The hottest Substack posts right now

according to Hacker News
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The worst project manager ever: a total idiot

Respectful Leadership • 54 implied HN points • 22 Mar 23
💼 Business Management Leadership Project management Team Dynamics
  1. Qualities of a great project manager are qualitative and include moral convictions, confidence, and perceptiveness, rather than just formal credentials.
  2. Respect is key in achieving excellent project management: respecting time, understanding priorities, and communicating effectively define a good project manager.
  3. Dealing with changing priorities respectfully involves supporting the team emotionally, being transparent about costs and time estimates, and facilitating collaboration between different levels of staff.

People act. Markets clear. Everything else is commentary.

Economic Forces • 10 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
💼 Business Price theory Economics Market Theory Consumer behavior
  1. Economic models have two main parts: how people behave and how those behaviors interact in the market. Understanding both helps clarify how markets operate.
  2. Equilibrium in economics doesn't mean everything is still. It's about finding a way to make individual choices work together, even in changing situations.
  3. Critiques of economics often focus on rationality, but understanding the constraints, like budgets, is more important in predicting market outcomes.

Business strategy is a game

A Bit Gamey • 13 implied HN points • 17 Nov 24
💼 Business Strategy Innovation Marketing Economics Management
  1. Business strategy can be viewed as a game, with players, rules, and outcomes. Understanding this can help you make better decisions.
  2. In life, we are often in serious games where our actions affect outcomes. Recognizing that can help you navigate challenges more effectively.
  3. Winning in business isn't just about competing; sometimes it's about helping others succeed and choosing the right game to play.
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Why Must You Pay Sales People Commissions?

Dan’s Substack • 2 HN points • 19 Apr 24
💼 Business Compensation Organizational Behavior Employee Motivation Sales Company Culture
  1. Salespeople being paid commissions is a common practice, but it can lead to various recurring problems like high turnover and internal disputes.
  2. Research suggests that higher incentives, like commissions, can actually reduce performance in some cases, which is a counter-intuitive result.
  3. The debate over sales commissions reflects two different views of worker motivation: Theory X, where employees are seen as lazy and need external rewards, and Theory Y, where workers are viewed as self-motivated and thrive on autonomy.

Information as Public Good

Something to Consider • 39 implied HN points • 13 Feb 22
📖 Philosophy Law Society Ethics Politics Information
  1. Information is a public good, meaning it spreads easily and people who discover new facts often don't get rewarded for their efforts. This can lead to less investment in finding important information.
  2. One idea to fix this is to allow people to be paid for revealing bad information, even if it sounds like blackmail. By doing this, we might prevent bad behavior from companies or individuals because they would pay to keep wrongdoings secret.
  3. Legalizing this kind of 'blackmail' could actually help society by making people more open about wrongdoing and allowing for better accountability. It could also adjust how we punish people based on what's really important to the public.

Beating the Auction Duopoly

SatPost by Trung Phan • 31 implied HN points • 13 Jan 24
💼 Business Auctions Market Trends
  1. Heritage Auctions is challenging the age-old auction duopoly of Sotheby's and Christie's with a focus on niche markets like rare coins.
  2. Auction houses like Sotheby's and Christie's make money by taking commissions from both buyers and sellers and face challenges like collusion and price-fixing allegations.
  3. Heritage Auctions' success lies in focusing on growing auction categories, being internet-native, and prioritizing transparency compared to the established duopoly.

Christopher Strachey and the Dawn of Interactive Text

50 Years of Text Games • 49 HN points • 16 May 23
🕹 Technology Computing Programming History
  1. Computers evolved quickly in their early years, with innovations being made and lost before becoming standardized.
  2. Computer games with text came before those with graphics, highlighting the initial challenge of dealing with language.
  3. Christopher Strachey, an early computer programmer, paved the way for text-based computer games and made significant contributions to the field of computer science.

Losing always sucks. Even writing this sucks

Brick by Brick • 45 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
💼 Business Customer Insights Sales Engineering Value Execution
  1. Losing sales opportunities can be a great learning opportunity for both sales and engineering teams.
  2. Sales losses can occur due to reasons like lack of alignment with customer needs, inadequate value proposition, and price constraints.
  3. To learn from sales losses, it's important to assess gaps in perceived value, interview customers for insights, and continually review reasons for lost deals.

Issue 17: No great stagnation in cruise ships

The Works in Progress Newsletter • 12 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Infrastructure Engineering Urbanism Biotechnology Data science Chemistry
  1. Cruise ships show that new ideas and growth are still possible in design and urban living, even as some land technologies seem to stall.
  2. Madrid has successfully built its metro system much faster and cheaper than cities like London and New York by using smart planning and incentives for local leaders.
  3. Many animals, like horses and crabs, are essential for creating life-saving chemicals, reminding us that we still rely on nature, even as technology advances.

I want Apple's Vision Pro

SatPost by Trung Phan • 47 implied HN points • 16 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Hardware Software User Experience Virtual reality Productivity
  1. Apple's Vision Pro headset is priced at $3,500 and focuses on creating the ideal workspace experience.
  2. Vision Pro offers a unique spatial computing experience, differentiating it from VR and AR technologies.
  3. The headset's potential lies in transforming work productivity, offering advanced hardware, and enhancing creativity through virtual spaces.

Looking at Initials Again

The Security Industry • 10 implied HN points • 18 Jan 25
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Startups Industry Trends Market Analysis
  1. The letter 'S' stands out in the security industry, followed closely by 'C' for 'Cyber.' This shows that more companies are focusing on these areas.
  2. Choosing a company name is important and can be tricky. It's smart to look at existing names in the industry to avoid confusion.
  3. There are a lot of companies with similar names, especially with the word 'Cyber' in them. A new tool could help find unique names for startups.

Resolving Mac Appstore rejections due to deprecation

jDeploy Newsletter • 28 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
🕹 Technology APIs Frameworks Development Software
  1. Be mindful of using non-public or deprecated APIs when developing Mac Appstore applications as it can lead to rejections.
  2. One way to fix dependencies on deprecated APIs is by building and inserting a custom version of the deprecated framework into the app bundle.
  3. Changing bundle IDs when necessary and updating dependencies in dynamic libraries using tools like install_name_tool can help in resolving issues and getting the updated version accepted on the Mac Appstore.

The State of India's Banking Sector

Turnaround • 59 implied HN points • 04 Jan 21
💼 Business Innovation Banking Regulation Technology Public Sector
  1. In 2020, more deposits went to private banks in India than Public Sector Banks for the first time.
  2. The bad loan crisis in Indian banks was tackled through measures like Asset Quality Review and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.
  3. Indian public sector banks need to focus on technology and adapt to changing consumer demands to compete with private banks in terms of market share.

Navigating Web3 Analytics: A Guide for Data Professionals

Web3 for Analytics Engineers • 1 HN point • 13 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Blockchain Analytics Cryptocurrency Data Analysis Decentralization
  1. Web3 is a decentralized internet on blockchain tech, aiming for user ownership and benefits for many people.
  2. Blockchain technology, at the core of Web3, offers immutability, decentralization, transparency, and cryptographic security.
  3. Web3 analytics introduces opportunities like decentralized data storage, on-chain data analysis, smart contract analytics, DeFi analytics, and NFT analytics.

Aristotle's Practical Philosophy (part 1)

Logos and Liberty • 19 implied HN points • 07 Nov 22
📖 Philosophy Friendship Contemplation Ethics Virtue Human nature
  1. Aristotle's practical philosophy aims at discovering a way of life that enables individuals to use their highest faculties and communities to support this way of life.
  2. The key components of 'Eudaimonia' according to Aristotle are virtue, love, and the contemplative life.
  3. Human happiness, for Aristotle, is strongly influenced by the quality of human relationships and the social context surrounding those relationships.

What is Capitulation ?

Shivansh • 1 HN point • 13 Jun 24
💰 Finance Stock Market Trading Risk management Investing Technical Analysis
  1. Capitulation happens when investors lose hope in the market and sell their investments at low prices, often during tough times like a financial crisis.
  2. Technical analysis, like using candlestick charts, helps identify capitulation patterns that signal potential major changes in price trends.
  3. Capitulation can present opportunities for profit, depending on whether an investor is in a long or short position - it's neither inherently good nor bad, but a strategic move.

CQ4DS - Python project from scratch with poetry, black, ruff, pytest, pre-commit-hooks and GitHub Actions in 15 minute tops

Laszlo’s Newsletter • 43 implied HN points • 03 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Development Programming Tools Automation
  1. Data scientists benefit from automating project setup for better workflow convenience.
  2. Tools like Poetry, Black, Ruff, pytest, pre-commit-hooks, and GitHub Actions can be set up in just 15 minutes for long-term project benefits.
  3. Setting up version control, testing, automation, and remote deployment are crucial for a well-structured Python project.

The MCP Registry Opportunity

The API Changelog • 1 implied HN point • 21 Nov 25
🕹 Technology APIs Developer Tools Open Source Platforms AI Integration Standards
  1. The MCP registry is acting like an app store, becoming the central connector that lets AI agents find and use third‑party tools directly.
  2. Zero‑friction, API‑based publishing caused thousands of MCP servers to appear quickly, creating a two‑sided platform of producers and consumers.
  3. That rapid open growth brings quality and discovery problems, so the registry will need curation or verification to keep user trust or risk losing the marketplace role to competitors.

Elicit

Fifty Years News • 38 implied HN points • 25 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Deep Tech AI Research Artificial Intelligence Pharma
  1. Preventing hallucinations and improving AI efficiency is important in AI development.
  2. Elicit has the potential to generate substantial revenue by assisting various industries in speeding up research processes.
  3. Elicit's systematic and transparent approach to research aims to have a significant positive impact on society by accelerating scientific discovery.

Experimentation Tools; Surge in MLOps; 2021 Books

Gradient Flow • 39 implied HN points • 09 Dec 21
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Data Infrastructure AI Applications Books Podcasts
  1. Investors and engineers are focusing on ML infrastructure and MLOps, but experimentation tools need more attention to bridge the gap between data teams and product teams.
  2. Financial services industry is utilizing AI and NLP via no-code platforms to build and deploy applications.
  3. Recommendations of books include topics on cyberweapons, macroeconomics, venture capital, and predictive investment frameworks.

Pascal: The language that almost took over the world part 1

Deus In Machina • 36 implied HN points • 26 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming Languages Computers Operating Systems
  1. Pascal language was designed with a focus on clean and readable code, making it ideal for teaching programming.
  2. Turbo Pascal revolutionized programming by combining editing, compiling, and linking steps in one integrated environment.
  3. The decline of Pascal was due to factors like its focus on teaching, rapid advancements in computing technology, and the popularity of Unix and C programming language.

Money does not make a great product

Tech Ramblings • 19 implied HN points • 15 Jan 23
💼 Business Efficiency Entrepreneurship Startups Product Development Team Dynamics
  1. Money alone doesn't guarantee a great product. Instead, you need skilled experts and a dedicated team who really care about the work.
  2. A smaller, focused team can often create better outcomes than a large group. Quality and commitment are more important than throwing money at a problem.
  3. Dedication matters more than expertise. Strong work ethic is key, and having a passionate team can lead to innovative solutions and success.

UX Roundup: Domain-Optimized AI | Be a Test User | Heuristic Evaluation Template | Jakob Live

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 30 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Live Q&A UX Design User Research
  1. Domain-Optimized AI aims to provide specific answers integrating content from experts.
  2. Participating in research studies can help understand user experiences and the impact of designs.
  3. Heuristic Evaluation Template by Jason Ogle helps evaluate interfaces and offers guidance based on 10 usability heuristics.

Trust Through Transparency

Resilient Cyber • 19 implied HN points • 23 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Compliance Cybersecurity Software Data Privacy
  1. People are demanding more transparency in digital systems. This means consumers want to know what software they are using and how it is made.
  2. There's a strong push for companies to adopt Zero Trust, meaning no one gets automatic access. Every access request needs to be verified.
  3. Privacy regulations are changing, with more laws being introduced to protect personal data. Companies need to be clear about how they collect and use consumer information.

To build trust in complexity, offer small choices and fast feedback

amivora • 4 implied HN points • 09 Jul 25
💼 Business Trust Building Decision-making Customer Engagement User Experience Product Strategy
  1. Giving users small choices helps them feel in control during complex processes. When people can make little decisions, they feel less overwhelmed.
  2. Fast feedback is important. When users get immediate responses to their choices, it makes them feel more at ease and engaged in the process.
  3. Building trust takes time, so it's good to guide users step by step. This way, they understand what’s happening and can feel more secure with new tools or services.

Notes on Dataiku

thomaswdinsmore • 1 HN point • 12 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Data Analysis Tech Partnerships
  1. Dataiku is preparing for a potential exit, possibly an IPO, evidenced by recent investments and new executive hires.
  2. Dataiku focuses on business users with its analytics platform, leveraging partnerships with big data players like Databricks and Snowflake.
  3. While Dataiku shows growth in revenue, its capabilities in machine learning and generative AI, like Hugging Face models, are not as robust, and they partner with other companies for these advanced technologies.

A Skeptic’s Guide to Tech Hype

Kibao • 1 HN point • 12 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Skepticism Impact Future Investments Innovation
  1. Hype is a double-edged sword in tech innovation - it can drive attention but also derail resources.
  2. Judging tech solely on hype can miss its real impact - tech can be influential even if it doesn't meet hyped expectations.
  3. Tech hype acts as both a bug and a feature, pushing innovation forward while also risking distraction - maintaining diverse research and ideas is key.

Live-In House Flipping 101

Austin's Analects • 19 implied HN points • 10 Aug 22
💼 Business Investment Strategies
  1. Real estate investing requires both learning and actually taking action - spending time learning is important, but actually doing it is crucial for success.
  2. The Live-In Flip strategy is a conservative way to start real estate investing without high risks, providing opportunities for learning and DIY renovations to build equity.
  3. Live-In Flipping has pros such as tax benefits, renovating at a comfortable pace, learning opportunities, saving money with DIY projects, but also cons like living in a construction zone, potential emotional attachment to the property, and continuous work requirements.

Wild Forest’s $WF Token Community Rounds are NEXT WEEK!

Ronin’s Newsletter • 12 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🔮 Crypto Tokens Community Gaming NFTs Blockchain
  1. The $WF token sale is happening soon, from December 5th to December 6th. It's for RON stakers, specific leaders, and the Wild Forest community.
  2. During the sale, 44 million tokens will be available at $0.045 each, which can be used in the game for features like ranking up and buying items.
  3. To participate, you'll need to stake wRON before the sale and meet some identification requirements. Make sure to check if you're eligible!