Machine Learning and Computer Vision with emerging areas like Robotics and Speech Recognition, aiming to enhance services like Siri.
  2. Apple shows active interest in AI areas like Generative AI and large language models through their job postings, emphasizing deep learning skills.
  3. Apple's AI strategy integrates hardware and software to provide personalized experiences, leveraging silicon chips, Neural Engine, and fine-grained data for future AI applications.

PR in the Spacetech Industry: The New Frontier

Space Ambition • 219 implied HN points • 08 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Public Relations Marketing Branding Innovation Space Tech
  1. Old Space companies stick to traditional PR methods like blogs and partnerships. They are slowly adapting to modern techniques but often play it safe.
  2. New Space companies are more creative in their PR. They use social media and unique events to connect with people and make their launches exciting.
  3. Billionaires like Elon Musk and Richard Branson use personal branding and bold PR stunts to grab attention. They focus on big, inspirational stories that resonate with the public.

Data Laundering: How Stability AI managed to get millions of copyrighted art works without paying artists [Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 219 implied HN points • 12 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence AI Copyright Tech industry Data Privacy
  1. Data laundering involves converting stolen data to be used illegally or sold as legitimate data.
  2. Tech companies, like Stability AI, can get around artist copyright by using creative methods with AI art.
  3. It's essential to ensure fair compensation for artists and creators whose work is used, and to establish better regulations for copyright protection in data usage.

Hidden Clauses In The Term Sheet that Every Founder Should Know | 2008 Venture Capital Market Recovery | How To Convince Investors? | VC Remote Jobs & Internships and More

Venture Curator • 219 implied HN points • 08 Sep 23
💼 Business Investment Venture Capital Startups Entrepreneurship Finance
  1. Understanding hidden clauses in term sheets is crucial for founders to avoid disputes and confusion in the future.
  2. Knowing the economic aspects of term sheets, such as valuation, investment amount, and anti-dilution, can help founders negotiate effectively with VCs.
  3. Founders and investors should remember that a term sheet is a tool for communication and does not guarantee success; a strong business does.

So... what are RPCs [System Design Sundays]

Technology Made Simple • 219 implied HN points • 25 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Systems Design Communication Distributed Computing APIs Networking
  1. Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) allow for program procedures to execute in a different address space without the programmer having to explicitly write details for the remote interaction.
  2. RPCs are prevalent in modern systems design due to their efficiency, scalability, and flexibility in enabling communication between various services.
  3. RPCs are a powerful tool for building distributed computing systems, offering advantages such as efficiency, scalability, and flexibility in communication between services.

Why it's Better To Raise Less Capital In The First Round? | Don’t Waste Time Chasing Investors | How To Convince Investors | VC Jobs & More

Venture Curator • 219 implied HN points • 28 Aug 23
💼 Business Investing Entrepreneurship Startup funding Venture Capital
  1. Start Small, Stay Nimble: Raising less capital in early stages allows flexibility for strategic adjustments while maintaining control.
  2. Small Beginnings, Bigger Rewards: As your startup proves its worth, raising less initially can lead to diluting fewer shares and higher valuations later on.
  3. Grow Smarter, Stronger: Strategic use of capital matters more than the amount raised, like nurturing a seed to watch your startup grow into a mighty oak.

Embodying the Good

Humanities in Revolt • 219 implied HN points • 21 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Meaning of life Human Values Justice Existentialism
  1. The peace movement highlighted the importance of embodying intrinsic values, such as truth, justice, autonomy, and integrity, above achieving immediate results.
  2. Recognizing and enacting self-justifying values allows us to find meaning and purpose in the face of life's futility.
  3. Activists in the peace movement worked to promote human dignity, freedom, and justice, rejecting defeatism and continuing to embody their principles despite facing challenges and setbacks.

Steve Jobs vs. the Haters

Litverse • 219 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Tech History User Experience Product Development
  1. In 1997, Steve Jobs made strategic decisions for Apple that were heavily criticized, such as discontinuing OpenDoc and embracing a closed system approach.
  2. Jobs believed in prioritizing user experience over technology, leading to the success of Apple products despite criticism from early tech adopters.
  3. The essence of successful products lies in making life better through simplicity and providing a seamless, convenient user experience, as shown by Jobs' approach with Apple.

How a Convertible Note Converts During Priced Round (e.g- Series A, B) ? | 2008-09 Global Startup Ecoystem & More

Venture Curator • 219 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
💼 Business Startups Mathematics Jobs Venture Capital Investing
  1. Convertible notes convert in three ways: Pre-money Method, Percentage Ownership Method, Dollars Invested Method, catering to different preferences of founders and investors.
  2. Key parameters to consider in evaluating a convertible note include Discount Rate, Valuation Cap, Interest Rate, and Maturity Date, which affect the conversion process during priced rounds like Series A or B.
  3. Understanding the math behind the conversion of convertible notes during priced rounds involves calculations based on factors like pre-money valuation, discount rates, and valuation caps, influencing the final ownership percentages.

Economic Calendar for the Week of August 3rd, 2025

Alex's Personal Blog • 98 implied HN points • 04 Aug 25
💰 Finance Economic Trends Market Analysis Global Economics Debt Management
  1. This week has several important earnings reports from companies like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. These reports can affect the stock market and investor sentiment.
  2. Many economic events are scheduled for the week, including jobless claims and inflation rates in various countries. These indicators will help us understand the global economic situation.
  3. Keeping an eye on vehicle sales and household debt in the U.S. is crucial. These statistics give insights into consumer behavior and the overall health of the economy.

Daily Chartbook #168

Daily Chartbook • 1572 implied HN points • 25 Mar 23
💰 Finance Bonds Markets Investing Economy Stocks
  1. The Biden administration planned to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserves at lower oil prices but hasn't yet.
  2. For-hire truck tonnage has been increasing consistently for the last three months.
  3. There is concern over a foreign central bank maxing out the FIMA repo, not covered by FX swap lines.

Your complete guide to board rooms

Kyle Poyar’s Growth Unhinged • 276 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
💼 Business Management Leadership Startups Corporate Governance Finance
  1. Know who's in the room during board meetings. The CEO, CFO, and tech leaders each have specific roles and responsibilities that are crucial for a productive discussion.
  2. Keep your board meetings under 3.5 hours. Long meetings can tire everyone out, so aim for a focused agenda that encourages valuable input from all members.
  3. Send out materials for the meeting 48 to 72 hours in advance. This allows everyone to prepare without being overwhelmed, and it helps keep the meeting on track.

TBM 205: "Process" vs. Systems & Habits

The Beautiful Mess • 1613 implied HN points • 12 Mar 23
💼 Business Processes Leadership Habits Systems Management
  1. Team A focuses on rushed, performative annual processes, while Team B prioritizes continuous improvement and thoughtful feedback.
  2. Team A's lack of customer-centricity and reactive approach leads to institutionalized mediocrity, while Team B's positive habits and systems drive effectiveness.
  3. Breaking the loop of reactive processes and establishing human-centric systems and valuable habits is crucial for better ways of working in organizations.

Evaluating The Quality Of RAG & Long-Context LLM Output

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 19 implied HN points • 08 Jul 24
🕹 Technology AI Automation Data science Machine Learning NLP
  1. Evaluating the performance of RAG and long-context LLMs is tough because there isn't a common task to compare them on. This makes it hard to know which system works better.
  2. Salesforce created a new way to test these models called SummHay, where they summarize information from large text collections. The results show that even the best models struggle to match human performance.
  3. RAG systems generally do better at citing sources, while long-context LLMs might capture insights more thoroughly but have citation issues. Choosing between them involves trade-offs.

The Social App where you only Post Once a Year

Messy Progress • 35 implied HN points • 15 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Digital Communication AI Tools App Development Social media User Experience
  1. Slowpost is a social app that lets you post just once a year, focusing on simplicity. It helps people stay connected through annual personal newsletters instead of constant updates.
  2. Traditional social media can be overwhelming and anxiety-inducing, but sending a yearly letter can strengthen bonds with friends and family in a more meaningful way.
  3. The app helps you manage who receives your annual letters, making it easier to reconnect with people you care about without feeling intrusive.

Anatomy of a Narrative

DeFi Education • 739 implied HN points • 04 Oct 22
🔮 Crypto Investing Decentralization Market Analysis Narratives Assets
  1. Storytelling is really important in investing. It can help make a company seem more valuable even if the numbers don't add up.
  2. People often make quick decisions based on emotions rather than cold hard facts. This means understanding the narrative behind an investment is key.
  3. It's important to balance narrative and data when investing. Too much focus on one can lead you to miss opportunities or take on more risk.

What happens when an AI is your customer?

Generating Conversation • 116 implied HN points • 10 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Automation Customer Support AI Software Business Tools
  1. AI is becoming a key player in business, not just as a tool, but as a customer. Companies need to prepare for this shift.
  2. The interaction between AIs and human support will be different, requiring new approaches in design and efficiency.
  3. Businesses that adapt to AI-driven processes will have an advantage over those that don't, especially in sales and support.

Q3 NY Fed Report: Mortgage Originations by Credit Score, Foreclosures Increase Slightly

CalculatedRisk Newsletter • 38 implied HN points • 05 Nov 25
💰 Finance Foreclosures Credit Scores Economic Indicators
  1. Mortgage originations are mainly going to people with high credit scores, showing stricter lending standards now compared to the past.
  2. There has been a slight increase in people falling behind on their mortgage payments, which is something to keep a close eye on.
  3. Foreclosures are still low overall, but they've seen a small rise likely due to the end of some temporary protections.

MicroTimes Interviews Apple Newton Devs (1993)

Computer Ads from the Past • 128 implied HN points • 23 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Gadgets Devices Development Innovation Software
  1. The Newton MessagePad was a unique device designed to be a personal and adaptable communication tool. It learned from users and became more helpful the more it was used.
  2. Developers could create applications easily because the Newton had shared data across apps. This made it simpler for users to manage their information and created a powerful tool for convenience.
  3. It aimed to simplify tasks often done on desktop computers, making it easier for users to get things done quickly and intuitively, like tracking expenses on the go.

The Sequence Radar #692: Qwen Unleashed: This Week’s Breakthrough AI Models

TheSequence • 105 implied HN points • 27 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Open Source Data Analysis AI Models Software Machine Learning
  1. Alibaba has released new AI models called Qwen that are breaking records in tasks like coding and translation. These models are designed to help developers work more efficiently.
  2. The new Qwen models include features like better reasoning and reduced memory requirements, making them accessible for more people. This means businesses can use AI without needing expensive hardware.
  3. Alibaba plans to continue expanding these models with more specialized features and improvements in understanding language and images. This shows their commitment to leading in open-source AI technology.

The Use of Scarcity Cues in E-Commerce: Impact on User Experience and Trust

UX Psychology • 218 implied HN points • 05 Oct 23
💼 Business Research E-commerce User Experience Psychology Marketing
  1. Online retailers often use scarcity cues like countdown timers and limited quantity messages to create urgency, but research suggests they can harm user experience and trust.
  2. Psychological theories show that scarcity can make products seem more valuable, yet artificial scarcity cues in marketing can annoy users and erode trust.
  3. Recent research found that scarcity cues, especially time-based ones, can lead to negative emotions, frustration, and reduced user trust, highlighting the need for transparent and verifiable messaging in e-commerce.

I spent another 8 hours understanding the design of Amazon Redshift. Here's what I found.

VuTrinh. • 79 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing Big Data Machine Learning Database Systems Data Engineering
  1. Amazon Redshift is designed as a massively parallel processing data warehouse in the cloud, making it effective for handling large data sets efficiently. It changes how data is stored and queried compared to traditional systems.
  2. The system uses a unique compilation service that generates specific code for queries, which helps speed up processing by caching compiled code. This means Redshift can reuse code for similar queries, reducing wait times.
  3. Redshift also uses machine learning techniques to optimize operations, such as predicting resource needs and automatically adjusting performance settings. This allows it to scale effectively and maintain high performance during heavy workloads.

One year of Substack Notes—now with video and external embeds

Substack • 702 implied HN points • 16 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Online Communities Publishing Content creation Digital marketing Social media
  1. Substack Notes has grown significantly over the past year, attracting many new subscriptions for writers. This shows how important online conversations are for discovering and sharing content.
  2. Writers can now share their notes outside of Substack by embedding them on other websites. This helps their work reach a bigger audience and gain more recognition.
  3. Substack is focused on empowering creators by giving them control over their content and revenue. Unlike traditional social media, most money earned goes directly to the writers.

Links for 2024-01-25

Axis of Ordinary • 117 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Miscellaneous Ukraine AI
  1. AI advancements are being made in realistic video generation, orchestration of robotic agents, and text-to-image generation.
  2. CAR T cells could be engineered to combat aging, revealing potential in using them for more than just cancer treatments.
  3. Historical narratives are often shaped by the perspectives of those in power, rather than the marginalized or oppressed.

Accio Insights: The Marauder’s Map of the ML World

The Palindrome • 3 implied HN points • 19 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Natural Language Generative AI Systems Design Data science Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence
  1. Embeddings are learned, dense numerical vectors that capture what words or items mean in context instead of using one‑hot or random encodings.
  2. Similarity in embedding space is measured by the cosine of the angle between vectors, and relationships show up as directions you can add or subtract (for example, king − man + woman ≈ queen), so similar things cluster and outliers stand out.
  3. Embeddings are a core building block across ML systems — powering search, LLMs, image generators, and recommendations — and engineers must design around retrieval, scale, latency, and reliability when using them in production.

What is Your Life Worth?

Economic Forces • 9 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
💼 Business Valuation Public Policy Regulation Insurance Labor Economics
  1. People reveal how much they value life through choices like buying insurance, spending on health, and taking risky jobs, and economists use those choices to compute a "statistical value of life" (e.g., via wage premia).
  2. Empirical estimates place the statistical value of life in the millions of dollars and show it rising over time; as incomes and life expectancy rise, people tend to demand and pay more for safety.
  3. Price theory lets us put dollar values on non-market goods, so up-to-date value-of-life estimates are essential for sensible policy and cost–benefit decisions about safety and regulation.

GroupBy #31: Migrating a Trillion Entries of Uber’s Ledger Data from DynamoDB to LedgerStore, Grab Experiment Decision Engine

VuTrinh. • 59 implied HN points • 16 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Cloud Computing Data Engineering Software Development Machine Learning
  1. Uber successfully migrated over a trillion entries of its ledger data to a new database called LedgerStore without causing disruptions. This shows how careful planning can make big data moves smooth.
  2. Airbnb has open-sourced a machine learning feature platform called Chronon, which helps manage data and makes it easier for engineers to work with different data sources. This promotes collaboration and innovation in the tech community.
  3. The GrabX Decision Engine boosts experimentation on online platforms by providing tools for better planning and analyzing experiments. This can lead to more informed decisions and improved outcomes in projects.

Unit Testing for Data Engineers.

Data Engineering Central • 216 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Unit Testing Code Refactoring SQL Data Engineering
  1. Data Engineers often struggle with implementing unit tests due to factors like focus on moving fast and historical lack of emphasis on testing.
  2. Unit testable code in data engineering involves keeping functions small, minimizing side effects, and ensuring reusability.
  3. Implementing unit tests can elevate a data team's performance and lead to better software quality and bug control.