The hottest Substack posts right now

according to Hacker News
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4 key metrics to track for solofounders

Tiny Empires • 85 implied HN points • 13 Nov 24
💼 Business Revenue Metrics Strategy Finance Entrepreneurship Marketing
  1. Track your monthly net profit to see if your business is healthy. If profits drop for too long, figure out why.
  2. Know your Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) to understand how stable your income is. This helps you plan for the future.
  3. Focus on a few key metrics for marketing and sales, like the cost per lead and conversion rates, to make better decisions. Don't get lost in too much data.

TikTok, Congress Takes a Massive L on S&T Funding, AI Hardware Controls

ChinaTalk • 177 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Artificial Intelligence Technology Policy
  1. Chinese tech founders, like Zhang Yiming, are more focused on global competition than spreading political ideology. They face challenges in a government-controlled environment but are driven by personal ambitions and past experiences.
  2. The U.S. Congress has made significant budget cuts to science and technology funding, jeopardizing the country's ability to compete with nations like China in emerging technologies such as AI and quantum computing.
  3. Implementing AI hardware controls offers enhanced security but may face challenges like vulnerability to circumvention, prolonged lead times in rollout, and broader considerations for governing compute power.

How the Money for the Rest of Us podcast built a six figure membership platform

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 74 implied HN points • 19 Dec 24
💼 Business Finance Podcasts Investing SaaS Membership
  1. David Stein used clever marketing tricks to grow his podcast audience by adding other popular podcast names to his metadata. This helped him reach over 20 million downloads.
  2. His podcast led to a successful membership community where listeners pay around $450 a year, making it a six-figure revenue source.
  3. Stein is now expanding into a SaaS platform for individual investors, offering them tools for better financial analysis, which he sees as a scalable business model.

Code coverage doesn't matter much

Andrew's Substack • 83 implied HN points • 29 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Engineering Software Testing Development Programming
  1. Code coverage alone doesn't indicate whether tests are good or useful. It's more about the quality of the tests than the quantity.
  2. Not all tests are valuable; some can be complex and fail for reasons that don't matter, which can lead to false confidence in the code.
  3. The aim of testing should be to assure that your code works and to catch errors, instead of just trying to raise a coverage percentage.
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LLMs Training SLMs

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 19 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Data science Natural Language Model Training
  1. Orca-2 is designed to be a small language model that can think and reason by breaking down problems step-by-step. This makes it easier to understand and explain its thought process.
  2. The training data for Orca-2 is created by a larger language model, focusing on specific strategies for different tasks. This helps the model learn to choose the best approach for various challenges.
  3. A technique called Prompt Erasure helps Orca-2 not just mimic larger models but also develop its own reasoning strategies. This way, it learns to think cautiously without relying on direct instructions.

AI is the future of the SDLC

Dev Interrupted • 32 implied HN points • 10 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Development Innovation Productivity Software AI
  1. AI will make software development faster and more efficient. It can help save time and reduce the amount of work needed to complete projects.
  2. Adopting AI in software development should be done with a clear plan. It's important to set rules and guidelines for how AI is used to ensure it benefits the team.
  3. There's a debate about the impact of AI on coding. Some people are skeptical, but many believe that AI will change how we work in really positive ways.

HOISTED FROM THE ARCHIVES: An Ur-Text by George Stigler for Dark Satanic Millian Liberalism, & Related Matters...

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 76 implied HN points • 15 Dec 24
💼 Business Economics Capitalism Market Theory Liberalism Economic History
  1. The market economy is seen not just for creating wealth, but for shaping character and virtues like self-discipline and resilience. This suggests that economic struggles can help people become better individuals.
  2. Some economists argue that uncertainty and risk of poverty are necessary for a society to function well. They believe without these challenges, people might not push themselves to improve.
  3. Critics of this perspective think that focusing on the hardships of capitalism ignores the real needs and experiences of everyday people. They see value in prosperity and security, not just in struggle and sacrifice.

Our Picks For The Top Repair Stories of 2022

Fight to Repair • 59 implied HN points • 15 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Repair Regulation E-Waste Hardware Sustainability
  1. State-wide laws are crucial for the right to repair movement to succeed, as seen in 2022 with wins in New York and Colorado.
  2. Companies like Apple's self-repair program may offer solutions, but without clear legislation, it can fall short in truly empowering consumers.
  3. Governments are taking steps towards standardization, like the EU mandating USB-C, to reduce electronic waste and increase sustainability.

Purpose wins. Who loses?

Thoughts on Writing • 359 implied HN points • 19 Jul 21
💼 Business Business Ethics Advertising Corporate culture Industry Trends
  1. The advertising industry has heavily emphasized purpose-driven work in creative awards schemes over the past two decades, potentially losing touch with reality.
  2. Brand purpose, while important, can sometimes become a shield that is hard to challenge, leading to debates on whether it truly benefits causes or if it is a commercial strategy.
  3. The importance of creativity, craft, and ideas in advertising and branding is highlighted, suggesting a refocus on these elements over a strong emphasis on social purpose.

Why investors love Apple's stock.

Jon’s Newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 28 Nov 23
💰 Finance Investing Market Analysis Corporate Finance Stock Buybacks Dividends
  1. Apple makes a lot of money from selling devices like iPhones and services, giving them a huge cash flow.
  2. Investors love that Apple shares its profits through dividends and stock buybacks, which puts money back in their pockets.
  3. Even with big expenses, Apple still has plenty of cash left over, and experts believe this will keep growing in the future.

Day One : Learn How To Create Value and Earn From It.

Day One • 599 implied HN points • 02 May 20
💼 Business Online business Income Streams Community Building Skills Development Entrepreneurship
  1. Learn how to create value and earn from it through productizing yourself and mastering monetization principles on online platforms.
  2. Focus on consistently earning income rather than saving as the key to building wealth.
  3. Consider joining community-driven programs like Day One that offer proven blueprints, skill acquisition guidance, and a supportive environment for personal and professional growth.

Accounting for fortune

Probable Wisdom • 19 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
💼 Business Luck Opportunity Innovation Entrepreneurship Success
  1. Don't underestimate the role of luck in success and failure. It's important to acknowledge its contribution.
  2. When studying success, account for chance and fortune to learn effectively. What worked for someone else may not work for you, and vice versa.
  3. To increase your chances of success, identify opportunities, develop an endurance strategy, understand your context, and create ways to generate opportunities.

Finding fake followers (Bluesky edition)

Conspirador Norteño • 68 implied HN points • 18 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Social media Internet Data Analysis Spam Detection Artificial Intelligence
  1. You can spot fake followers on Bluesky by looking for accounts with similar join dates and generic profiles. These accounts often have no posts and repetitive bios.
  2. Using a method where you track the followers of suspected fake accounts can help identify whole networks of fake followers. By downloading and filtering their followers, you can map out these networks.
  3. The Bluesky platform has a real-time feature called the firehose that makes it easier to catch fake follower activity as it happens. However, this can give some false positives, so users need to be careful.

How to Regulate Social Media

Erik Explores • 61 implied HN points • 09 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Algorithms Ethics Regulation Moderation Social media
  1. Social media algorithms often promote extreme or divisive content to keep users engaged, which is harmful. Creating ethics boards to oversee these algorithms could help focus on more positive and informative content instead.
  2. Moderation of social media content does not always balance free speech with the need to prevent harmful misinformation. It's important to have clear processes for content removal and to empower users in the moderation process.
  3. Users need better tools to evaluate and discuss opinions without just liking or disliking them. A system that rewards thoughtful, respectful discussions can shape healthier online interactions.

Welcome to Ronin, Fableborne!

Ronin’s Newsletter • 86 implied HN points • 13 Nov 24
🕹 Technology NFTs Blockchain Gaming Mobile Apps
  1. Fableborne is a free-to-play mobile game that combines elements of Diablo and Clash of Clans. It has attracted a lot of players, with over 100,000 joining in its second season.
  2. To start playing, you should create a Pixion ID and connect your Ronin Wallet at Fableborne.com. This will let you earn rewards and join the game's community.
  3. Essence is a special currency in the game that players earn through gameplay. There are different types of Essence, and holding certain NFTs can give you extra benefits.

The Philosopher Made For TV

From the New World • 75 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
📖 Philosophy Cultural criticism Ethics Political theory Social justice Media Studies
  1. John Rawls introduced the idea of the 'Veil of Ignorance', which suggests that true justice comes from understanding what it's like to be in someone else's shoes. This concept gained popularity with the rise of television, which allowed people to experience others' lives vicariously.
  2. Television's storytelling created a false sense of understanding between people, making them feel connected to different lives. However, these narratives were often crafted and not authentic representations of reality.
  3. The rise of social media changed the game by giving real, diverse opinions from actual people, breaking down the 'Veil of Ignorance'. Now, individuals can see the real differences among people's values and experiences, making it clear that everyone is unique.

Why we should look for the good reasons behind our behaviour

Optimally Irrational • 77 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
📖 Philosophy Evolutionary Psychology Cognitive Science Human behavior Behavioral Economics Decision-making
  1. Understanding our behavior is important because it's not just random; it comes from a long history of survival and adaptation. We should look for reasons behind our choices instead of labeling them as irrational.
  2. Historically, research has focused a lot on cognitive biases, making it seem like humans are mostly flawed thinkers. Now, there's a shift towards recognizing our mental processes can also be adaptively efficient.
  3. Many behaviors that seem like mistakes may actually be smart solutions given the complex decisions we face. It's better to explore the reasons behind behaviors to find their potential usefulness.

Emerging Wedges in Vertical AI Startups

Tanay’s Newsletter • 75 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Startups Voice technology Search Algorithms Content Generation
  1. Voice AI helps businesses automate customer interaction, making it easier to handle calls and inquiries. This saves time and cuts costs while providing support 24/7.
  2. Unstructured data parsing allows companies to turn messy, unorganized information into useful data. This helps employees work faster and more accurately by reducing the need for manual data entry.
  3. Verticalized search tools aid in focused research by retrieving relevant, domain-specific information. They are particularly useful in fields like law and finance where specific data is crucial for decision-making.

Best of Economic Forces: 2025 Edition

Economic Forces • 4 implied HN points • 26 Dec 25
💰 Finance Education Fiscal policy Trade policy Macroeconomics Taxation Economic History Price theory
  1. Tariffs and trade policy were a major theme, with historical context and ongoing policy developments analyzed and questioned.
  2. Core economic ideas like price theory and GDP measurement were emphasized and defended against political distortion.
  3. Readers favored a mix of clear, accessible pieces: explanations of academic news, practical teaching advice, and policy deep-dives on topics like land taxes and dollar dominance.

Must Learn AI Security Part 25: Sponge Attacks Against AI

Rod’s Blog • 39 implied HN points • 27 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Adversarial Attacks Vulnerabilities AI Security
  1. A Sponge attack against AI aims to confuse, distract, or overwhelm the AI system with irrelevant or nonsensical information.
  2. Types of Sponge attacks include flooding attacks, adversarial examples, poisoning attacks, deceptive inputs, and social engineering attacks.
  3. Mitigating a Sponge attack involves strategies like input validation, anomaly detection, adversarial training, rate limiting, monitoring, security best practices, updates, and user education.

The Deals That Change Your Life

Equal Ventures • 99 implied HN points • 19 Sep 22
💼 Business Investing Entrepreneurship Finance Venture Capital Startups
  1. Focus on seeking out deals that can genuinely change your life, rather than getting caught up in every potential investment opportunity.
  2. Identify life-changing opportunities through exceptional founders, significant market potential, and passionately pursued theses.
  3. Invest time and effort in deeply understanding and cultivating potential life-changing deals, even if it means less deal flow and a more time-intensive process.

Binance and the Trojan Horse

False Positive • 39 implied HN points • 27 Nov 23
💰 Finance Financial Institutions Compliance Money Laundering Regulation Cryptocurrency
  1. Nested accounts play a crucial role in facilitating financial crime by providing anonymity and allowing funds to move across borders through complex networks.
  2. Financial institutions and regulators face challenges in monitoring nested accounts and ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering regulations, risking involvement in criminal activities.
  3. Intermediaries like nested accounts in the crypto world increase regulatory control but also create complexities that could make it harder to detect and prevent financial crimes.

Honeymoon with ChatGPT

Splattern • 39 implied HN points • 27 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Programming Software Coding Web Development AI
  1. ChatGPT can help you build a simple website quickly, even if you have little coding experience. You can get a lot done with just a few prompts.
  2. It's easy to ask ChatGPT to tweak and improve your code, making debugging simpler. You can keep refining your work until it fits your needs.
  3. While ChatGPT is great for generating code, it might struggle with complex math or writing tasks, but you can guide it to get better results.

Data will not tell you what to do

Inside Data by Mikkel Dengsøe • 184 HN points • 21 Feb 24
💼 Business Decision-making Problem Solving Innovation Product Management Efficiency
  1. Data may not reveal the best ideas, so trust your intuition and explore beyond the obvious data points.
  2. Focus on solving the big problems first, as they have a more significant impact than smaller issues.
  3. Think in small bets and iterations to make progress in the right direction, even if data may not provide immediate clarity.

The greatest BI tool ever

davidj.substack • 83 implied HN points • 21 Nov 24
💼 Business Data Tools Business Intelligence Technology Adoption
  1. BI tools often get replaced every 2 to 3 years, but switching them is tough. You have to deal with many dashboards and how people have used them over time.
  2. Many teams stick with tools they know well, like Power BI or Tableau, because of comfort and familiarity. Sometimes it’s easier to choose what they’ve seen work at past jobs.
  3. The best BI tool really isn't a tool at all. It's about how someone uses data to make better choices and understand what's happening, with the tool just being a support for that process.

The 5 intensity zones of software teams

Leading Developers • 59 implied HN points • 11 Feb 25
💼 Business Employee Wellbeing Work Culture Productivity Team Dynamics Management
  1. Software teams can operate in different 'intensity zones' ranging from very light to maximum effort. Understanding these zones helps managers know when their team can relax or when they need to ramp up work.
  2. Switching between intensity zones is important for a team's success and well-being. It's crucial to have a balance and prepare the team for high-pressure times while also allowing them to unwind afterward.
  3. Effective 'intensity management' is key to keeping a team adaptable and preventing burnout. Setting clear expectations about workload and work intensity helps everyone understand what to expect.

Behind the curtain: what it feels like to work in AI right now

Democratizing Automation • 350 HN points • 05 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Career Ethics Innovation Research
  1. Working in AI is currently intense and fast-paced due to the impact of the ChatGPT moment.
  2. The AI industry is experiencing major shifts in career choices, project focus, and company creation.
  3. Balancing the pressures of being first or best in AI, adapting to rapid changes, and prioritizing long-term impact is key for success in this field.

All the bullshit I did as a kid (part 1?)

Basta’s Notes • 204 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Tech industry Software Development Operating Systems Web Development Programming
  1. The author reflects on the interesting and ambitious projects they worked on as a kid, showcasing a strong interest in technology and programming.
  2. Despite lacking mentorship, the author taught themselves valuable programming skills, such as building their own web browser and writing complex code like a CSS parser.
  3. The journey from tinkering with personal computers to winning a programming contest and earning internship opportunities highlights the author's growth and passion for technology.

[Solution]Problem 76: Combination Sum [Google]

Technology Made Simple • 59 implied HN points • 24 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Backtracking Programming Graphs Algorithms Recursion
  1. The problem involves backtracking, recursion, and graph modeling to find unique combinations that sum to a target.
  2. Modeling the problem as a graph with states and transitions helps in traversal mechanics using DFS.
  3. Implementing a simple graph traversal algorithm, backtracking, and a global variable to track combinations can efficiently solve the problem.

How RLHF actually works

Democratizing Automation • 306 implied HN points • 21 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Data science Open Source Scaling AI
  1. RLHF works when there is a signal that vanilla supervised learning alone doesn't work, like pairwise preference data.
  2. Having a capable base model is crucial for successful RLHF implementation, as imitating models or using imperfect datasets can greatly affect performance.
  3. Preferences play a key role in the RLHF process, and collecting preference data for harmful prompts is essential for model optimization.

Why Progress Seems Stalled

America in Crisis • 4 HN points • 12 Jul 24
💼 Business Investment Corporations Innovation Economy Culture
  1. Faith in progress has declined due to recent advancements not meeting expectations, leading to public pessimism about the future.
  2. In the past, innovation created new categories of demand, opening up new economic sectors and creating jobs.
  3. Shareholder primacy business culture since 2000 has shifted focus from real productivity-enhancing investments to financial returns, hindering true progress.

Don't Plan For the Worst

The Radar • 19 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
💼 Business Resource Allocation Leadership Risk management Strategic Planning
  1. Planning for the worst may not be the best strategy for intelligently allocating resources.
  2. Organizations often over-invest resources in low-percentage operational scenarios, leading to unnecessary pressure.
  3. Quantify the costs and payoffs of different scenarios to ensure that resources are mapped to value and not solely based on worst-case fears.

SDF

davidj.substack • 59 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Data Tools Software Development Data Engineering Machine Learning Analytics
  1. SDF and SQLMesh are alternatives to dbt for data transformation. They are both built with modern tech and aim to provide better ease of use and performance.
  2. SDF has a built-in local database, allowing developers to test queries without costs from a cloud data warehouse. This can speed up development and reduce costs.
  3. Both tools offer column-level lineage to track changes, but SQLMesh provides a better workflow for managing breaking changes. SQLMesh also has unique features like Virtual Data Environments that enhance developer experience.

6 Keys to Career Success.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 72 implied HN points • 22 Dec 24
💼 Business Career development Networking Continuous Learning Mentorship Leadership
  1. Stay in tune with new trends and ideas so you can grow over time. It's important to see where things are heading and adjust your path accordingly.
  2. The people you work with matter a lot. Finding great mentors and leaders can help you learn and succeed more than just your job title.
  3. Keep learning and adapting. The job world changes fast, so staying curious and open to new experiences will keep you relevant.

Beware value capture

SatPost by Trung Phan • 201 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Streaming Metrics Social media
  1. Tech apps influence our behavior through metrics, so don't blindly follow them
  2. Metrics like rankings, step counts, and likes can lead to 'value capture' influencing our decisions and behavior
  3. Be aware of how external metrics set by institutions in apps can guide our values and behaviors without us realizing

Tech is Going to Get Much Bigger

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 232 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Automation Startups Robotics AI Innovation
  1. Tech is going to expand significantly as energy, intelligence, and labor become cheaper and more abundant.
  2. Tech companies will grow larger due to their ability to provide scalable intelligence and dexterity services to various industries.
  3. Every market will start to resemble a software market with lower costs, higher margins, and increased R&D investments.