The hottest Substack posts right now

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Welcome to the Cosmopolis

Breaking Smart • 58 implied HN points • 12 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Digital Culture Innovation Computing Geopolitics
  1. A cosmopolis is a new form of community created by major technologies. It acts like a 'soil' for new societies, different from nation-states and metropolises.
  2. Technologies shape how we remember our history. Print, for example, changed how memories are shared and recorded, leading to modern societies.
  3. Emerging technologies like AI and blockchains are creating new cosmopolitan realities. They are changing how we think about memory and society on a global scale.

Developer Experience: Cracking The Code For Peak Productivity

Wisdom over Waves • 39 implied HN points • 20 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Software Feedback Productivity Development
  1. Achieving a flow state is crucial for peak productivity. Minimizing interruptions like emails, popups and delays helps maintain focus and enhance performance.
  2. Reducing cognitive load is essential. Providing clear domain knowledge and simplifying technical aspects contribute to better understanding and productivity.
  3. Establishing a fast feedback loop is key. Faster identification of issues, learning from failures, and making data-driven decisions lead to better performance and quality.

Ethics and Insecticide: The Transcript

Bet On It • 75 implied HN points • 15 Jul 25
📖 Philosophy Consciousness Moral Philosophy Ethics Environmental Ethics Animal Rights
  1. Insects might feel pain, and if they do, there's a lot of suffering happening because so many insects exist. This makes their welfare a big ethical concern.
  2. Understanding how we impact insect populations is crucial. Even small actions can lead to the suffering or death of a huge number of insects, which is often overlooked.
  3. Many people don't empathize with insects, but if we consider their potential suffering, it challenges us to rethink topics like factory farming and how we value animal lives.

In Search of a Steady State: Inflation, Interest Rates and Value

Musings on Markets • 679 implied HN points • 11 May 22
💰 Finance Economics Market Trends Inflation Interest Rates Investment
  1. Inflation has become a major issue for the economy, causing instability in markets with unpredictable effects on stock prices. Understanding inflation's impact is important for making investment decisions.
  2. As inflation rises, interest rates also climb, leading to increased borrowing costs and affecting how risky investments are perceived. This creates uncertainty for investors about how to respond.
  3. There are different potential outcomes for the economy based on inflation trends, ranging from a quick stabilization to severe recession risks. Investors need to adapt their strategies depending on which scenario seems more likely.

Movers, Shakers, & Money Makers (7/8)

Human Capitalist • 19 implied HN points • 09 Jul 24
💼 Business Human Resources Corporate strategy Career development Leadership Changes Job Market
  1. Several big job changes happened recently, with people moving to new positions at notable companies. This shows a lot of activity in the job market.
  2. One interesting move is Taylor Perkins going from Paramount to X as Partnerships Lead, showing a focus on regaining partnerships for the platform.
  3. Amit Srivastava's new role at Capital Rx as Head of AI highlights how important artificial intelligence is in various industries today.
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Trends in CIAM

ciamweekly • 250 implied HN points • 18 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Authentication Startup Software Market Trends Dev Tools
  1. There are many new startups in authentication since Auth0 was bought. This is because developers can easily build and use these tools themselves.
  2. Self-hosting is becoming popular again with modern solutions available. Some companies make it tough to download these options so users rely on their SaaS services instead.
  3. Many businesses are moving away from creating their own authentication systems. They see it as something best handled by specialized vendors, which helps them focus on their main goals.

The Hagakure #87: One Year In

The Hagakure • 92 implied HN points • 12 Jun 25
💼 Business Management Leadership Systems Thinking Product Development Startup
  1. It's important to build a connected system for your team that everyone understands and trusts. This helps improve productivity and makes sure everyone knows their role and responsibilities.
  2. Staying honest and present with your team is key. Being approachable and authentic can help build strong relationships, especially during tough times.
  3. Embracing change quickly is vital, especially when new technologies emerge. Don't hesitate to adapt your strategy and structure to meet new challenges head-on.

Pratik's Year in Review: 2025

Pratik’s Pakodas 🍿 • 8 implied HN points • 02 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Hardware Developer Tools Software Engineering AI Career Advice Startups Community Building
  1. AI agents and skill-based subagents let you run many tasks in parallel and move work forward continuously. This shifts the role from single-threaded coder to an orchestrator who delegates, evaluates, and scales output.
  2. Building a community depends on habits and critical mass more than platform features; migrating people to a new platform requires heavy outreach, patience, and active admins. Tools help, but sustained engagement is earned through social habits, not just better functionality.
  3. Measure and design life around 'great days' by engineering conditions that produce them — prioritize sleep, consistent healthy habits, slack time, and small experiments. Small rituals and intentional choices matter more for long-term happiness than chasing big achievements.

Killing the tiny annoyances (in work and life)

Leading Developers • 98 implied HN points • 03 Jun 25
💼 Business Workplace Productivity Efficiency Time management Technology
  1. Small annoyances can waste a lot of time and energy. Fixing these little issues can boost your productivity and reduce stress.
  2. Organizing your tools and workspace can help you work more efficiently. Simple changes like better organization or updating old templates can save you time.
  3. Managing notifications and distractions, like Slack messages or email alerts, makes a big difference in focus. It’s worth taking time to set up systems that reduce interruptions.

Breaking the Mold: Why Founders Should Ditch the Links and Just Send the Deck

Venture Curator • 179 implied HN points • 27 May 23
💼 Business Investment Startups Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Marketing
  1. Send your pitch deck as a file instead of a link to make it more compelling and shareable
  2. Ensure your deck is visually appealing, concise, and focused, under 10MB for efficiency
  3. Include key elements in your deck like team, problem, unique approach, value proposition, market data, and financial projections, while excluding sensitive details

Sam Wants Your Coins - Alameda / Voyager Update

DeFi Education • 599 implied HN points • 27 Jul 22
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Investing Digital Assets Market Trends Regulatory issues
  1. Voyager has a plan to repay customers by giving them back some cryptocurrency, but they also offer the choice to take equity in the new Voyager. This could mean more coins available for others to receive.
  2. Alameda's proposal is to only pay customers the USD value of their cryptocurrency on a specific date, not the actual coins. This is seen by some as potentially unfair if crypto prices change.
  3. There are other interested buyers for Voyager, and rushing a deal could limit the best options for customers. More competition among buyers might lead to better payouts for those affected.

5 questions to categorize machine learning interpretability approaches

Mindful Modeler • 419 implied HN points • 13 Sep 22
🕹 Technology Machine Learning
  1. Machine learning interpretability approaches can be categorized using 5 key questions, such as whether they are point-wise or global interpretations.
  2. Interpretability methods can be either interpretable by design or require post-hoc interpretation, with implications for ease of understanding the model.
  3. Some explanation methods generate interpretable models, while others do not, emphasizing the importance of understanding the nature of the explanation outcome.

The current AI strategic landscape: one bear's perspective

Philosophy bear • 178 implied HN points • 15 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Regulation Public Opinion Corporate Influence
  1. AI ethicists and safety advocates are starting to work together more, which could strengthen their efforts against risks from AI. This is a positive shift towards a unified approach.
  2. Many people are worried about the threats posed by AI and want more rules to manage it. However, big companies and some governments are pushing for quicker AI development instead of more safety.
  3. To really get people's attention on AI issues, something big might need to happen first, like job losses or a major political shift. It’s important to be ready to act when that moment comes.

Tech Talks Weekly #8 ☀️ ☀️ ☀️

Tech Talks Weekly • 59 implied HN points • 29 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Conferences Software Development Tech Talks Online Education Security
  1. This issue highlights exciting new tech talks from major conferences like NDC Security and GOTO. It's a great way to learn about current trends in technology.
  2. There is a focus on security, with talks discussing topics like passkeys and the future of cookies. These topics are important for anyone interested in cybersecurity.
  3. The newsletter encourages sharing it with friends and colleagues to build a community around tech talks. Also, there's a form available for people to share their interests to improve content.

New ways to customize your Substack

Substack Blog • 1006 implied HN points • 02 May 23
🕹 Technology Customization
  1. New homepage layouts allow for customization of hero, posts, and top posts.
  2. Tags are introduced to help organize posts without creating segmented email lists.
  3. More customization tools like design options, logo, sections, and pages are available to personalize your Substack publication.

How the written internet died

The Rectangle • 84 implied HN points • 04 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Writing Internet Media Apps Content
  1. Pocket is shutting down, marking the end of an era for how people save and read articles online. It was a popular tool for many who wanted to keep track of interesting content.
  2. The rise of video content on social media platforms shifted focus away from writing. This change has made the internet feel different, with more people consuming short videos instead of reading articles.
  3. With Pocket’s closure, it seems like the written internet is fading away. Many feel nostalgic for when writing was a central part of the online experience.

The "good" experiment

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 159 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
💼 Business Management Strategy Innovation Organizational Behavior Empiricism
  1. When facing uncertainty, it's better to run small and cheap experiments instead of committing to a big strategy. This keeps you flexible.
  2. A good experiment must have a clear hypothesis, provide useful insights whether it fails or succeeds, and be designed to be sneaky so organizations don’t resist it.
  3. Experimenting helps you learn and get clarity when things are unclear. It's a practical way to tackle problems without getting stuck.

On Work From Home Pt 2

Warden Capital • 137 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
💼 Business
  1. Utilization rates for office spaces are around 50-70%, varying based on market and building quality.
  2. Top-tier office buildings are experiencing higher utilization rates, closer to 75% and performing better.
  3. Data sources like Placer.AI show ongoing improvements in office utilization rates, indicating a steady return to office trend.

Letter from November

Anima Mundi • 20 implied HN points • 18 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Infrastructure Futurism Philosophy Software Climate
  1. We need to accept that we can't always predict the future, but that shouldn't stop us from trying to create solutions. Even if our ideas might not work out, taking action is important.
  2. Building things is messy and uncertain, and we should be real about that. It’s okay to acknowledge that what we're creating may not be what’s needed, but we still need to keep building.
  3. Collaboration matters a lot. Working with people who share our understanding and goals can make a difference in how effective our efforts are, even in unpredictable circumstances.

Checking in on Chinese lending to developing countries

Klement on Investing • 4 implied HN points • 29 Jan 26
💰 Finance Sovereign debt Emerging Markets International Finance Credit Risk
  1. China’s net lending to developing countries has reversed since about 2019, so it now receives more in debt repayments than it issues in new loans.
  2. China remains a major financier for low-income countries, but slower Chinese growth and smaller surpluses have sharply reduced the flow of new loans.
  3. The credit quality of borrowers has deteriorated to roughly CCC+, making it more likely China will accept commodities or asset swaps and gain control of infrastructure when borrowers can’t repay.

TBM 276: Leverage Distribution

The Beautiful Mess • 542 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
💼 Business Workplace dynamics
  1. Team effectiveness involves imagining a team's energy investment as a distribution across leverage, showcasing why small improvements can significantly impact team efficacy.
  2. Teams can have significant differences in the allocation of energy towards high-leverage work, affecting long-term impact and team dynamics.
  3. Challenges faced by a team, when accumulated, can significantly impact overall team performance, highlighting the importance of fostering conditions for positive outcomes.

Studying Peter Thiel and Founders Fund with Mario Gabriele

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 76 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Authenticity Writing Skills Investment strategy Venture Capital
  1. Authenticity is key in both writing and investing. Being true to yourself helps set you apart from the competition.
  2. Differentiation is important. You should stand out by focusing on your unique strengths and ideas.
  3. Learning from others is valuable, but avoid copying them directly. Use their insights to inspire your own original thinking.

Just Stop Trying

Polymathic Being • 66 implied HN points • 03 Aug 25
📖 Philosophy Philosophical Concepts Personal Development Mindfulness Western Philosophy Eastern philosophy
  1. Trying too hard can actually lead to failure. It's better to relax and let things flow naturally.
  2. Embracing simplicity often leads to better outcomes. Sometimes the simplest ideas bring the most success.
  3. Pay attention to where you feel tension in your body, and let go of that stress. This can help improve your performance and creativity.

An Inflation Follow Up: The Disparate Effects on Companies

Musings on Markets • 659 implied HN points • 20 May 22
💰 Finance Investing Economics Asset Classes Risk management Markets
  1. Inflation affects companies differently, with some benefiting and others struggling. Investors are on the lookout for companies that can handle high inflation better.
  2. Companies with strong pricing power, low costs, and stable earnings tend to perform better during times of inflation. It's important for these companies to keep debts low and have short-term investment options.
  3. Historical trends show that small-cap and value stocks often outperform in high inflation periods. In 2022, stocks with solid cash flows and dividends have held their value better than riskier, money-losing companies.

Internal tools often make bad startup ideas

Philosophical Hacker • 69 HN points • 14 Feb 24
💼 Business Startups
  1. Internal tools may not always translate well into successful startup ideas, as software engineers tend to prefer building tools themselves rather than buying them.
  2. Startup ideas stemming from internal tools that involve unpleasant tasks or non-career-advancing skills may have more potential for success.
  3. As companies face more pressure to create value, the trend of engineers building tools rather than purchasing them may shift, impacting the viability of internal tool startups.

LLM links, 11/17

In My Tribe • 243 implied HN points • 18 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Robotics AI Machine Learning Software Development Research
  1. AI agents are most helpful when they can repeat simple tasks many times, rather than doing complex, one-time jobs. It’s better to have them automate quick tasks consistently.
  2. Chatbots face serious challenges, especially when discussing sensitive topics like suicide. They should guide users to seek help but also create a safe conversation environment.
  3. There’s concern that new AI models may not improve in accuracy and could actually make mistakes more often. This suggests that AI will always struggle to tell the truth from lies.

How to Analyze an Income Statement

Concepts of Finance 🧠 • 219 implied HN points • 06 Jul 23
💰 Finance Accounting Financial Analysis Corporate Finance Investing
  1. An income statement shows how well a company is doing by detailing its revenue, expenses, and net income over a period. It's important because it helps you understand if a company is making a profit or losing money.
  2. Gross profit margin is a key metric to analyze. It reveals whether the company is profitable on the products it sells, and a stable or rising margin is a good sign.
  3. When reading an income statement, look for trends over time, check revenue directions, and ensure expense categories make sense. This can highlight the company's overall health and performance.

👊🏽 Special Edition: Ganas and I invested in Avify!

Lolita's Newsletter • 78 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Startups Investing SaaS Latin America
  1. Ganas Ventures and Lolita Taub invested in Avify, and you can too!
  2. Avify is addressing a $1.8 trillion inventory distortion challenge with strong traction and community support.
  3. Avify's team has a strong background, the market opportunity is significant in Latin America, and they are focused on revolutionizing SMB inventory management.

Inside Pulley's AI-Native Engineering Team

Artificial Ignorance • 92 implied HN points • 18 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Engineering Software AI Development Startups
  1. Using AI regularly helps small teams work efficiently. By leveraging AI tools, even a small engineering team can compete with much larger companies.
  2. It's important to foster a culture of experimentation with AI. When team members are excited about trying new AI tools and sharing what they learn, it boosts overall productivity.
  3. Skills are shifting from direct coding to more strategic tasks like writing specifications. As AI becomes more capable, being able to communicate ideas clearly and manage these tools is becoming crucial.

How I use chatGPT

The Common Reader • 921 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Copywriting
  1. The author discusses using ChatGPT for writing and editing, including feedback on a book manuscript.
  2. ChatGPT provided accurate summaries and assessments, along with helpful prompts for editing and copywriting.
  3. The post highlights utilizing ChatGPT for various tasks like book manuscript feedback, editing prompts, and copywriting assistance.

The Transition from Monolithic SIEMs to Data Lakes for Security Monitoring

Detection at Scale • 139 implied HN points • 23 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Cloud Platforms Security Open Source
  1. Transitioning from monolithic SIEMs to data lakes for security monitoring involves decoupled data architecture, cloud storage, open data formats, and distributed query engines for improved performance, scalability, and pricing models.
  2. Usability tradeoffs exist when shifting to data lakes, with a need for detection engineers specializing in tool accuracy and performance, while security analysts require tools for exhaustive answers and simplistic searches.
  3. The data pipeline in a transition involves components like data routing, transformation, storage, query engines, metadata, and real-time analysis, each playing a unique role in pulling, transforming, and analyzing security data in a data lake environment.