The hottest Tech industry Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

Metaverse Failure Proves Billionaires Are Dumb And Lucky

JoeWrote • 111 implied HN points • 25 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. The Metaverse was a massive commercial failure that cost Meta and many investors billions and left virtual platforms largely unused.
  2. Extreme wealth often reflects being in the right place at the right time and having access to capital, not necessarily superior intelligence or merit.
  3. Tech hype and follow-the-leader investing funnel huge sums into overpromised ideas, and those bets often misunderstand basic human behavior so they fail to deliver the promised value.

BREAKING: LLM “reasoning” continues to be deeply flawed

Marcus on AI • 15216 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Large language models still routinely make reasoning mistakes and hallucinate, so they are not reliable for true logical or causal reasoning.
  2. A broad, careful review found these failures are widespread across recent models, showing that massive funding and scaling alone haven’t solved reasoning.
  3. The field faces a choice: keep dismissing critics and double down on scale, or acknowledge the limits and invest in alternative approaches that directly address reasoning.

Promises are cheap

Marcus on AI • 12884 implied HN points • 12 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Big promises from AI companies and their leaders are cheap and often driven by hype, so they shouldn’t be taken at face value.
  2. Current AI systems, especially large language models, still hallucinate and have real limits in reasoning and practical task coverage.
  3. Media and editors too often amplify optimistic predictions without enough skepticism or disclosure, which can mislead the public and raise the stakes if the hype collapses.

What if AI succeeds but OpenAI fails?

Noahpinion • 17941 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. AI as an industry can succeed even if a flagship company like OpenAI ultimately loses out; early leadership isn’t a guarantee of lasting dominance.
  2. Massive investment is pouring into AI, but high cash burn, commoditization, lack of vertical integration, and intense competition mean investors could be exposed if business fundamentals fail.
  3. Betting everything on a sudden, godlike AGI is basically Pascal’s Wager and not a sound business model; realistic, gradual progress and corporate fundamentals matter far more.

AI #157: Burn the Boats

Don't Worry About the Vase • 3091 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. The Pentagon–Anthropic standoff shows governments may use extreme leverage against AI firms, risking national security and civil liberties if supply‑chain or compulsion tactics are applied.
  2. AI capabilities are accelerating fast — new model upgrades and agent automation are delivering real utility but also causing outages, jailbreaks, and a credible risk of large-scale job displacement.
  3. Industry, policymakers, and global elites are largely unprepared or in denial; alignment, auditing, and practical regulation are lagging while dangerous uses like autonomous weapons, impersonation, and data theft grow.
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The AI bust scenario that no one is talking about

Noahpinion • 29294 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25
đź’Ľ Business Tech industry
  1. AI is already being widely adopted and is likely a real, useful general-purpose technology rather than a VR-style fad.
  2. Even if AI creates huge value, debt-fueled spending on data centers could outpace how fast that value is captured, causing loan defaults and broader financial stress like the 1873 railroad bust.
  3. AI’s value might not translate into profits for the companies building it, because core AI services could become commoditized and low-margin so builders don’t capture most of the returns.

Take off

benn.substack • 1994 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. AI development is moving incredibly fast—new models, huge funding rounds, and company shakeups are happening constantly and upending markets and jobs.
  2. The public conversation has become a social takeoff: everyone is obsessed and anxious, and that attention amplifies the feeling that AI has already transformed everything.
  3. There’s deep uncertainty and conflicting narratives—some treat this as an existential inflection point while others expect normalcy, which makes it hard to tell hype from real, lasting change.

A trillion dollars is a terrible thing to waste

Marcus on AI • 23555 implied HN points • 27 Nov 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Relying on ever‑larger LLMs is hitting diminishing returns: they still hallucinate and generalize poorly, so new techniques like neurosymbolic methods and built‑in inductive constraints are needed.
  2. Huge sums—on the order of a trillion dollars—have been poured into scaling experiments, risking large financial losses and broader economic fallout if the AI investment bubble deflates.
  3. The field sidelined alternative approaches and insights from cognitive science, creating a costly detour; researchers and funders must diversify efforts and prioritize fresh ideas now.

Well, That Happened Fast

Contemplations on the Tree of Woe • 2669 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Major institutions and influential groups are converging on the view that AGI-level systems exist now, treating long-horizon agents as functionally general intelligence.
  2. Recent product releases, model updates, and market reactions show AI is already doing complex, long tasks and disrupting industries; claims of recursive self-improvement imply progress could accelerate rapidly.
  3. This convergence and capability are already reshaping markets, policy, and strategy, so individuals and organizations should plan for major economic and social disruption with both upside and downside outcomes.

13 thoughts on Anthropic, OpenAI and the Department of War

Silver Bulletin • 935 implied HN points • 28 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. AI hit an inflection point in early 2026 and is now a central political and economic issue that forces high-stakes, real-world decisions.
  2. Government actions around Anthropic and the Pentagon’s deal with OpenAI show how politics can reshape competition, steer which models get used, and cause talent and reputational shifts in the industry.
  3. AI capabilities appear to have stepped up recently, making rapid deployment and governance urgent and heightening concerns about safety, democratic oversight, and long-term risk.

#256: The "world" according to AI pushers

Maybe Baby • 1439 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. AI boosters often talk about the future in abstract terms like efficiency and productivity, while overlooking the everyday, physical things that make life meaningful. The way they frame the world feels detached from lived experience.
  2. Large language models are impressive at formulaic white‑collar tasks and will change many jobs, but their language lacks lived imagery and can feel hollow compared with human expression. They can mimic patterns without actually experiencing the world.
  3. Much of the AI conversation is market‑driven and self‑interested, urging individuals to adopt tools to get ahead rather than proposing collective policy or real societal solutions. The industry sometimes seems to sell the feeling of productivity more than tangible, shared benefits.

Things are so desperate at OpenAI that Sam Altman is starting to sound like Gary Marcus

Marcus on AI • 15809 implied HN points • 18 Aug 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Sam Altman is backing away from his earlier claims about AGI and admitting uncertainty about its future. This shows there's pressure within OpenAI following disappointing results with GPT-5.
  2. Altman is now talking about the possibility that the AI market might be in a bubble. This means the excitement and prices around AI could be inflated and might not hold up over time.
  3. The shift in Altman's statements mirrors what happened with Yann LeCun, where industry leaders change their views when faced with setbacks. It raises questions about the reliability of such predictions and the future of AI.

Join my new subscriber chat

Big Tech • 1031 implied HN points • 24 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. A new subscriber chat called Big Tech subscriber chat has launched on the Substack publication.
  2. It’s a private space where subscribers can converse and connect directly.
  3. Access is limited to paid subscribers, with links provided to subscribe or sign in.

Is This What a Bubble Looks Like at the Top?

The Honest Broker • 13364 implied HN points • 08 Aug 25
đź’Ľ Business Tech industry
  1. There's a lot of money being tossed around to hire top talent in tech, with some salaries reaching hundreds of millions. This makes it seem like things are going great, even if some companies are losing money.
  2. In contrast, real-world businesses like McDonald's are seeing less customer spending as people struggle to afford basic meals. This suggests economic stress for many.
  3. This situation raises questions about whether we're in a booming AI economy or if people are too broke to enjoy the benefits. It's a complicated picture with serious implications.

A Day That Will Go Down in History for AI

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 579 implied HN points • 08 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Two new models (Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 and OpenAI's GPT-5.3-Codex) were released on Feb 5 and represent a major milestone in AI development.
  2. Much of the programming work behind these models was reportedly written by AI itself, signaling that systems are starting to build their own code rather than relying entirely on humans.
  3. This shift appears to be happening across major labs and raises big questions about how much human oversight remains and how quickly AI-driven development will reshape technology and society.

Xuất khẩu gian lận

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 11143 implied HN points • 25 Dec 23
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Meta have dedicated teams to combat fraud from Vietnamese individuals.
  2. Individuals from Vietnam have been involved in creating fake online accounts and engaging in various forms of online fraud, causing significant financial losses.
  3. Vietnam has a reputation for fraud and account takeover schemes in the global community, leading to distrust and higher trading costs for the country.

Claude Code Coded Claude Cowork

The Algorithmic Bridge • 881 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Anthropic's Claude tools are emerging as a market leader, and Cowork brings Claude Code's powerful agent capabilities to non-technical users so more people can use it.
  2. Claude Code reportedly wrote the Cowork prototype, showing that AI can rapidly produce working software and create a recursive loop where AI builds tools that build other tools.
  3. Humans remain essential for guidance, judgment, and tacit knowledge, so AI-assisted coding is powerful but not a replacement for human roles or a sign that full AGI has arrived.

The Weekly Kaitchup #61

The Kaitchup – AI on a Budget • 139 implied HN points • 04 Oct 24
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. NVIDIA's new NVLM-D-72B model is a large language model that works well with both text and images. It has special features that make it good at understanding and processing high-quality visuals.
  2. OpenAI's new Whisper Large V3 Turbo model is significantly faster than its previous versions. While it has fewer parameters, it maintains good accuracy for most languages.
  3. Liquid AI introduced new models called Liquid Foundation Models, which are very efficient and can handle complex tasks. They use a unique setup to save memory and improve performance.

OpenAI Model Differentiation 101

Don't Worry About the Vase • 3808 implied HN points • 11 Jul 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. OpenAI has different models like GPT-4o and o3, each with unique purposes. Use GPT-4o for simple chats or images, and o3 for logic or more complex questions.
  2. There's a lot of buzz about models like Claude and Gemini as alternatives to ChatGPT. They have their own strengths, like better context understanding and dynamic reasoning.
  3. Watch out for issues like hallucinations, where the model might make things up, and sycophancy, where it might agree too much with what you say. Be mindful of how you ask questions.

Is Social Media the New Big Tobacco?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 533 implied HN points • 22 Dec 25
đź’Ľ Business Tech industry
  1. Social media companies are accused of exploiting children’s attention for profit and helping fuel a youth mental health crisis.
  2. Internal documents reportedly show platforms knew their apps caused addictive, compulsive use that harmed kids’ attention, sleep, and worsened depression and anxiety.
  3. Recommendation algorithms can trap users in harmful content silos and carry a high risk of exposing people to suicide and self‑harm material.

Grok 4 Various Things

Don't Worry About the Vase • 3136 implied HN points • 15 Jul 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Grok 4 is a decent AI model, but it's not the best on the market. It performs well on specific benchmarks but falls short in real-world applications.
  2. The AI is notably fast and has a large context window, which is good for quick responses, but it still struggles with creative writing and complex reasoning tasks.
  3. Grok 4's ability to outperform other models in some tests doesn't guarantee it will be useful in every situation. It's best to compare its results in practice rather than just relying on benchmark scores.

How the Businessmen Lost the AI Race

The Algorithmic Bridge • 254 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. AI leadership is shifting from business executives to scientists, changing who leads the field. This means researchers are increasingly setting priorities and steering public debate.
  2. The tone of AI conversations has moved toward long-term, scientific questions like what happens after AGI, rather than just product or profit talk. Panels and forums now emphasize technical and existential concerns.
  3. Who shows up matters: prominent researchers like Demis Hassabis and Dario Amodei are center stage at Davos while some big-name CEOs are absent. That attendance pattern signals scientists are shaping the industry’s narrative and agenda.

I'm glad I took the off-ramp from software engineering

Cloud Irregular • 6800 implied HN points • 22 Jan 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. A career in software engineering isn't guaranteed to lead to high pay or upward mobility. Many people find that their progress stalls after a certain point.
  2. The rise of AI will significantly change the role of developers, making it less about coding quickly and more about solving human problems and understanding technology's role.
  3. Choosing to step away from traditional software roles can open up new opportunities. It’s important to explore other interests and skills to avoid being trapped in a limiting career path.

Grok 3 Hot Take

Marcus on AI • 5928 implied HN points • 18 Feb 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Grok 3 is not a giant leap in AI technology; it seems pretty similar to earlier models.
  2. Despite the hype, Grok 3 didn't show any major breakthroughs like solving hallucinations in AI.
  3. The competition in AI is heating up, which might lead to price drops but less profit for companies except for Nvidia.

Enough

benn.substack • 2020 implied HN points • 08 Aug 25
đź’Ľ Business Tech industry
  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.

Twitter becomes X

Platformer • 4638 implied HN points • 25 Jul 23
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Twitter has been rebranded to X by Elon Musk.
  2. Musk's takeover of Twitter is seen as cultural vandalism.
  3. The transformation of Twitter under Musk focuses on ideological shifts and redistribution.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis: The Path To AGI, LLM Creativity, And Google Smart Glasses

Big Technology • 5754 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Demis Hassabis thinks we're still a few years away from achieving AGI, or human-level AI. He mentions that while there's been progress, we still need to develop more capabilities like reasoning and creativity.
  2. Current AI models are strong in some areas but still have weaknesses and can't consistently perform all tasks well. Hassabis believes an AGI should be able to reason and come up with new ideas, not just solve existing problems.
  3. He warns that if someone claims they've reached AGI by 2025, it might just be a marketing tactic. True AGI requires much more development and consistency than what we currently have.

You Are Not The Man In The Arena

Where's Your Ed At • 24184 implied HN points • 30 Aug 23
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. The man in the arena speech by Theodore Roosevelt emphasizes the importance of taking action over criticism.
  2. Chamath Palihapitiya symbolizes a detrimental mindset in Silicon Valley of valuing image over actual value creation.
  3. The tech industry's obsession with funding specific kinds of founders and companies has created a harmful monoculture that prioritizes profit over societal impact.

The Gospel of Founders Fund

The Generalist • 2561 implied HN points • 26 Jun 25
đź’Ľ Business Tech industry
  1. Founders Fund is more than just a venture capital firm; it aims to shape the future of Silicon Valley with its bold ideas and deep tech focus. It's stirring up conversations about innovation and national pride in investing.
  2. Peter Thiel, a key figure in the firm, is known for his contrarian thinking and unique insights. His willingness to challenge conventional ideas shapes the direction of tech investment and attracts unconventional founders.
  3. The firm has successfully invested in cryptocurrencies early on and has made strategic decisions to capitalize on market movements, showcasing its ability to blend analytical thinking with innovative opportunities.

Europe’s Great Founders Must Unretire

The Generalist • 2201 implied HN points • 10 Jul 25
đź’Ľ Business Tech industry
  1. Many successful entrepreneurs in Europe tend to retire early, which limits their impact on innovation and growth. This is different from their American counterparts, who often continue building new ventures after achieving success.
  2. The cultural values in Europe encourage a more relaxed approach to work-life balance, which can lead to complacency among founders. This makes it less socially acceptable for them to continue pushing for new challenges and projects.
  3. For Europe to remain competitive in global technology, it needs its best founders to stay active in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Encouraging these talented individuals to create and innovate is essential for the continent's future.

There Are No Safe Havens

Freddie deBoer • 6621 implied HN points • 25 Nov 24
đź’Ľ Business Tech industry
  1. The job market for entry-level programmers has drastically declined, with job postings dropping significantly. It's harder than ever for new coders to find work right now.
  2. While skilled and experienced programmers still have good job prospects, the narrative around learning to code often ignores that not everyone can secure those top jobs.
  3. The promise of tech jobs being a guaranteed path to success is misleading, especially for beginners who face tough competition in a shrinking market.

Twitter is dead and Threads is thriving

Platformer • 3262 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Twitter underwent significant changes after Elon Musk's takeover, leading to a decline in daily users and financial setbacks.
  2. Musk's plan to pivot Twitter towards paid subscriptions failed, with less than 1% of users signing up for the premium service.
  3. Former Twitter employees have accepted the company's demise, with concerns about the future of the platform integrity at X.

This Rumor About GPT-5 Changes Everything

The Algorithmic Bridge • 4788 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. There's a belief that GPT-5 might already exist but isn't being released to the public. The idea is that OpenAI may be using it internally because it's more valuable that way.
  2. AI labs are focusing on creating smaller and cheaper models that still perform well. This new approach aims to reduce costs while improving efficiency, which is crucial given the rising demand for AI.
  3. The situation is similar across major AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, with many facing challenges in producing new models. Instead, they might be opting to train powerful models internally and use them to enhance smaller models for public use.

I’m Losing All Trust in the AI Industry

The Algorithmic Bridge • 1911 implied HN points • 03 Jul 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Many AI researchers are changing jobs, suggesting they don't really believe that powerful AI will be ready soon. If they thought it was near, they wouldn't leave their positions.
  2. A lot of AI development focuses on creating engaging products rather than useful ones, similar to social media strategies. The aim often seems to be keeping people addicted rather than truly helping them.
  3. The AI industry is running into financial problems and most companies are currently not profitable. This might lead them to prioritize making money over the responsible use of technology.

Why Industry Leaders Are Betting on Mutually Exclusive Futures

The Algorithmic Bridge • 318 implied HN points • 15 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Two leading AI figures are pursuing opposite goals: one is focused on building and containing a possible future superintelligence, while the other is building practical tutor-like agents for today’s use cases.
  2. Their stark disagreement, despite similar training and prestige, shows that even top experts don’t agree on AI’s ultimate path or timeline.
  3. That deep uncertainty extends across industry, academia, and investors, producing fragmented, independent bets instead of a coordinated plan for the future.

Silicon Valley's Slaughterhouse

Where's Your Ed At • 15430 implied HN points • 08 Sep 23
đź•ą Technology Tech industry
  1. Elon Musk is involved in a legal battle over accusations of anti-semitism and his actions have had significant impacts on advertising revenue and Twitter's valuation.
  2. Silicon Valley culture has devolved into a profit-driven, empty innovation environment fueled by venture capital, lacking real societal impact.
  3. The tech industry, led by venture capital, has created a culture of labor exploitation, hollow promises, and superficial startup culture, with the focus on profitability rather than meaningful innovation.