The hottest Substack posts right now

according to Hacker News
Category

Taking Advantage

The Radar • 39 implied HN points • 01 Apr 24
💼 Business Corporate culture
  1. Real-world examples reveal the gaps between principles and actions in organizations
  2. Interim roles can be abused by employers if not managed properly
  3. Amazon's use of step-ups highlights potential issues with turnover, promotion processes, and cost management

One month of using Devin

Generating Conversation • 163 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Tech Innovation User Experience Product Reviews AI Tools
  1. Devin is good for fixing small, specific coding tasks quickly, saving time for developers. It works best when given straightforward instructions on simple issues.
  2. However, Devin struggles with more complex tasks that require understanding and linking multiple components together. In those cases, it can produce confusing or unusable results.
  3. Although Devin shows promise in AI-assisted programming, it's still not at the level of a junior software engineer. There's definitely room for improvement as the technology develops.

It wasn’t Vice’s business model that sank it

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 449 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Advertising Media industry Startups Revenue streams Venture Capital
  1. High overhead costs and failure to control expenses can lead to the downfall of media companies, not just their business models.
  2. Diversifying revenue streams beyond advertising can be beneficial for media companies to sustain themselves.
  3. Establishing reasonable burn rates and controlling expenses are crucial for the long-term success of media companies.
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6 steps to building in public: a path to a tech job or startup success

The CS Dojo Magazine • 78 implied HN points • 02 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Tech skills Startups Visibility Networking Skill development
  1. Building in public is a great way to showcase technical skills and establish presence in the industry.
  2. Building a startup in public helps showcase technology and attract customers or investors.
  3. Six steps to start building in public: identify a problem, share for feedback, develop, show progress, repeat, attract opportunities.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 501

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 179 implied HN points • 30 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Data Engineering Data Visualization Data science Machine Learning
  1. Data scientists are sharing tips on how to make their scientific data more accessible and useful. This helps others to understand and use the data better.
  2. There are many discussions happening about the benefits and drawbacks of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. Some people believe they are amazing, while others think they aren't very helpful.
  3. Naming things in programming can be tough, but there are resources and books that can help. Learning the right naming conventions can improve coding practices.

Under the microscope: ReBoot (PlayStation)

Rings of Saturn • 58 implied HN points • 26 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Gaming Cheat Codes Animation Software Coding
  1. ReBoot was a groundbreaking TV show in 1994, famous for its 3D CGI animation, which felt futuristic at the time.
  2. The PlayStation game based on ReBoot includes several cheat codes, some of which were discovered by examining the game code more closely.
  3. New cheat codes like 'Rainbow' and 'Long Camera' can change the visuals of the game, making it more colorful or giving a top-down view.

How an acquisition fails

benn.substack • 715 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
💼 Business Company strategy Acquisitions Data products Tech industry Market Trends
  1. Tech acquisitions can be risky due to various challenges like incompatible technology stacks and cultural differences.
  2. Strategic fit doesn't guarantee success in acquisitions, as seen in the example of Sisense buying Periscope.
  3. Future success in the modern data suite industry may depend on adapting to AI advancements and evolving customer needs.

Will the debate between "AI skeptics" and "AI optimists" reach a definite resolution soon?

The Future of Life • 19 implied HN points • 03 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Robotics
  1. There are two main views on AI: some believe it's about to change everything quickly, while others think it's not as advanced as people say.
  2. If AI keeps improving rapidly, it could replace a lot of jobs and change how businesses operate, but if it slows down, many may not find it useful.
  3. Even with advancements, there might always be disagreements about whether AI is truly intelligent or just copying human behavior.

Left-Hand Paths

Outlandish Claims • 19 implied HN points • 03 Jun 24
📖 Philosophy Feminism Gender Morality Religion Esotericism
  1. Religions and ideologies can be seen as having two paths: the right-hand path, typically exoteric and emphasizing external redemption, and the left-hand path, more anarchist and focusing on listening to oneself.
  2. Esoteric readings of texts offer alternative perspectives, like interpreting biblical passages in a different light to challenge established beliefs and morality.
  3. Engaging in left-handed readings of texts involves maintaining the sacredness of the text while exploring unconventional interpretations that may lead to new insights or narratives.

Developing a Strong Strategy for Your Business

The Small Business Corner • 19 implied HN points • 03 Jun 24
💼 Business Strategy Small business Entrepreneurship
  1. Developing a strong strategy is crucial for small businesses to focus efforts, overcome challenges, and achieve goals.
  2. A good strategy involves diagnosing challenges, formulating guiding policies, and taking coherent actions.
  3. It's important to differentiate between goals and strategy, address core challenges, conduct business reviews, focus on strengths, avoid reliance on motivation, and set achievable objectives in business strategy.

Engineering Managers Should Not Exist

Victor’s Substack • 41 HN points • 26 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Project management HR Management Consulting
  1. Software engineering managers should not exist as they generally take on multiple roles poorly, whereas specialists could excel at each task.
  2. Engineering managers often were mediocre engineers who compensated by picking up non-engineering tasks and ended up in managerial roles.
  3. Best teams often function well without an engineering manager observing their every move, allowing engineers to focus and be more productive.

Innovation Job Market Papers 2024 (3/3)

New Things Under the Sun • 192 implied HN points • 06 Dec 24
💼 Business Globalization Entrepreneurship R&D Economics Innovation Technology
  1. Many new PhD researchers are studying innovation topics in their job market papers. These papers are valuable for understanding current trends in technology and business.
  2. Some research focuses on how companies adapt their innovation strategies in response to challenges like climate change and competition. This shows that innovation is not just about new ideas but also about practical responses to real-world issues.
  3. There is growing interest in how digital platforms influence entrepreneurship. These platforms can help small businesses thrive and increase diversity in the market, which benefits consumers.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 497

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 199 implied HN points • 02 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Software Engineering Data science Statistical Analysis Artificial Intelligence
  1. Data drift doesn't always hurt model performance, so it's important to analyze the context before reacting to it.
  2. Work on solving bigger problems as you grow in your career, instead of waiting for difficult tasks to be handed to you.
  3. To improve a model's reasoning skills, reward it for each correct step in problem-solving, not just the final answer.

Sam Altman is back at OpenAI.

Jon’s Newsletter • 99 implied HN points • 22 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Corporate Governance Artificial Intelligence Startup Culture Leadership Changes
  1. Sam Altman has returned as CEO of OpenAI after being ousted last week. This decision came quickly after strong support from OpenAI's employees and investors.
  2. The board of directors at OpenAI is being reshaped, with new members bringing different experiences. This change aims to improve stability and governance for the company.
  3. Microsoft has shown strong support for Altman's return, highlighting the importance of his leadership and the need for effective management in the rapidly growing AI sector.

Rethinking organisation technology

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 119 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
💼 Business Organizational Design Human Resources Innovation Strategy Leadership
  1. Conventional hiring methods lead to rigid organizations. Instead, using open-ended roles helps companies adapt better to uncertainty.
  2. Open-ended roles allow employees to shift responsibilities and roles over time. This flexibility helps organizations respond quickly to changing situations.
  3. Organizations need to adopt different strategies for addressing true uncertainty, rather than just managing risk. This means being more open and adaptable from the start.

The Future of Search and How You Can Shape It

Gradient Flow • 199 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
🕹 Technology AI Search Engines Machine Learning Data Engineering Cloud Computing
  1. The blend of artificial intelligence and chatbot interfaces, like seen in ChatGPT, is transforming search applications, with startups emphasizing large language models for better search experiences.
  2. Expectations around user interactions with company websites are changing with the rise of chatbot-equipped search engines, requiring integration of AI and foundation models for improved responses incorporating text, images, videos, and audio.
  3. Data and AI teams are crucial in developing, testing, and maintaining next-generation search applications, with companies likely seeking more control over their data and the potential creation of custom models for enhanced privacy and innovation.

Understand Convertible Note Investment Option: The Valuation Game-Changer!

Venture Curator • 159 implied HN points • 10 May 23
💰 Finance Startup Venture Capital Investment
  1. Convertible notes can be a helpful option for startups looking to secure funding without immediate valuation, allowing time to build the company's value.
  2. Convertible notes are ideal for early-stage companies, especially those with a proven product and solid concept, helping them raise funds and scale effectively.
  3. From an investor's perspective, convertible notes offer a riskier but potentially more rewarding opportunity to secure equity at a discounted rate or via a valuation cap.

Does the rise of index funds make managers myopic?

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
💰 Finance Investor behavior Corporate Governance Asset management Investments Markets Accounting
  1. Managers facing frequent quarterly guidance often favor strategies that smooth short-term earnings, even when those choices reduce long-term value.
  2. High index fund ownership tends to increase short-term decision making, but mainly at firms that already give frequent earnings guidance, because managers then aim for predictable results.
  3. The key issue is fewer long-term shareholders and the incentive to stay in indexes, so it’s the combination of ownership composition and guidance habits — not index funds alone — that drives myopic behavior.

Remote MCP is the key to secure and scalable AI for the enterprise

Dev Interrupted • 46 implied HN points • 21 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Enterprise Software AI Security Infrastructure
  1. Moving from local Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to remote ones can help keep sensitive data secure and manageable. This shift reduces security risks by limiting access points and providing a central control system.
  2. Using centralized agent gateways allows organizations to set strict permissions and guidelines for how AI tools interact. This helps maintain control and ensures that only trusted tools are used in the process.
  3. For large organizations, remote MCP servers are better suited for scaling AI solutions efficiently. They simplify complex tasks by letting managers pre-define toolsets, making it easier for AI agents to perform their jobs without user confusion.

Long on shovels, short on gold

benn.substack • 434 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
💼 Business Startups Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Investing Tech
  1. In the tech world, many companies are heavily investing in AI, with billions of dollars being raised for AI startups and established companies shifting focus towards AI.
  2. Liquidation preferences in startup funding can lead to conflicts of interest between investors and founders, affecting decisions around company sale and financial outcomes.
  3. Despite the hype around AI, success stories of companies profiting from AI technology are not yet as abundant, raising questions about the actual impact and returns of AI investments.

A deeper than average look into Stacks [Math Mondays]

Technology Made Simple • 99 implied HN points • 21 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Programming Data Structures Algorithms Computer Science
  1. Stacks are powerful data structures in software engineering and can be modified extensively to suit different use cases.
  2. Implementing Stacks using a Singly Linked List can be beneficial for dynamic resizing, though Arrays are often preferred due to memory considerations.
  3. Exploring variations like Persistent Stacks, Limiting Stack Size, Ensuring Type Safety, Thread Safety, Tracking Min/Max, and Undo Operations can enhance the functionality and efficiency of Stacks in various scenarios.

Bad Software Advice: Three Interesting Links #6

Bad Software Advice • 164 implied HN points • 20 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Management Documentation Remote work Software
  1. Documentation is important, but sometimes people struggle to keep it updated. A funny story shared highlights a case of trying to restore missing documents in a company.
  2. Remote work has its advantages, but it doesn't fit everyone's situation. Personal circumstances can greatly affect how well someone can work from home, and it's important to consider different perspectives on this topic.
  3. Incompetent management can sometimes still keep a company afloat if conditions are stable. However, if situations change, it can threaten the organization's survival.

How much will the "magnificent seven" grow?

Jon’s Newsletter • 159 implied HN points • 26 Jun 23
💼 Business Stock Analysis Tech industry Market Trends Investment
  1. Tesla is expected to see amazing growth, with revenue projected to double over the next five years as they aim for 5 million vehicle sales annually.
  2. Nvidia is riding the AI wave and is estimated to grow its revenue significantly, nearing $93 billion in five years.
  3. Amazon is set for a big boost too, with projections of reaching almost $1 trillion in revenue, making it the biggest revenue-generating business in America.

Did I Even Want to Be a CEO?

David Spinks' Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 17 Nov 25
💼 Business Coaching Leadership Career Mental health Work Culture
  1. Questioning career choices is normal. It's okay to wonder if you truly want the path you've been on, like becoming a CEO, or if it’s just something you felt you had to do.
  2. It's important to take breaks and prioritize your well-being. Stepping away from a high-pressure role can lead to personal growth and a better understanding of what you really want.
  3. Success doesn't always mean holding a high-status job. Finding joy and fulfillment in simple work or coaching can be just as valuable as traditional measures of success.

Leverage Points for solving complex problems

Turnaround • 277 implied HN points • 01 Aug 22
💼 Business Problem Solving Complexity Theory Systems Thinking Management Product Management
  1. Complex problems require moving away from linear thinking and embracing complexity thinking that involves understanding interconnections and dependencies.
  2. Leverage points in a system are areas where small changes can cause significant overall impact. These include adjusting parameters, dealing with stock buffers, considering system structures, managing feedback loops, controlling information flows, setting incentives and rules, enabling self-organization, and aligning with system goals and paradigms.
  3. Differentiating between complicated and complex systems is crucial in problem-solving. In complex interconnected systems, problem statements often fall into categories such as coupled, causal, or standalone.

Japan's Semiconductor Red Carpet

Interconnected • 447 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Manufacturing Government support Global expansion Workforce
  1. Japan's semiconductor industry is making a strong effort to attract TSMC and boost chip manufacturing through government support and strategic investments.
  2. Kumamoto in Japan is proving to be a successful hub for TSMC with speedy construction, substantial government subsidies, and efforts to welcome and retain Taiwanese employees.
  3. Soft touches like cultural support, language programs, and local community integration are enhancing the success of TSMC's venture in Kumamoto, highlighting the importance of human factors in high-tech industries.

Neologisms

johan’s substack • 19 implied HN points • 02 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Language Models Machine Learning AI Speculation
  1. Exploring neologisms can reveal insights into AI models and their inner workings.
  2. Speculative neologisms can provide a framework for understanding how AI processes information and feelings.
  3. Using neologisms can help simulate and investigate complex behaviors in AI models and uncover hidden structures.

What Hotelier Ari Heckman thinks about building brand worlds IRL

the case for brand 💼 • 137 implied HN points • 28 Feb 25
💼 Business Design Marketing Branding Entrepreneurship Hospitality
  1. Ari Heckman focuses on creating unique brand worlds for his hotel projects, blending art and commerce. This approach helps make each hotel feel special and connected to the local culture.
  2. He emphasizes the importance of being involved in both the creative and operational sides of business. Balancing creative ideas with sound business practices can lead to better results.
  3. The idea of evolving beyond just being a hotel brand is key for Ash. They want to be seen as a lifestyle brand, offering more than just lodging, like products and experiences that connect with their brand story.