The hottest Big Tech Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top U.S. Politics Topics

Who's Michael Shellenberger?

Emerald Robinson’s The Right Way • 5228 implied HN points • 07 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government censorship Federal Government Big Tech
  1. Michael Shellenberger was presented as an expert witness in government censorship without the necessary expertise.
  2. Shellenberger's varied career includes roles as a governor candidate, lobbyist, journalist, and professor.
  3. The House Committee on Government Censorship may be overlooking conservative voices censored by social media.

Gemini: how did we end up here?

lcamtuf’s thing • 2166 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Language Models Big Tech Content Moderation
  1. The development of large language models (LLMs) like Gemini involves mechanisms like reinforcement learning from human feedback, which can lead to biases and quirky responses.
  2. Concerns arise about the use of LLMs for automated content moderation and the potential impact on historical and political education for children.
  3. The shift within Big Tech towards paternalistic content moderation reflects a move away from the libertarian culture predominant until the mid-2010s, highlighting evolving perspectives on regulating information online.

Big Tech Myths And Facts: Vision Pro, Google Culture, Digital Ad Market Edition

Big Technology • 3878 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Big Tech AI Digital Advertising Company Culture Revenue
  1. Big Tech companies are experiencing a mix of record revenue and deep layoffs as they navigate the costs of developing new technologies like AI and mixed reality.
  2. Apple may face challenges with the Vision Pro as it might not reach mass-market success until 2030 or beyond, despite initial hype.
  3. Google is acknowledging the need to address its slow-moving culture by simplifying its organizational structure and removing layers to improve efficiency.

The asymmetry of nudges

lcamtuf’s thing • 1499 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Big Tech API Browser Extensions Privacy
  1. It's common to blame big businesses for unethical practices, but often founders and CEOs are genuinely trying to do the right thing.
  2. The development of Manifest V3 in Google Chrome, though controversial, aimed to address major security and privacy risks posed by browser extensions.
  3. The concept of the asymmetry of nudges highlights how well-intentioned changes in tech companies can inadvertently limit user choices or negatively impact user experience.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

How BigTech Invested in AI Companies in 2023

AI Supremacy • 1022 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Investments Venture Capital Big Tech Emerging Tech
  1. BigTech, including companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, made significant investments in AI companies in 2023.
  2. Nvidia emerged as a leading investor in Generative AI in 2023, making diversified bets in the space and establishing a dedicated venture capital arm.
  3. Foundation models and development platforms were major beneficiaries of Big Tech's investment funding, with companies like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Salesforce deeply involved.

Why can't I be a dick to AI?

The Rectangle • 113 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Chatbots Ethics Big Tech Human-computer interaction
  1. We often treat AI with politeness and empathy because our brains expect something that talks like a human to be human.
  2. Despite AI being just a tool, companies make them human-like to leverage our trust and make us more receptive to their messages.
  3. There's a societal expectation to be decent even towards artificial entities, like AI, even though they're not humans with feelings and consciousness.

Long Take: Is Apple Wallet's Open Banking integration a fintech extinction event?

The Fintech Blueprint • 530 implied HN points • 04 Oct 23
💰 Finance Fintech Banking Technology AI Big Tech
  1. Sharks' decline and human growth show the power of general intelligence over specialized adaptations.
  2. Smartphones like iPhones with general intelligence capabilities outperform specialized devices like ATMs.
  3. Big tech's embrace of open banking could lead to a future where standalone bank apps become obsolete.

Long Take: Is Apple's Goldman-powered 4.15% yield account the fintech apocalypse?

The Fintech Blueprint • 491 implied HN points • 19 Apr 23
💰 Finance Big Tech Banking Lending Blockchain Wealth Management
  1. Apple has launched a Savings account with a 4.15% yield through Goldman Sachs, creating a disruptive financial product.
  2. Goldman Sachs plays a significant role in the product's distribution, benefiting from Apple's massive consumer base.
  3. Other big tech companies like Google, PayPal, and Ant Financial have also made inroads into financial services, showcasing a trend towards tech-powered banking.

The End of the Golden Age of Tech Accountability

The Klonickles • 412 implied HN points • 03 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Big Tech Regulation Social Impact Tech Policy
  1. The economic downturn has impacted the soft power of technology civil society and projects aimed at improving technology and social welfare.
  2. In the last five years, tech companies voluntarily engaged in initiatives for transparency and accountability, which were more significant than perceived.
  3. Despite the progress made, this voluntary cooperation is not enough, and there is a need for regulations to enforce continued efforts by tech companies.

What Google's Leaked Letter tells us about the AI Landscape [Finance Fridays]

Technology Made Simple • 199 implied HN points • 06 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Finance Big Tech Open Source Language Models
  1. Open source in AI is successful due to its free nature, promoting quick scaling and diverse contributions.
  2. The rigid hiring practices and systems in Big Tech can stifle innovation by filtering out non-conformists.
  3. The leaked letter questions the value of restrictive models in a landscape where free alternatives are comparable in quality.

This is a Netflix world, and we are all living in it. Part #1

Philoinvestor • 58 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
💼 Business Media Streaming Big Tech
  1. Netflix has seen significant gains while Legacy Media companies like Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, and Paramount have faced declines.
  2. Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) pivot has been challenging for Legacy Media companies due to lack of scale and high losses.
  3. Big Tech companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google have disrupted the media space with their robust distribution networks and significant resources.

How to Earn Six Figures as a Software Engineer in the UK

The Fat Software Engineer • 72 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23
💼 Business Career development Startups Big Tech Job Market
  1. Earn six figures in the UK as a software engineer by working hard, smart, and grinding Leetcode.
  2. Consider going to university for benefits beyond education like adulting skills, lifelong friends, and networking.
  3. Transition from a first job at a bigger company to a startup after gaining experience, focusing on learning, negotiating salary, and preparing for big tech roles.

6. Dancing between the physical and digital; big tech and macroeconomics

Insight Axis • 19 implied HN points • 03 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Digital Macroeconomics Tech Companies Information processing Big Tech
  1. Digital innovation is faster and more flexible than physical innovation, making digital iteration more efficient.
  2. Translating between the physical and digital worlds is essential, requiring 'on-ramps' for data input and 'off-ramps' for implementation.
  3. Information processing is crucial, with 'ramps' serving as gatekeepers between physical and digital realms in big tech and macroeconomics.

Microsoft Is the Latest Behemoth Trying to 'Help' Journos With AI

Startup Strategies • 0 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Journalism Big Tech Tools
  1. Microsoft is offering AI tools and training to news organizations to help journalists in their work.
  2. The AI tools and training provided by Microsoft focus on assisting journalists in research, source discovery, and translation.
  3. Journalists may benefit more from investments in media organizations and jobs rather than extensive AI training.

🤓[DS:Culture] Startup Math and Opportunity Costs

Data Science Daily • 0 implied HN points • 17 Feb 23
💼 Business Startups Big Tech Economics Decision-making
  1. Being recruited by big tech as a data scientist is common due to the high demand for DS professionals.
  2. The opportunity cost of working at a startup versus a big tech company heavily depends on the potential stock gains.
  3. Economic-wise, bigger tech companies offer more stability and higher potential earnings, but working at a startup can offer a more dynamic and problem-solving oriented environment.

Moving from Big Tech -> Startup

Product Principles Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 16 Feb 23
💼 Business Startups Big Tech Product Management Entrepreneurship
  1. Talented professionals are migrating from big tech to startups with different expectations and work environments.
  2. Startups are focusing more on unit economics and fundraising standards, leading to funding and valuation corrections.
  3. Product managers at early stage startups will experience a shift from big budgets and tools to a focus on distribution and creating features for existing users.