The hottest Substack posts right now

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“We Are Not as Wealthy as We Thought We Were”: Part 3

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 421 implied HN points • 26 Dec 25
💼 Business Housing supply Real Estate Housing policy Urban Economics Affordability
  1. Filtering describes how homes change hands over time, and while houses used to "filter down" to lower-income buyers, since about 2008 many places have seen upward filtering where higher-income families replace lower-income ones and pay more for land rather than better homes.
  2. Upward filtering forces people into hard compromises — renters face steadily rising rents and many families are pushed to move away from schools, jobs, and social networks to avoid being priced out.
  3. The shift toward upward filtering is tied to chronic housing undersupply and restrictive permitting, so much of the apparent rise in household wealth is actually land-value gains captured by owners, not broader improvements in people's living standards.

How I Identify Clients From Hell

VERY GOOD PRODUCTIZED GUIDES • 159 implied HN points • 19 Aug 24
💼 Business Service Industry Client Management Marketing Pricing Strategy Freelancing
  1. Choosing clients based on shared values and respect makes work more enjoyable. It's important to list what matters most to you in a client relationship.
  2. Your portfolio should showcase work that you are proud of and leads to future opportunities. Focus on clients who will help enhance your portfolio, rather than just any client.
  3. Pricing should reflect the value of your work and your beliefs. Be firm on your rates, but consider flexibility if a client aligns with your values and can enhance your portfolio.

2026+

Gonzo ML • 315 implied HN points • 07 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Hardware Research Autonomy Quantum Computing Algorithms Machine Learning Robotics AI
  1. Quadruped robots (dog- or cat-like) will get much better and more practical for real-world use, while humanoid home robots stay too expensive.
  2. We’ll see production-grade agents with predictable 99.9% reliability and richer integrations, driven by better infrastructure and cognitive architectures.
  3. Advances in world models, latent-space reasoning, and multimodal architectures will create new interactive environments and begin to accelerate scientific discovery in certain domains.

When investing $200 million in a media company is actually worth it

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 199 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
💼 Business Media Creators Podcasts Subscriptions Advertising Investing Streaming
  1. Big checks into creator-led companies can make sense when the creator has massive reach and builds real non-media businesses like products and merch.
  2. Merging or bundling streaming services can create a viable challenger to Netflix, since some services (like Disney+) haven’t produced enough regular, broad-appeal originals to keep viewers coming back.
  3. Media companies are shifting toward sponsorships, events, newsletter ad strategies, and creator partnerships—leaning on branded experiences and owned products rather than trying to match big tech ad scale.

Top Links 940 China's export surge. Baby Lenin, involution & Accenture the mega consultancy.

Chartbook • 557 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
💼 Business Consulting Labor Corporate culture Trade Economics
  1. Chinese exports have increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, but imports have stalled. This change shows a big split in how China is trading with the world now.
  2. The coal industry in China is shrinking, which is a positive step for global climate goals. Many jobs in coal mining have been cut already.
  3. Accenture, a major consultancy, has seen big changes since the pandemic, growing to about 800,000 employees. However, its value has dropped as the demand for consulting services slows down.
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The LLM Context Tax: Best Tips for Tax Avoidance

Nicolas Bustamante • 104 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Systems Architecture Data Engineering Optimization AI NLP Agents Software Engineering
  1. Context tokens are expensive and degrade performance as they accumulate, so treat context as a scarce resource and keep prompts stable and append-only; move dynamic pieces (like timestamps) to the end so you preserve KV cache hits.
  2. Architect agents to minimize tokens by storing tool outputs as files, using precise two-step tools that return metadata before full content, delegating work to cheaper subagents, reusing templates, batching or parallelizing tool calls, and caching common responses at the application level.
  3. Clean and compact data before sending it to the model, place critical information at the beginning or end to avoid the lost-in-the-middle problem, use summarization/compaction before hitting pricing cliffs, and set strict output token limits to control costly outputs.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 559

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 219 implied HN points • 08 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Data science Statistics Software Development Machine Learning AI
  1. Camera calibration is crucial in sports analysis. It helps track players' movements accurately by mapping video frame positions to real field locations.
  2. Understanding the context of data is important for responsible data work. Datasets need good documentation and stories to highlight their historical and social backgrounds.
  3. There's a new, free encyclopedia for learning about cognitive science. It offers easy-to-read articles on various topics for students and researchers.

Apple's Trajectory: Achieving Twin Hyperextraordinary Triumphs, Four Slow-Motion Failures

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 169 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Software Product Design Supply Chain AI Hardware
  1. Apple’s recent success rests on two extraordinary strengths: in-house Apple Silicon chips and a highly efficient, China-centered manufacturing supply chain.
  2. Years of small software regressions and weaker visual design have eroded the “it just works” user trust, turning quality drift into a major strategic weakness.
  3. Apple also has big blind spots — an unclear AI strategy (highlighted by Siri’s failure), political vulnerability from China dependence, and fraught developer relations over App Store fees — and simple executive reshuffles may not fix these structural problems.

Data Science Weekly - Issue 561

Data Science Weekly Newsletter • 139 implied HN points • 22 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Visualization Data Engineering Machine Learning AI Data science
  1. When building web applications, using Postgres for data storage is a good default choice. It's reliable and widely used.
  2. A new study shows that agents can learn useful skills without rewards or guidance. They can explore and develop abilities just from observing a goal.
  3. The list of important books and resources in Bayesian statistics is being compiled. It's a way to recognize influential ideas in this field.

Everything Looks Like A Nail

Where's Your Ed At • 25075 implied HN points • 19 Oct 23
💼 Business Social Responsibility Technology Economics Venture Capital Inequality
  1. Marc Andreessen wants to portray himself as a victim despite his immense success and wealth.
  2. Andreessen promotes a vision of continuous technological advancement, but his actions and investments often prioritize maintaining the status quo.
  3. Andreessen's manifesto is filled with contradictions and hypocrisy, advocating libertarian economic thinking while benefiting from government intervention.

Brainstorming Solutions for Aerospace Sector Challenges

Space Ambition • 259 implied HN points • 02 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Startups Investment Innovation Engineering Aerospace
  1. An online brainstorming session is being organized to find solutions for challenges in the aerospace industry. Everyone is welcome to join, regardless of their experience level.
  2. The discussions will be moderated by someone with a strong background in aerospace and venture capital. This helps ensure the session is productive and insightful.
  3. There are two scheduled sessions on August 10 to accommodate different time zones, making it easier for people around the world to participate.

Where New Engineering Managers Fail

Diary of an Engineering Manager • 179 implied HN points • 15 Aug 24
💼 Business Human Resources Management Leadership Workplace culture Career development
  1. New engineering managers often struggle with accepting their new role. It's important to embrace this change or else it confuses the team and weakens your leadership.
  2. Many new managers make the mistake of telling their team too much instead of listening. Encouraging team members to share their ideas leads to better solutions and shows that you value their input.
  3. It's common to hold on to tasks instead of delegating them. Letting your team handle their own work not only helps them learn but also frees you up to focus on management responsibilities.

How To Start A Business With No Money

VERY GOOD PRODUCTIZED GUIDES • 339 implied HN points • 22 Jul 24
💼 Business Networking Marketing Personal Finance Freelancing Entrepreneurship
  1. Finding your unique skills and what people need can guide you to success. Ask yourself what you enjoy and what others are looking for.
  2. Starting with offering free services is a smart way to build trust and gain clients. It helps you showcase your skills and connect with potential customers.
  3. Visualizing your goals and where you want to be in the future can keep you motivated. Focus on what you can achieve step by step, rather than stressing about big leaps.

Why AI writing is mid

Democratizing Automation • 712 implied HN points • 16 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Training AI Models Speech Writing
  1. AI models aren't great at writing because they're trained to prioritize different qualities like helpfulness over style, which makes good writing harder to achieve.
  2. Models are created to be predictable and cater to average user preferences, so unique writing styles or quirks often get lost.
  3. To improve AI writing, models need to be designed with specific voices or personalities that can express opinions and emotions, making the writing more engaging.

Space Traffic Management: The Growing Challenge of Collision Avoidance

Space Ambition • 359 implied HN points • 19 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Space Exploration Satellite Technology
  1. The number of satellites in space is rapidly growing, with projections to reach 100,000 by 2030. This increase means there is also a lot more space debris to manage.
  2. To avoid collisions, satellites need constant monitoring and updates on their positions. Companies are using radars and telescopes to track space objects more accurately, as even tiny debris can cause big problems.
  3. Dealing with space debris involves not just avoidance but also how to properly dispose of it after missions. If not managed well, the cost of avoiding collisions will rise, and satellites will become more expensive.

The Last Mover Advantage in AI

Enterprise AI Trends • 295 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Automation AI Machine Learning Enterprise Tech Tech Strategy Infrastructure
  1. When AI progress is exponential, waiting can pay off because the last mover often gets a much better product and avoids wasted effort.
  2. Committing early to vendors or large enterprise deals risks big sunk costs and being locked into outdated tech, so negotiate harder and consider building more instead of buying quickly.
  3. Patience is a deliberate strategic choice alongside build and buy: decide what to wait on, what to experiment with now, and use waiting to watch paradigm shifts while you focus resources elsewhere.

I'm afraid the economy isn't improving for everyone

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 842 implied HN points • 12 Nov 25
💰 Finance Income Inequality Housing Market Labor Economics Economic Growth
  1. Many American families are earning more now, with a significant number making over $150,000. This shows that while some are doing better, the middle class is shrinking as they move into higher income brackets.
  2. Housing costs are rising much faster for lower-income families compared to those with higher incomes. This creates a bigger gap, making it tougher for low-income families to keep up with rent increases.
  3. Despite overall economic growth, many people feel worse off. Families with lower incomes often face serious challenges, and their situation is not improving like it should, leading them to believe the economy is unfair or 'rigged'.

New technologies, new totalitarians

Noahpinion • 18882 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology National Security Social media Global Influence Surveillance
  1. The rise of new technologies like smartphones and social media has presented democracies with a formidable opponent in the form of techno-totalitarian regimes.
  2. China employs a strategy of 'sharp power' to manipulate foreign entities and influence global affairs, utilizing tactics like espionage, social media manipulation, and economic coercion.
  3. China's unique totalitarian approach extends beyond its borders to control the narrative about China, influence the diaspora, and emphasize supremacy of ethnicity over citizenship, posing a new challenge for democracies and liberal principles.

Don't Take Instruction On How To Live Your Life From A Stark Raving Mad Society

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2635 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
📖 Philosophy Self-discovery Metaphysics Ethics Existentialism
  1. Don't let society dictate how you should live your life. It's often filled with crazy ideas that don't lead to real happiness.
  2. Success shouldn't just mean money or status. Take a moment to find what truly matters to you and define your own version of success.
  3. It's okay to be different and break away from traditional expectations. Trying new paths can lead to a more fulfilling life.

It’s an “Articles Only” Week at The Lunduke Journal

The Lunduke Journal of Technology • 2297 implied HN points • 23 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Writing Tech news Articles Media Podcasts
  1. This week, only articles will be published at The Lunduke Journal instead of the usual podcasts and videos.
  2. The change is happening because traveling makes it hard to record the regular shows, but there are still important stories to tell.
  3. Make sure to follow The Lunduke Journal on different platforms to get updates on the new articles.

5 Things To Know About "Prediction Markets" & Polymarket — The Official Sportsbook of Substack

JoeWrote • 74 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
💼 Business Media Ethics Monetization Consumer Protection Gambling Regulation
  1. Prediction markets like Polymarket are essentially sportsbooks using a regulatory loophole, branding bets as "event derivatives" to avoid stricter gambling rules and oversight.
  2. These platforms can set their own rules, let insiders exploit pre-determined or already-known outcomes, and funnel users toward addictive sports betting, creating unfair and risky conditions for bettors.
  3. Market prices don’t reliably reflect true probabilities because professional oddsmakers, house incentives, and manipulation shape the lines, so these sites don’t actually deliver the impartial informational benefits they claim.

The Z.ai Playbook

ChinaTalk • 652 implied HN points • 21 Nov 25
🕹 Technology Translation AI Models Open Source Coding Job Impact
  1. Z.ai has been focusing on building powerful AI models like GLM 4.5, which excel in tasks like coding and reasoning. They aim to create models that can succeed in both local and international markets.
  2. The Chinese AI ecosystem is eager for recognition, especially from Silicon Valley, as it sees that as a way to gain credibility and learn from global trends. Many Chinese companies are open-sourcing their models to be accepted and used abroad.
  3. There are fears about job loss among developers in China due to AI, but many people see AI mainly as a helpful tool rather than a threat. The broader public perception of AI isn't as fearful compared to more vocal concerns in the West.

#50 - Why AI Won’t Magically Flip Your Bank’s Spend Pattern

OSS.fund Newsletter • 56 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
💰 Finance Compliance Risk management Banking Operations AI Transformation Cost management Regulation Technology
  1. AI won’t magically flip a bank’s spend from run to change because banks are tightly governed and face real costs like compliance, dual-run tax, and mandatory testing that prevent a quick switch. These constraints mean savings come slowly and require human-controlled policy and evidence gates.
  2. Treat modernization as a spectrum and manage it as a portfolio: Operate, Comply, Harden & Simplify, and Compete & Grow. Use a Good Bank/Bad Bank approach with a policy-driven bridge, deterministic routing, and continuous reconciliation so migrations are auditable, reversible, and lead to real decommissioning.
  3. Use AI as an assistant to cut toil, automate evidence, speed analysis, and help translate legacy code, but don’t give it authority to change policies or skip validation. Capture the realistic savings to fund simplification and growth, aiming for practical targets (for example ~50/50 over five years) rather than expecting an immediate 60/40 to 40/60 flip.

Seven Predictions for Tech in 2025

Big Technology • 7380 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Startups Trends Innovation Social media
  1. Some companies might decide that generative AI isn't right for them, leading to at least one big name publicly quitting it in 2025. It's important for businesses to find what works for them.
  2. Social media may start feeling less relevant as platforms focus less on real news and engage more with content they think will grab our attention. This shift could make important global events seem distant.
  3. Brain-computer interface technology could gain more attention in 2025 as it continues to develop, possibly helping people with disabilities. This could spark new conversations around its potential benefits.

The EU can be shut down with a few keystrokes

Bite code! • 2568 implied HN points • 18 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Digital Infrastructure Data Privacy Hardware Software
  1. Europe relies heavily on American technology for software and hardware, making it vulnerable to disruptions. If the US decided to cut off services, it could have serious consequences for businesses and daily life.
  2. Many companies in Europe don’t realize how interconnected they are with US services. If one major service shuts down, it could create a ripple effect that impacts the entire economy.
  3. There's a need for Europe to gain more control over its own technology and data. This means investing in local alternatives and educating the population about the importance of digital sovereignty.

Enough

benn.substack • 2020 implied HN points • 08 Aug 25
💼 Business Economics Venture Capital Finance Tech industry Wealth Inequality
  1. We often compare our wealth to others, which can make us feel unsatisfied. Even if a machine gives us everything, we'll still wonder if it's enough compared to what others have.
  2. In today's tech world, massive amounts of money are being raised and spent, and it's hard to keep track of it all. This creates a sense of normalcy around these huge financial changes.
  3. While many in tech claim to focus on building great things for humanity, money often becomes a main focus, with people quietly calculating their worth and comparing themselves to others.

TBM 396: So You Want To Define “The Problem”?

The Beautiful Mess • 489 implied HN points • 18 Dec 25
💼 Business Service Design Organizational Design Customer Experience User Research Strategy Product
  1. Don't hunt for a single, perfect problem statement. Use multiple layers to see the customer's story, other actors' views, and the wider system shaping behavior.
  2. Listen to how customers describe the issue and collect perspectives from everyone involved, while treating history and past attempts as useful data.
  3. Turn the integrated understanding into small, testable interventions your product can realistically influence, and be clear about what capabilities or constraints will expand or limit your impact.

Agents 4 All

DARK FUTURA • 2869 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Social media Deepfakes Augmented reality
  1. AI plays a significant role in tracking and manipulating consumer behaviors to maximize profits for corporations.
  2. The development of full-time AI agents as personal assistants is the next phase of AI innovation, focusing on handling daily tasks and expenditures.
  3. DARPA is exploring the development of human-presenting AI agents for influencing social and behavioral systems, indicating potential dangerous implications.

How to Build Your First ChatGPT App

High Growth Engineer • 493 implied HN points • 14 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Web Development Software Development APIs Developer Tools User Interfaces
  1. ChatGPT Apps let you embed interactive tools and UI directly into ChatGPT using the Model Context Protocol, with three main parts: an MCP server (backend), a sandboxed React component (frontend), and ChatGPT as the host.
  2. There are important constraints to design for: only one UI-returning component can run per turn, component state is ephemeral unless you persist it on your backend, components run in a secure iframe with no direct DOM access, and large payloads hurt performance.
  3. Building a first app is practical: build a React component that talks to window.openai, define tools and register resources on your MCP server, then connect and test in ChatGPT; use inline, fullscreen, or picture-in-picture modes for use cases like shopping, booking, dashboards, and maps to reach large audiences.

The Crumbling Workflow Moat: Aggregation Theory's Final Chapter

Nicolas Bustamante • 132 implied HN points • 04 Feb 26
🕹 Technology AI Software Platforms APIs Data Infrastructure Enterprise
  1. LLM chat interfaces are replacing specialized software UIs, so the interface moat that once locked in users is disappearing.
  2. With interfaces commoditized, competition becomes API vs API and only truly proprietary, non-replicable data keeps pricing power; if data can be licensed or scraped, margins and retention will collapse.
  3. Winners will be LLM/chat owners, proprietary data holders, and API-first startups, while interface-dependent vertical software, many UX-focused firms, and aggregators who don’t control the chat layer are at risk.

Vibe-Coding a PCB - surprisingly good

atomic14 • 2598 implied HN points • 12 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Hardware Development Engineering AI Software
  1. Vibe-coding a PCB is about using AI to design hardware from natural language prompts. It's a fun way to simplify the building process.
  2. Using a tool like Atopile and an AI assistant can yield surprisingly good results, even if there are small mistakes. Just a little guidance can help fix issues.
  3. This method is close to changing how we create hardware, making it easier for people without engineering skills to get involved in tech projects.

Final Chapter Closes on Archegos Scandal

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2486 implied HN points • 18 Jul 25
💰 Finance Hedge Funds Market Analysis Investment Strategies Regulatory issues Banking
  1. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo agreed to pay $120 million to settle a lawsuit related to the Archegos scandal. This came after they were accused of hiding conflicts of interest while managing shares of ViacomCBS.
  2. The Archegos situation caused massive losses amounting to over $10 billion for multiple banks, highlighting how risky dealings by one individual can destabilize large financial institutions.
  3. Bill Hwang, the founder of Archegos, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his roles in insider trading and for causing huge financial damages, showing the serious consequences of taking reckless financial risks.

A Conversation with Adrian Ludwig

Frankly Speaking • 203 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Privacy Identity Cybersecurity DevOps Leadership Artificial Intelligence Cloud
  1. Security should be treated as an engineering primitive built into platforms so it enables products instead of acting as a compliance checkbox. Teams must adapt security approaches as scale and architectures change.
  2. AI and cloud platforms will accelerate how security is implemented and automate many defenses, but they also introduce new, non-deterministic threats that require rethinking traditional protections.
  3. The CISO role will likely merge into engineering, focusing on building secure infrastructure rather than policing users, and most user errors reflect design or security failures, not user ignorance.

Push it to the Limit EP. 1—GPT Engineer

Prompt’s Substack • 119 implied HN points • 25 Aug 24
🕹 Technology AI Tools Generative AI Software Development
  1. Using GPT Engineer can help generate clean front-end React code quickly, even for those with minimal coding knowledge. It's impressive how much can be done with just prompts.
  2. Integrating a Supabase database with GPT Engineer is easy for simple cases, but it can become complex with larger databases due to relationship intricacies.
  3. Creativity in prompting is key when working with bigger databases, as GPT Engineer has some limitations with context as databases grow in complexity.

Nvidia's Unique History and Culture

The Asianometry Newsletter • 7614 implied HN points • 06 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Corporate culture Computers Gaming Innovation Business strategy
  1. NVIDIA's success comes from a strong work ethic and a unique company culture that encourages honesty and speed. They focus on being direct and efficient in their communication.
  2. The leadership of Jensen Huang has been crucial for NVIDIA, as he continuously motivates employees to aim high and pushes the boundaries of what's possible in technology.
  3. Long-term thinking, like the development of CUDA, is key to NVIDIA’s strategy. They invest in innovations that may not pay off immediately, but will lead to big gains in the future.

The Bear Cave #305

The Bear Cave • 349 implied HN points • 21 Dec 25
💰 Finance Investor Relations Activist Reports Corporate Governance Equity markets
  1. Activist investors released critical reports on several public companies, saying those firms inflate revenue and margins or misrepresent their business models.
  2. A string of recent executive departures — especially CFO resignations and a few CEO exits — suggests leadership instability and possible deeper operational or financial problems at multiple firms.
  3. Nutex has been targeted repeatedly by different short sellers for alleged arbitration, medical billing, and accounting fraud, creating heightened scrutiny and elevated risk.

Public Vs Private Markets

Points And Figures • 746 implied HN points • 18 Nov 25
💰 Finance Regulations Valuations Markets Investing Economic Policy
  1. Private market valuations can be misleading since they don't reflect daily changes like public markets do. So, an AI startup might look valuable, but without real sales, that value is uncertain.
  2. AI companies are mostly funded by private investors, not public ones. If these companies fail, the stock market may notice, but it won't cause a huge crash, unlike failures in public companies.
  3. Government regulation of AI could harm its growth and innovation. A light regulatory touch has helped the U.S. tech industry thrive, so heavy regulations could stifle its potential.

The most exciting media companies have non-media business models

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 199 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
💼 Business Publishing Media Creator Economy Journalism Subscriptions Events Advertising Monetization
  1. The most successful modern media companies build non-media businesses — like ecommerce, SaaS, or product lines — so audience attention turns into direct revenue. Those commerce arms often outperform ads and subscriptions.
  2. Live events and conferences are a lucrative revenue channel because they generate fast, high-margin income and attract influential audiences. But events carry high overhead, are limited by venue capacity, and are hard to scale indefinitely.
  3. Creators and publishers need diversified monetization — sponsorships, paid newsletters, AI tools, branded content, and partnerships — plus a focused, often affluent audience and active sales effort to make those models pay. Relying on a single revenue stream or on platform-driven distribution leaves businesses exposed.