The hottest Substack posts right now

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Thinking the Unthinkable

What's Important? • 65 implied HN points • 10 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Society Consciousness Integration Science
  1. Many people are feeling confused because our traditional ways of thinking, especially in politics and economics, aren't working anymore. This is showing us that we might need to change how we relate to each other and the world.
  2. Our brains tend to focus too much on logic and separation, which keeps us from seeing the bigger picture. Connecting more with our emotions and understanding the interconnectedness of life can help us navigate this complex world.
  3. As we become more in tune with ourselves and others, we might discover new abilities and deeper relationships. Embracing love and connection can lead to a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

1/30/2024: Google Q4 Earnings Beat Expectations

depression2022 • 19 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
💼 Business Finance Technology Investors Earnings Tech
  1. Google's Q4 earnings beat expectations.
  2. There is concern about Google's search business in the future due to changing user behavior and competition from AI applications like ChatGPT.
  3. Google Cloud revenue growth accelerated in Q4, making it profitable, but there are concerns about the changing landscape of AI and its impact on Google's services.

Lawler: Early Read on Existing Home Sales in January

CalculatedRisk Newsletter • 43 implied HN points • 17 Feb 25
💰 Finance Home Sales Real Estate Market Trends Interest Rates Economic Indicators
  1. Existing home sales are predicted to be around 4.09 million for January, showing a slight drop from December but an increase from last year.
  2. The average sale price for homes has risen about 5% compared to a year ago, indicating a continuing trend in increasing home values.
  3. The expected real interest rates have returned to levels similar to before the financial crisis, suggesting a more stable economic outlook.

Finding the third way

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 59 implied HN points • 31 May 23
📖 Philosophy Critical Thinking Existentialism Decision Theory Epistemology Innovation
  1. There are two common reactions to uncertainty: one is to act like everything is knowable and try to control it, which can lead to poor decisions. The other is to give up and think that nothing can be done about the unknown, which doesn't help either.
  2. Instead of sticking to those two extremes, there's a better approach. It's important to recognize that not-knowing can lead to new ideas and actions.
  3. We can break down uncertainties into different types. Understanding these helps us figure out how to deal with situations where we don't have all the answers.

Don’t Sell Yourself Cheap

Build To Scale • 19 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
💼 Business Competitive Strategy Customers Startups Pricing Market fit
  1. When pricing software, focus on value over cost. It's vital to find the right balance and not undervalue your product.
  2. Adapt pricing based on customer segments. Small businesses and larger enterprises have different budgets and needs, so consider offering various editions or plans.
  3. Avoid commodity pricing and aim for a pricing model customers can easily understand. Make sure pricing generates positive margins and evolves with your company.
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The KQL Mysteries: Chapter 7

Rod’s Blog • 19 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Tech Innovation Cybersecurity Data Analysis
  1. Jordan Alghamdi is a skilled data analyst in Saudi Arabia who blends tradition with modern technology in her work at a state-of-the-art data center.
  2. The data center where Jordan works represents Saudi Arabia's push towards modernization while preserving tradition, showcasing the country's advancement in technology.
  3. Jordan's use of KQL, a query language, showcases her analytical skills as she unravels complex data to solve mysteries and address potential threats.

The Unsustainable Economics of LLM APIs: Understanding the Coming Price Realignment

ScaleDown • 22 implied HN points • 22 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Economics Infrastructure Development Market AI
  1. LLM API prices are currently very low because companies are competing hard for market share, not because of their actual costs. This means prices aren't stable and could change soon.
  2. There is a huge difference between the operational costs of running LLMs and what users pay now. Providers are often subsidizing costs by as much as 90%, which won't last forever.
  3. Due to expected price increases, businesses should start planning for higher AI costs in the future, and they should think about flexible AI solutions that can adapt as prices change.

More on Follow-Ons

Venture Upward • 19 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
💼 Business Career Advice Venture Capital Investments
  1. Follow-ons in venture capital are for earning money from carry, not for just building a track record.
  2. Increasing investment in subsequent rounds can escalate downside risk without similar upside benefits.
  3. Being strategic about follow-on investments in portfolio companies is crucial to avoid excessive risk and maximize returns.

Review 2023 - Energy

nicosmid • 19 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Sustainable energy Bitcoin Mining Environmental Impact Energy consumption
  1. Bitcoin mining power usage in 2023 was around 16-18 GW with over 50% coming from renewable sources.
  2. Bitcoin mining industry leads in using sustainable energy and saw a significant increase in the mix of renewable sources.
  3. Bitcoin miners can operate independently of traditional power grids and 75.3% of off-grid mining relies on sustainable energy.

5 Pricing Ideas to Steal this Week

Good Better Best • 2 implied HN points • 02 Jan 26
💼 Business Pricing SaaS Product Marketing Strategy Monetization
  1. Use AI usage limits and subtle price differences to nudge customers into preferred plans. Adjusting discounts and per-feature limits can reshuffle plan value without big visible price changes.
  2. Simplify your plan lineup and clearly position the remaining plans to reduce friction. Consolidating plans and using value-driven banners helps customers pick the plan that fits them.
  3. Offer flexible monetization like seasonal seats and temporary usage boosts to match customer needs and improve retention. Creative promotions that add value for existing customers can drive goodwill without changing contracted prices.

All the Lonely Travelers: A Requiem for the Solo Flyer

Gad’s Newsletter • 23 implied HN points • 16 Jun 25
💼 Business Pricing Airlines Revenue management Market Strategy Economics
  1. Solo travelers often pay more for flights compared to those traveling in groups, even if there's no official 'loneliness tax.' Airlines use complex pricing strategies that can charge individuals higher rates because they know they have less flexibility and urgency.
  2. Airlines are really good at using price discrimination to maximize profits. They adjust prices based on how many people are booking and when, often charging solo flyers more because they have less price sensitivity compared to groups or families that can book in advance.
  3. Traveling solo can come with hidden costs, like being unable to share expenses with others. While flying alone is liberating, it can also become less efficient and more expensive compared to flying with others.

The 750k Blogging Challenge: Write and Grow

Day One • 339 implied HN points • 04 Nov 20
💼 Business Blogging Social media Content creation Marketing Online Courses
  1. The 750k Blogging Challenge requires participants to write at least 13 articles before December 1st.
  2. Participants need to open a Substack Blog to take part in the challenge.
  3. For successful participation in the challenge, individuals should focus on creating their own unique content by infusing storytelling, researching other brands, and maintaining a minimum word count of 700 words per article.

War and Purpose

Thoughts on Writing • 159 implied HN points • 05 Apr 22
💼 Business Ethics Marketing Corporate Social Responsibility Consumer behavior Globalization
  1. Businesses are complex entities made up of people from diverse backgrounds, and their responses to global crises like war reflect a mix of urgent crisis management and ethical considerations.
  2. Consumer sentiment towards brands and their involvement in social issues, such as the war in Ukraine, can vary based on age demographics, with younger generations showing less support for brands publicly addressing such issues.
  3. The role of purpose in guiding businesses during crises like the war in Ukraine is complicated, with examples like Unilever, Danone, and HSBC showcasing the challenges of aligning purpose with real-world actions and ethical considerations.

Emotional infiltration

Internal exile • 52 implied HN points • 03 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Digital Culture AI Ethics Data Privacy Social media Behavioral Economics
  1. Technology is moving toward an 'intention economy' where companies use our behavioral data to predict and control our desires. This means we might lose the ability to understand our true intentions as others shape them for profit.
  2. There is a risk that we could become passive users, relying on machines to define our needs instead of communicating and connecting with other people. This can lead to loneliness and a lack of real social interaction.
  3. Automating responses to our needs, like with AI sermons or chatbots, might make us think our feelings are met, but it can actually disconnect us from genuine human experiences and relationships.

What to make of China's 6th gen?

TP’s Substack • 53 implied HN points • 26 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Innovation Research Engineering Defense Aerospace
  1. China's 6th generation fighter jets may be larger and more powerful than previous models, possibly able to carry more fuel and advanced electronics.
  2. The future of air warfare might rely on a mix of manned aircraft and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), potentially changing the typical roles and payloads expected of fighter jets.
  3. The anticipated design and capabilities of these new jets suggest they will need significant power for advanced technologies, allowing them to perform a variety of missions effectively.

The case for an economic AGI AI Lab

Subsack • 4 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Machine Learning AI Compute Systems Architecture Research
  1. Markets are dynamic, adversarial environments that force AI to adapt under uncertainty, making them a stronger real‑world benchmark than static puzzles. They test whether knowledge survives contact with reality, not just pattern recognition.
  2. Building an AI that works in markets demands new capabilities — sample efficiency, continual learning without catastrophic forgetting, long‑term memory, deep multimodal world models, and game‑theoretic strategic reasoning. Those constraints push research beyond today’s scale‑and‑transformer centric approach.
  3. Economic AGI offers a clear monetisation path: outperforming markets, running prediction markets, or allocating capital can directly convert intelligence into revenue. That revenue can make labs financially sustainable and fund further AGI research.

Can GTM out hire it's data problem?

Human Capitalist • 19 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
💼 Business Technology Sales Employment Data Marketing
  1. Companies are changing how they think about growth. They want to be efficient and use data smarter, rather than just trying to grow for the sake of it.
  2. There’s a big push to hire more data roles in go-to-market (GTM) teams. This is seen as important for improving things like sales and marketing efficiency.
  3. Positions like RevOps and Chief AI Officers are becoming popular. Companies want these roles to help them run better and innovate with technology.

October 2024 Inflation and Housing

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 63 implied HN points • 14 Nov 24
💰 Finance Housing Inflation Economic Trends Monetary Policy
  1. Inflation is returning to a 2% trend, which is good news, but this isn't widely reported. This trend is important for future monetary policy decisions.
  2. Rent inflation is finally slowing down, and maintaining consistent home prices is helping this situation. Focusing on general inflation rather than rent can help stabilize the economy.
  3. Excessive rent inflation has been controlled, but there should be a focus on building more homes over the next decade to further improve housing affordability.

AI (mis)alignment, Waluigi, and the Knobe Effect

The Counterfactual • 59 implied HN points • 15 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Language Models Psychology
  1. It can be easier for AI language models to produce harmful responses than helpful ones. This idea is known as the Waluigi Effect.
  2. AI models learn from human text, including human biases like the Knobe Effect, where people assign more blame for accidental harm than credit for accidental good.
  3. When prompted to behave a certain way, AI can easily shift to the opposite behavior, showing how delicate their training can be and how misunderstandings can happen.

How Often Should You Visit Your Remote Team?

Kartick’s Blog • 17 implied HN points • 31 Jul 25
💼 Business Remote work Team Management Leadership Work Culture Productivity
  1. It's best to visit your remote team for a week every quarter. This helps maintain good relationships and teamwork.
  2. If you're traveling across many time zones, consider staying longer, like 2-3 weeks, to adjust to the time difference.
  3. Regular in-person meetings strengthen connections and improve productivity, so make it a priority to meet face-to-face when possible.

In Praise of Sheep

The Corbett Report • 23 implied HN points • 08 Jun 25
📖 Philosophy Metaphysics Social Philosophy Epistemology Political theory Ethics
  1. It's often easy to dismiss the masses as 'sheeple', but there might be more to them than just blind obedience. Seeing them as capable of change could inspire hope.
  2. If everyone 'woke up' and became aggressive, it could lead to a new group of tyrants. Instead, we should think of peaceful and creative ways to encourage change.
  3. Being peaceful and cooperative, like sheep, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It could be a strength that fosters community and understanding rather than conflict.

Federal Reserve Policymakers Meet This Week and Ask: “Are We There Yet?”

The People's Economist with Anthony Chan • 19 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
💰 Finance Economy Monetary Policy Inflation GDP History
  1. The Federal Reserve may lower policy rates due to a significant difference between core PCE and core CPI.
  2. The Fed might not need to act as the economy is thriving with high growth rates.
  3. Fed's caution is influenced by past inflation battles and current inflation metrics compared to historical data.

Report: 86% of Appliance Makers Withhold Repair Manuals - Week in Repair

Fight to Repair • 39 implied HN points • 02 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Consumer Rights Right-to-repair Repair
  1. 86% of appliance makers do not provide full repair instructions, making it difficult for consumers and repair professionals to fix appliances.
  2. Manufacturers often restrict access to repair information and require expensive subscriptions to software tools, limiting owner and independent repair options.
  3. Investigations have revealed that manufacturers may discourage repair to promote new product purchases, but there are efforts like the FTC considering regulations to strengthen consumer rights to repair.

It's 2024 and they just want to learn

Democratizing Automation • 150 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Models Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Communities Open Source
  1. 2024 will be a year of rapid progress in ML communities with advancements in large language models expected
  2. Energy and motivation are high in the machine learning field, driving people to tap into excitement and work towards their goals
  3. Builders are encouraged to focus on building value-aware systems and pursuing ML goals with clear principles and values

TechLetters #160 Resurrection of dead dictators using generative AI, for political gain; AI cyber operations; Last warning about quantum cryptography; Privacy Sandbox coming to iOS/iPhones

Lukasz Olejnik on Cyber, Privacy and Tech Policy Critique • 19 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Security Technology Policy Privacy
  1. AI can resurrect dead politicians, prompting the need for laws against misleading content.
  2. iOS introduces Stolen Device Protection and warns about AI's impact on cyber operations.
  3. Caution advised on quantum cryptography and factors influencing ransom payments.

The return of tech stocks.

Jon’s Newsletter • 79 implied HN points • 05 Feb 23
💰 Finance Tech Sector Stock Market Business Analysis Investing Economic Trends
  1. Tech stocks are making a comeback in 2023, with big gains in the NASDAQ 100 index.
  2. Many tech companies are focusing on cost-cutting and efficiency to improve their performance despite challenges like layoffs.
  3. The excitement around AI, especially with developments like ChatGPT, is driving investor interest and boosting stock prices in the tech sector.

Conversation On Japan's Economic Vulnerability

Japan Economy Watch • 119 implied HN points • 08 Jul 22
💰 Finance Consumption Government spending Savings Income Economy
  1. In Japan, household income growth has shifted significantly towards relying on government transfers rather than private sector income, impacting consumer spending.
  2. The consumption share of real GDP in Japan has declined over the years, impacting economic growth and potentially leading to weaker consumption patterns.
  3. Japanese consumers have drastically reduced their saving rates, shifting towards a trend of living hand-to-mouth, which has implications on personal finances and economic stability.

🎂 Birthday lil gift from me to you

Creative Samba • 59 implied HN points • 11 Jul 23
💼 Business Copywriting E-commerce Online Courses Entrepreneurship Marketing
  1. Copywriting involves marketing, psychology, and understanding your audience's needs to create compelling content.
  2. Writing copy effectively requires using distinctive claims backed by evidence, not generic superlatives.
  3. Crafting compelling copy involves creating unignorable headlines and expanding on promises in the first paragraph to maintain reader interest.

Actual Security vs. Security Theatre

Confronting the Future • 19 implied HN points • 28 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Cryptocurrency Blockchain Security Finance Regulation
  1. Using public blockchains can provide better detection of illicit finance compared to traditional financial systems.
  2. Focusing on actual security measures is more effective than engaging in security theater.
  3. Regulators, banks, and crypto communities need to work together to enhance financial security and combat illicit activities.

The Company Wants You Back in the Office – RESIST!

Anxiety Addiction & Ascension • 39 implied HN points • 06 Feb 23
💼 Business Labor Market Workplace dynamics Remote work Corporate culture
  1. Many employees prefer working from home for the flexibility it offers in their lives and are hesitant to return to the office for multiple days per week.
  2. Companies are facing challenges convincing workers to return to the office due to changing preferences and economic factors like labor shortages.
  3. Employees have some leverage to resist returning to the office and should consider continuing to work from home to maintain their independence and strength.