The hottest Substack posts right now

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Why we have a freemium model

Founders Confidential • 19 implied HN points • 15 May 24
💼 Business Strategy Growth Economics Product Marketing
  1. A freemium model helps reach people who might not afford services otherwise. It allows companies to assist those, like students in developing countries, who are pursuing their dreams.
  2. Offering free services creates a lot of positive word-of-mouth. When people see value in free offerings, they tell others, which brings in new customers.
  3. Having a strong free tier pushes companies to provide a great user experience. It shouldn’t be frustrating to use; instead, it should show enough value to encourage users to consider paid features.

Drawdowns Will Happen

Spilled Coffee • 48 implied HN points • 23 Jul 25
💰 Finance Economic Indicators Investing Market Trends Risk management
  1. Drawdowns in investments are inevitable, meaning at some point, your portfolio will likely drop in value. This happens to every investor, so be ready for it.
  2. Long-term investing often includes dealing with painful drawdowns, which can test your patience and confidence in your strategy. It's important to not allow fear to make you question your decisions during these times.
  3. To prepare for drawdowns, have cash on hand, understand your investment timeline, and base your decisions on how much risk you can handle. Remember, volatility is a normal part of investing.

Under The Hood Of Kima Ventures

Venture Prose • 1058 implied HN points • 03 Jul 20
💼 Business Startup funding Investment strategy Venture Capital Performance Portfolio Management
  1. Kima Ventures, led by Xavier Niel, focuses on investing in French tech founders worldwide.
  2. Their investment strategy involves making $150k investments in 100 new startups annually, with a particular focus on French tech founders.
  3. Kima Ventures aims to stay with companies for the long haul, providing support through their portfolio management platform and maintaining steady returns.

When venture incentives and founder needs diverge

Alex's Personal Blog • 164 implied HN points • 20 Nov 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Entrepreneurship Investment Strategies Startups Financial Incentives
  1. Venture capitalists can make money off their 2% fees without needing successful company exits. This creates a situation where they might prioritize raising more funds over helping founders succeed.
  2. Large venture funds may overpay for investments to quickly deploy capital, which can lead to problems for founders who might be offered too much money at high valuations.
  3. There's a debate about how much authors should be paid for their work being used in AI training. Some authors feel $2,500 per book isn't enough compensation for potentially being replaced by technology.

Algowhoring; A Primer

Polymathic Being • 114 implied HN points • 16 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Social media Digital Trends Content creation Algorithms
  1. Algowhoring is when people create content just to get attention on social media, often copying what works instead of sharing their own original ideas. This can hurt the quality of communication online.
  2. These posts usually focus on getting quick likes and shares, which can feel shallow or scammy. Even though they might get lots of engagement, they don’t contribute anything meaningful.
  3. To improve social media, it's important to ignore algowhoring posts, reward genuine content, and avoid using those attention-seeking tactics yourself. This way, we can encourage a better online environment.
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WSJ Editorial Cites My Writings on BOJ Dilemma

Japan Economy Watch • 179 implied HN points • 18 Jan 23
💰 Finance Economics Financial Markets Monetary Policy
  1. The Bank of Japan decided to maintain its monetary policy which initially impacted the currency exchange rate and bond yields.
  2. An editorial in the Wall Street Journal referenced writings by Richard Katz concerning the BOJ policy, shedding light on the ongoing discussions.
  3. Richard Katz had a letter to the editor published in response to an op-ed about BOJ policy, showcasing differing opinions and contributing to the dialogue.

Huson Soft HuCAL

Computer Ads from the Past • 384 implied HN points • 24 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Translation Software History
  1. Hudson Soft was a Japanese company that started as an electronics store and later moved into game development.
  2. Hudson Soft created popular games like Bomberman, Adventure Island, and Bonk for various gaming systems.
  3. HuCAL, a product by Hudson Soft, was initially thought to be a word processor but was actually a spreadsheet used on Sega systems.

GPT‑5.2, GLM-4.6V, Runway's GWM Worlds, GWM Avatars and GWM Robotics, Nomos 1, Devstral 2, Wan-Move, SimGym, Disco, Stripe's Agentic Commerce Suite and more

AI Brews • 10 implied HN points • 12 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Robotics AI Research Developer Tools Open Source Software Generative AI Machine Learning AI
  1. Large AI models are making big leaps: new releases like GPT‑5.2 and specialized models improve reasoning, code, vision, long‑context handling, and tool use, while smaller specialist models like Nomos 1 can outperform humans on hard math tasks.
  2. Agentic and commerce-focused tools are moving into the mainstream, with products and standards that let AI agents act inside apps, make purchases, and integrate into workflows (agentic commerce, foundation efforts, and Slack/agent integrations).
  3. Multimodal content and developer tooling are exploding: new video and avatar systems, motion‑controllable video models, Adobe ChatGPT integrations, visual editors, and many open‑source projects make it much easier to build and deploy creative AI applications.

GALE Is A Next-Gen Generative AI Productivity Suite

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 19 implied HN points • 15 May 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Artificial Intelligence Enterprise Solutions Productivity Tools Automation
  1. GALE is a new AI tool that helps businesses automate tasks. This saves time and allows employees to focus on important work.
  2. It allows users to create temporary applications for short-term projects, which can be discarded afterward. This is great for quick tasks without long-term commitment.
  3. GALE can save companies money by reducing repetitive work and improving efficiency. This helps businesses grow and innovate.

The McDonald's theory of why everyone thinks the economy sucks

Silver Bulletin • 438 implied HN points • 27 Nov 23
💰 Finance Delivery Services Marketing Inflation Consumer spending Economy
  1. Americans are spending more money overall, not just paying higher prices due to inflation.
  2. Fast food chains are using strategies like price increases, marketing, and delivery to make customers spend more.
  3. Consumer spending is increasing faster than inflation, impacting people's perceptions about the economy.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 487

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 199 implied HN points • 23 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Data science Visualization Software Development
  1. This week's newsletter shares useful links in data science, machine learning, and AI. It's a great way to stay updated in these fields.
  2. One highlighted article discusses the importance of prompt engineering in interacting with language models. It's about how to communicate effectively with AI for desired results.
  3. There's also a report on how generative models like GPT might impact jobs. It shows that many workers could see changes in their tasks due to AI advancements.

Rust: enum, boxed error and stack size mystery

Art’s Substack • 19 implied HN points • 15 May 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Error Handling Compiler
  1. In Rust, errors are typically modeled using enums and can be streamlined using libraries like `thiserror` to reduce boilerplate.
  2. Boxing error types in Rust enums can help limit the maximum size of `Result<T>` and affect stack space usage, as illustrated in the example provided.
  3. Compiler optimizations and versions can significantly impact stack allocation for Rust functions, as seen in the comparison between Rust 1.74.0 and 1.75.0.

China May Stay Permanently Behind the US in Generative AI

Interconnected • 447 implied HN points • 12 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Data US China Regulations AI
  1. China may be permanently behind the US in Generative AI due to factors like blocking quality datasets.
  2. Unique attributes of Chinese Internet data, like linguistic challenges, present additional hurdles for AI developers in China.
  3. New regulatory burdens in China around AI development may hinder progress and keep the country behind the US in generative AI.

When "yang" goes wrong

Joe Carlsmith's Substack • 58 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Metaethics Moral dilemmas Power Dynamics Ethics Existentialism
  1. The article discusses the connection between deep atheism and the desire for control, particularly in the context of AI risk.
  2. It explores the theme of power-seeking and control in rationalist and accelerationist ideologies.
  3. There is a cautionary tone about the risks and potential negative consequences of power-seeking and wanting too much control over the future.

Lessons from My Year of Yes

Perspectives • 4 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
💼 Business Networking Leadership Boards Startups Entrepreneurship Careers
  1. Saying yes opens unexpected opportunities and brings more connection, projects, and meaning into your life.
  2. You don’t have to be perfect or fully ready — showing up and pushing beyond your comfort zone is often enough to help you grow.
  3. Make time to process and reflect, and accept that some necessary yeses are hard; creating space helps you choose what matters next.

Is Yen’s Decline Over?

Japan Economy Watch • 299 implied HN points • 29 Jul 22
💰 Finance Inflation Central Bank Market Trends Interest Rates Currency Exchange
  1. Traders in currency and bond markets lost big on bets about the weakening yen and rising US interest rates, impacting the yen's value.
  2. The US Federal Reserve's quick actions against inflation caused a change in interest rate outlook, leading to a significant drop in US treasury bond rates.
  3. Market sentiment shifted due to the revised expectations of lower interest rates set by the US Federal Reserve, impacting traders' future predictions.

The Sign of the Times

Technically Optimistic • 59 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Innovation AI Ethics Legal issues Data Privacy Regulation
  1. Media companies like The New York Times are suing AI firms for using their content without permission or payment, which could lead to a shift in how AI models are trained on data.
  2. The lawsuit brings up concerns about the accuracy of data used to train AI models and the need to respect intellectual property rights to ensure creators are compensated for their work.
  3. Efforts are being made to find solutions like machine unlearning and data deletion techniques to address issues raised by the lawsuit without completely starting over.

We need to talk about Nvidia.

Jon’s Newsletter • 199 implied HN points • 20 Feb 23
💼 Business Stocks Market Trends Startups Technology Investing
  1. Nvidia has become a leader in AI hardware because their chips are powerful and in high demand. This change began when they opened up to the AI community and built partnerships with big companies.
  2. Microsoft's investment in OpenAI and the success of ChatGPT have boosted interest in Nvidia's stock. More companies are now investing in AI, which also helps Nvidia's sales.
  3. Despite past challenges and some competition, many analysts believe Nvidia is well-positioned for future growth in the AI market. Their strong reputation and market share give them an advantage.

Axie Classic Competitive Season 7 is LIVE!

The Lunacian • 138 implied HN points • 03 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Features Updates Rewards Community Gaming
  1. Axie Classic Competitive Season 7 is happening now and runs for four weeks. Players can win over 35,000 AXS, with top players qualifying for a championship.
  2. There are Mini Tournaments where players can compete daily for rewards. Winning these tournaments also earns players AXP, which is a new point system.
  3. A brand new PvE Tower Mode is now available. Players can defeat teams, climb floors, and earn rewards as they go. The difficulty increases as you progress, making it exciting.

Where Are The Robots?

Teaching computers how to talk • 110 implied HN points • 23 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Robotics Machine Learning Automation Human-computer interaction AI
  1. Humanoid robots seem impressive in videos, but they aren't practical for everyday tasks yet. Many still struggle with simple actions like opening a fridge at home.
  2. Training robots in simulations is useful, but it doesn’t always translate well to the real world. Minor changes in the environment can cause trained robots to fail.
  3. Even if we could train robots better, it's unclear what tasks they could take over. Existing household machines already perform many tasks, and using robots for harmful jobs could be a better focus.

1024 Reasons to Celebrate: Journey and Future of 'Confessions of a Code Addict'

Confessions of a Code Addict • 481 implied HN points • 07 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Tech industry Subscription Coding Community
  1. The growth of subscribers for 'Confessions of a Code Addict' has been significant, with spikes after posting articles.
  2. The author's journey started after a job loss, and the community support keeps them dedicated to creating content.
  3. Future plans for the community include introducing paid subscriptions with various perks and additional initiatives.

Tianfu Cup 2023: Still a Thing

Natto Thoughts • 79 implied HN points • 16 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Vulnerabilities Regulations Competition Cybersecurity
  1. China's Tianfu Cup hacking competition has evolved from focusing on foreign products to including more domestic products as targets, sparking concerns among Western companies and security experts.
  2. The competition rules of Tianfu Cup 2023 included new sections for exploit demonstration review process and responsible vulnerability disclosure, highlighting the importance of following responsible disclosure procedures in the competition.
  3. In Tianfu Cup 2023, two teams successfully hacked VMware products, winning the top awards, although the competition results did not provide much detail on other attempts on domestic targets.

Axie Delegation is LIVE!

The Lunacian • 184 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
🔮 Crypto Play-to-Earn Blockchain Community Gaming NFTs
  1. Axie Delegation is now available, allowing players to rent out their NFT axies like a scholarship. This means managers can earn benefits from their idle axies while scholars can play with better axies without needing to buy them.
  2. There's a new Delegation Center where players can manage their delegated axies easily. You can bulk delegate or revoke access from there, making it super simple to keep track of everything.
  3. The delegation feature will expand to other Axie games, but it won't be the same for all games right away. Each game will have its own rules and details for how delegation works.

My Investing Philosophy

Spilled Coffee • 124 implied HN points • 29 Jan 25
💰 Finance Investing Stock Market Portfolio Management Personal Finance Retirement planning
  1. Reading investment books helped shape my investing strategy over time. It's important to learn from different sources and experiences.
  2. I consistently invest in an S&P 500 index fund every month. This approach has helped me stay focused on long-term growth without getting caught up in market fluctuations.
  3. Having a high conviction strategy means holding onto a few strong stocks instead of constantly buying and selling. Patience has often led to better investment outcomes for me.

The Conversational AI Technology Landscape: Version 5.0

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 19 implied HN points • 14 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Chatbots Voicebots Natural Language Processing Machine Learning
  1. Voicebots add more complexity to chatbots, requiring new technologies like ASR and TTS. They need to handle issues like latency and background noise to provide a smooth experience.
  2. Agent desktops must integrate well with chatbots to improve customer service. This helps agents access information quickly and provides suggestions to handle customer interactions better.
  3. Cognitive search tools can enhance chatbots by allowing them to access a wider range of information. This helps them answer more diverse questions from users effectively.

The Bear Cave #159

The Bear Cave • 699 implied HN points • 05 Mar 23
💰 Finance Reports Tweets Resignations
  1. New activist reports highlight financial discrepancies in different companies.
  2. Recent resignations of notable executives in various organizations.
  3. Featured tweets discussing potential issues in different companies and industries.

☀️ Tech Talks Weekly #17

Tech Talks Weekly • 19 implied HN points • 06 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Talks Conferences Innovation Development Software
  1. The latest issue of Tech Talks Weekly includes fresh content from nine different tech conferences. It's a great way to catch up on talks you may have missed.
  2. There are featured talks that received high views recently, showcasing popular subjects like Spring I/O and C# programming. These talks can be insightful for both beginners and experienced techies.
  3. To support the growth of Tech Talks Weekly, readers are encouraged to share with friends and provide feedback. This helps create a community around tech discussions.

Settings that change, and settings that don't change

Mostly Python • 628 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🕹 Technology Objects Programming
  1. In Python, mutable objects can change values directly, while immutable objects create new objects when values are changed.
  2. Using dictionaries to group settings allows for changes to be tracked across classes in Python.
  3. Understanding mutable and immutable objects is crucial for managing data changes in Python, ensuring consistency across classes.

What I Enjoy 🤝 What Makes Money: some insights | #50

The Pole • 39 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Research Consulting Content creation
  1. Find the intersection of what you find interesting, what makes an impact, and what produces income when deciding on work.
  2. To make profitable videos, having valuable skills, working with clients who have money, and understanding the reasons people buy things are key.
  3. When pursuing work, focus on what brings meaning over just creating, consider the balance between practicing and studying, and do what comes naturally to you while facing challenges.

Tinkering | #285

Boundless by Paul Millerd • 127 implied HN points • 13 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Learning Coding AI Creativity Productivity
  1. Taking time for playful activities, or 'tinkering,' is important for creativity. It can help spark new ideas and keep your work enjoyable.
  2. Learning new skills like coding can be less intimidating with the right resources. Finding good courses or tools can make the process easier and more fun.
  3. Balance is key in life. Sometimes, stepping back from productivity can lead to greater discoveries and personal growth.

ITDR vs XDR

Rod’s Blog • 39 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Comparison Benefits Cybersecurity
  1. ITDR focuses on integrating security tools within the IT environment, while XDR extends to sources beyond IT like cloud and mobile.
  2. ITDR can help reduce complexity and cost by providing a unified platform, while XDR may require more resources and expertise to implement and maintain.
  3. ITDR can improve threat detection and response efficiency, while XDR enables more proactive security measures and a comprehensive view of the threat landscape.

Freddie Mac House Price Index Declined in June; Up 2.0% Year-over-year

CalculatedRisk Newsletter • 43 implied HN points • 31 Jul 25
💰 Finance Real Estate Investment Housing Economic Indicators Market Trends
  1. The Freddie Mac House Price Index dropped by 0.20% month-over-month in June, showing a consistent decline over the last few months. This suggests that house prices are under pressure right now.
  2. Year-over-year, the index is up 2.0%, but this is a decrease from 2.3% in May, indicating that the growth rate is slowing down.
  3. Punta Gorda, Florida is now the worst-performing city for house prices, with many cities, especially in Florida, experiencing significant declines from their previous highs.

Results of Quick RISC-V Survey

Fprox’s Substack • 41 implied HN points • 03 Aug 25
🕹 Technology Simulation Software Programming Hardware Development
  1. Most RISC-V developers currently use simulators like Spike instead of real hardware, which shows that many are still testing their programs without actual devices.
  2. GCC is the preferred compiler among RISC-V developers, with more people using it than LLVM, likely due to its established presence in the development community.
  3. The survey indicates that RISC-V development is evolving, and as more hardware becomes available, the tools and methods used may shift more towards actual devices.