The hottest Substack posts right now

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The place of humans in machine society

Trevor Klee’s Newsletter • 820 implied HN points • 01 Jul 25
đź•ą Technology Future Trends AI Human-Computer Automation Society
  1. Humans have created a world that is often incomprehensible for other beings, like dogs. Just as a dog depends on humans for everything, we might rely on machines in the future.
  2. The rapid development of AI could make life very different in the next several decades. It might surpass human abilities, leading to a world where machines handle most tasks.
  3. There is a concern that future generations might find today's human responsibilities baffling, as machines could take care of their needs better than humans can.

Masterclass on Investing in SpaceTech Startups

Space Ambition • 219 implied HN points • 05 Jun 24
đź’Ľ Business Investing Entrepreneurship Finance Technology Startups
  1. There is an online masterclass focusing on how to invest in Space Tech startups. It's a great opportunity to learn from experts in the field.
  2. The masterclass will feature an analysis of Bessemer Venture Partners' investment in Rocket Lab, which is a key example in SpaceTech investing.
  3. The sessions are free and available at two different times on June 15, making it easy for people to join.

The SaaS Bloodbath: Opportunities and Perils for Investors

East Wind • 19 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
đź’° Finance Valuation Venture Capital Private Markets Public Markets Investing Tech Investing
  1. The recent software sell-off is partly a market overreaction, not the death of mission-critical SaaS. Incumbent vendors that adopt AI can protect pricing power and improve free cash flow.
  2. Companies with "artificial limiters" — non-code moats like network effects, regulatory barriers, and physical infrastructure — are best positioned to re-accelerate growth and can become multi-baggers if bought at the right price.
  3. Venture investing is riskier now because public multiples are compressed and many startups are still effectively SaaS, so private-market entry prices may not be justified by exits, making public equities a clearer place to find mispricings.

Kernel 6 Pitches Now Open!

Reboot • 29 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology AI Media Software Tech Culture Food Tech Design
  1. Kernel issue 6, themed “FEED,” is open for pitches — nonfiction due Feb 20 and creative submissions due Feb 28.
  2. They want sharp, specific work by and for technologists that explores feeding in many senses: data and news feeds, what people and machines consume, supply chains, food cultures, and feedback loops.
  3. All contributions are paid (rates increased), there are stipended roles for editors and illustrators, and they expect original, high-quality pieces rather than tired clichés or low-effort AI work.
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Not yet Dariopilled

Aliveness Studies • 3 implied HN points • 03 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Defense Tech Corporate Governance Regulation AI safety Artificial Intelligence Tech Policy Machine Learning
  1. Anthropic presents itself as safety-first but has simultaneously pushed powerful models and commercialized aggressively, creating a tension between safety promises and business incentives.
  2. Anthropic tried to limit military uses by drawing red lines against autonomous kill decisions and domestic mass surveillance, but its nuanced stance led to a U.S. blacklist and competitors like OpenAI stepping in to take the contract.
  3. The “lead from the front” safety strategy is frustrated by a classic collective action problem: if rivals can defect with no cost, reputational pressure won’t prevent an arms race and firms are incentivized to advance capabilities anyway.

Mistakes I’ve Made

Spilled Coffee • 80 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
đź’Ľ Business Strategy Entrepreneurship Marketing Leadership Investing Personal Finance Work Life
  1. You learn by doing, not by waiting for perfection; mistakes are part of progress, so act, reflect, and iterate.
  2. In business and investing, focus on what actually moves the needle: find a clear niche, stop pouring money into ineffective ads, delegate to people who are stronger than you, let winners run but cut losers, and don't wait forever for a dip to buy.
  3. Live intentionally—stop worrying about what others think, avoid postponing the things that matter (costs rise and time disappears), build routines that bring joy, and use work to fund the life you want, not the other way around.

An Appreciation of Joe Stiglitz

Something to Consider • 139 implied HN points • 03 Jul 24
đź’Ľ Business Market Theory Public Policy Statistical Analysis Economics
  1. Markets work best when everyone has the same information, but that's rarely the case in reality. Stiglitz shows us how imperfect information affects economic decisions.
  2. Share-cropping has its own risks and benefits. It allows landlords to provide safety nets for tenants, but it can also limit tenants' work incentives.
  3. When companies pay higher wages, they can improve worker effort and reduce turnover. This is known as the efficiency wage theory, which explains why some businesses might choose to hire fewer employees at higher salaries.

Why Rollups Are Not Shards: Deconstructing the Logical Fallacies

Dan Hughes • 139 implied HN points • 03 Jul 24
đź”® Crypto Scalability Smart Contracts Decentralization Consensus Blockchain
  1. Rollups and sharding are not the same. Rollups are like mini blockchains that still rely on Ethereum, while sharding would integrate more seamlessly and effectively.
  2. The rollup approach adds more complexity to the Ethereum system, causing challenges for developers in terms of security and performance.
  3. A single, unified execution environment would be more beneficial for scaling, rather than having multiple rollups with different rules and complexities.

Nulla dies sine linea

Kenny’s Sub • 219 implied HN points • 05 Jun 24
đź’Ľ Business Productivity Goal setting Career development Self-Improvement Entrepreneurship
  1. Setting smaller, more manageable tasks can help you feel more accomplished. It's better to focus on small wins than to aim for unrealistic goals.
  2. Feeling overwhelmed comes from thinking you need to achieve big things every day. Recognizing smaller steps can ease that pressure.
  3. Doing a little every day, even something small like updating a title, adds up over time and makes progress feel real. It's about consistency, not perfection.

The blast furnace - 800 years of technology improvement

Construction Physics • 10856 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
đź•ą Technology Science Manufacturing Innovation History Environment
  1. Steel production has evolved over 800 years, with blast furnaces being a crucial part of the process.
  2. The blast furnace technology has seen gradual improvements by engineers and craftsmen over centuries.
  3. As advancements like hot blast and mechanization have been made, the blast furnace's role is changing in modern steelmaking.

GroupBy #40: Data Infrastructure at Airbnb

VuTrinh. • 179 implied HN points • 18 Jun 24
đź•ą Technology Scalability Data Engineering Software Development Infrastructure Open Source
  1. Airbnb focuses on using open-source tools and contributing back to the community. This helps them build a strong and collaborative data infrastructure.
  2. Their data infrastructure prioritizes scalability and uses specific clusters for different types of jobs. This approach ensures that critical tasks run efficiently without overwhelming the system.
  3. Airbnb has improved their data processing performance significantly, reducing costs while increasing speed. This was achieved through careful planning and migration of their Hadoop clusters.

Don't update too much on money-happiness correlations

inexactscience • 79 implied HN points • 30 Jul 24
đź’° Finance Money Surveys Well-being Economics Mental health
  1. Money doesn't always equal happiness. Many studies show mixed results, suggesting other factors play a big role.
  2. People have different values around work and leisure. This means that income may not always reflect happiness for everyone.
  3. Surveys on money and happiness can be tricky. The way they ask questions may not capture the real relationship between income and how people feel.

Under the microscope: FireBlade (Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube)

Rings of Saturn • 43 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology Retro Gaming Video Games Reverse Engineering Emulation Software Cheats
  1. Hidden cheat sequences exist in all three console versions and can unlock campaigns and extras when entered on the menu screens.
  2. Each port implements cheats differently: the GameCube uses a Konami-style code, the PS2 uses an R1/L1/Triangle/X sequence, and the Xbox has a more advanced, togglable cheat manager that enables invulnerability, infinite ammo/turbo, frame modes, and a Mega Cheat.
  3. Emulator-based debugging and reverse engineering (memory breakpoints, Ghidra with platform plugins) uncovered the input handlers, memory addresses, and static button arrays that map to those cheat codes.

Flows Are So Back

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 39 implied HN points • 22 Aug 24
đź•ą Technology AI User Interface Software Development Data
  1. Graphs help show complicated data in a simple way. By using nodes and edges, you can easily see how everything connects.
  2. No-code tools let anyone, even those without programming skills, create complex workflows. This makes development quicker and more accessible for everyone.
  3. There's a growing need for tools that can organize and connect different AI flows. This would help everything work better together and solve problems more effectively.

How to Train Your AI

Who is Robert Malone • 12 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology AI safety Security Infrastructure Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning NLP Data science
  1. Large language models are built by training huge neural networks on trillions of words to predict the next word, producing very powerful but imperfect base models that reflect their training data and cost a lot to train.
  2. Making models behave safely relies on fine‑tuning, human feedback (RLHF), constitutional rules, system prompts, filters, sandbox testing, and red‑teaming, but guardrails are always being probed and must be balanced against usefulness.
  3. Hallucinations—confident but false answers—and the question of whether models really 'think' are core issues, so techniques like retrieval‑augmented generation, citations, chain‑of‑thought, specialist models, and human review are used to reduce errors and limit harm.

Highlights from the Comments on "A Measured Response"

Maximum Effort, Minimum Reward • 958 implied HN points • 02 Jun 25
đź“– Philosophy Logic Epistemology Metaphysics Ethics Philosophy of science
  1. The measure problem is important for understanding theories about the multiverse. It questions how we can measure probabilities when there are potentially infinite versions of the universe.
  2. Philosophers generally agree that the universe seems fine-tuned for life. They suggest various explanations, like the possibility of a designer, a multiverse, or deeper laws of nature.
  3. It's crucial to define the problem and the space we're working in when discussing probabilities. Ambiguous terms can lead to misunderstandings in arguments about fine-tuning.

The Bear Cave #284

The Bear Cave • 629 implied HN points • 27 Jul 25
đź’° Finance Investing Market Analysis Financial Reporting Corporate Governance Stock Market
  1. Blue Orca Capital has raised concerns about Nutex Health's financial practices, suggesting it has benefited from a fraudulent scheme. They warn that the company's stock might drop significantly if these issues are proven true.
  2. Several companies are dealing with management shakeups, including Dentsply Sirona and Globus Medical, which recently saw their CEOs resign. These changes may reflect deeper issues within the companies.
  3. There's a new trend of individual investors rallying around certain stocks, which some call 'meme stocks.' This indicates that social media is influencing investment decisions more than ever.

Wardriving for a place to live

Jampa’s Substack • 40 HN points • 21 Aug 24
đź•ą Technology Data Analysis Urban planning Software Development Real Estate AI Tools
  1. Finding a place to live in a small, low-tech city can be really challenging. There aren't many real estate options or online listings, so one might need to explore the area by driving around.
  2. Using technology like OpenStreetMaps and AI can help in identifying neighborhoods and evaluating their quality. This can save a lot of time compared to traditional methods.
  3. It's important to check the neighborhood in person, even after using tech tools. Seeing the area first-hand can give a better understanding of what to expect and help find suitable homes.

Working with OLEDs: SSD1353 & SSD1333

lcamtuf’s thing • 1836 implied HN points • 30 Jan 25
đź•ą Technology Displays Microcontrollers Game design Electronics Programming
  1. OLED displays are generally better for microcontroller projects than traditional LCDs. They are easier to use and deliver better performance and visuals.
  2. For projects with limited RAM or CPU, smaller OLED displays like the SSD1353 and SSD1333 can be effective. They are simple to set up with basic connections.
  3. Setting up these OLED displays involves a few key commands and configurations, making it manageable even for beginners. Once connected, getting them to display graphics is straightforward.

Chat box? No thanks đź™…

Design Lobster • 339 implied HN points • 29 Apr 24
đź•ą Technology Content creation AI Design Image Generation Personalization
  1. AI design patterns are evolving beyond simple chat boxes to include features like 'Circle for more' and 'Invisible butlers'.
  2. Tools like 'Live canvases' and 'Magic brushes' are revolutionizing how we interact with and create digital content.
  3. Innovations like 'Language editors' and 'Infinite content' offer exciting possibilities for personalized and endlessly generated text and visuals.

S&P Addiction

Investment Talk • 707 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
đź’° Finance Benchmarking Investing Wealth Management Global Markets Performance
  1. Benchmarking can be a humbling but necessary process for investors to evaluate their performance relative to others.
  2. Choosing a benchmark is crucial for measuring investment success, considering time, effort, and opportunity costs involved in managing a portfolio.
  3. Fund managers and advisors use benchmarks for various reasons like performance evaluation, risk assessment, and ensuring accountability to clients.

A framework for ML Design Interviews

Recommender systems • 86 implied HN points • 10 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology Interviews Career Advice Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence System Design Software Engineering
  1. A repeatable ML design interview framework can greatly improve your success in FAANG-level interviews and has led to many offers.
  2. A good framework helps you pace the discussion, create a coherent narrative, and signal to interviewers what you would have covered with more time.
  3. The full framework is only shared privately on request instead of being posted publicly, so you need to message on Substack to receive it.

How to Create a Strong Online Reputation for Your Business

Nail It and Scale It • 79 implied HN points • 29 Jul 24
đź’Ľ Business Entrepreneurship Marketing Reputation Online presence Social media
  1. Having a strong Google My Business page is crucial. It helps people find your business and leaves a good first impression.
  2. Make sure to gather positive reviews on key sites like Glassdoor and Trustpilot. These reviews can really influence potential customers and new employees.
  3. Regularly check your online reputation and respond to any negative comments. Keeping an eye on your brand helps you maintain a good image and shows you care.

Make Europe Great Again

Alex's Personal Blog • 65 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
đź’Ľ Business Startups Valuations Technology International relations Public Policy Venture Capital
  1. OpenAI is betting that scaling compute drives revenue and is now pushing practical adoption, including monetizing free tiers with ads.
  2. Software valuations have bifurcated: AI-first startups with extreme growth get huge private valuations, while many post-IPO SaaS firms face single-digit public multiples, so new companies must show outlier growth to attract funding.
  3. Recent U.S.–Europe tensions could boost demand for European cloud, AI, defense, and energy tech, helping Europe retain talent and spur a regional tech resurgence.

How to Spot a Star

Rob Henderson's Newsletter • 2859 implied HN points • 06 Oct 24
đź’Ľ Business Staffing Economic Trends Human Resources Talent Management
  1. It's important to look beyond just education to spot talent. People can be talented even within the same educational background, and practice and perseverance often matter more than where you went to school.
  2. Personality traits, like conscientiousness, play a big role in success. Those who work hard and stay focused are more likely to succeed, especially in lower-skilled jobs.
  3. Asking unique questions in interviews can help identify true talent. For example, finding out what someone reads for fun can reveal their interests and drive more than traditional job history.

The first principle behind "first principles"

Building the Builders • 11 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
đź’Ľ Business Innovation Product Leadership Decision-making Management Entrepreneurship Strategy
  1. First-principles thinking means digging down to the most fundamental truths of a problem and reasoning up from there. This uncovers causal forces and opportunities that surface-level assumptions miss.
  2. Ask basic, high-leverage questions about core needs or essential components instead of accepting proxies or industry norms. Those questions steer you toward different and often better solutions.
  3. Thinking from first principles is hard and risky and requires building your own observations and trusting your judgment. But it’s the path to original breakthroughs rather than just incremental tweaks.

My review of THE COMING WAVE

Ground Truths • 7567 implied HN points • 09 Sep 23
đź•ą Technology Genomics Future of AI Large Language Models AI
  1. AI is on the brink of transforming our lives with the majority of interactions being with AIs, not people.
  2. The book 'THE COMING WAVE' by Mustafa Suleyman discusses the future of AI integrating life science and digital applications.
  3. The book offers a balanced perspective on AI's potential, historical context, and the challenges and opportunities it presents.

The Hijacking Of Bitcoin: Epstein’s Hidden Network

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 35 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
đź”® Crypto Bitcoin Stablecoins Regulation Blockchain Market Manipulation
  1. Bitcoin’s original peer-to-peer cash design was sidelined in favor of “digital gold” when developers kept block sizes small, making on-chain payments slow and pushing users toward centralized Lightning hubs.
  2. Jeffrey Epstein’s money flowed through MIT and investments like Blockstream to fund core developers, while intermediaries like Brock Pierce and Tether helped inflate Bitcoin’s price — research shows Tether minting played a major role in the 2017 bull run.
  3. Wall Street players and insiders (e.g., Cantor Fitzgerald, Howard Lutnick) used their influence and new laws (GENIUS, CLARITY) to lock in control over stablecoins and programmable money, risking surveillance and loss of financial freedom and prompting calls to back privacy-focused alternatives.

The Cultural, Psychological and Collective Impacts of Generative AI

AI Supremacy • 845 implied HN points • 10 Jan 24
đź•ą Technology Ethics AI Privacy Workplace Content creation
  1. Generative AI has various impacts on human welfare, rights, and mental health that need careful consideration.
  2. The integration of generative AI into society and culture raises concerns about bias, discrimination, and misinformation.
  3. The rise of generative AI affects the labor market, potentially leading to job displacement and impacting the quality of professional skills and critical thinking.

in-office work > remote work

Tech Ramblings • 19 implied HN points • 07 Sep 24
đź’Ľ Business Productivity Workplace culture Remote work Career development Team Collaboration
  1. In-person work helps teams connect better and communicate more effectively. Many important interactions happen non-verbally, which can be lost in remote settings.
  2. Working in an office allows for quick collaboration and faster problem solving. Teams can discuss ideas and make decisions on the spot, speeding up project timelines.
  3. Remote work may suit experienced professionals or those prioritizing personal life. However, junior developers may benefit more from in-office environments to grow their careers.

Nuclear Plants should be Industrial Cathedrals

Gordian Knot News • 227 implied HN points • 12 Nov 25
đź•ą Technology Energy Nuclear Regulation Infrastructure Engineering
  1. Nuclear power plants should be built strong and beautiful, like cathedrals, to last a long time and serve future generations well.
  2. Designing nuclear plants with large domes and easy access for maintenance can help ensure their reliability and longevity.
  3. It's important to consider the quality and maintainability of different nuclear plant designs, as some may be more cramped and prone to issues over time.

15 Times to use AI, and 5 Not to

One Useful Thing • 2226 implied HN points • 09 Dec 24
đź•ą Technology Software Development AI Machine Learning Data science Automation
  1. AI is great for generating lots of ideas quickly. Instead of getting stuck after a few, you can use AI to come up with many different options.
  2. It's helpful to use AI when you have expertise and can easily spot mistakes. You can rely on it to assist with complex tasks without losing track of quality.
  3. However, be cautious using AI for learning or where accuracy is critical. It may shortcut your learning and sometimes make errors that are hard to notice.