The hottest Tech Trends Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

AI influencer hype gone wild

Marcus on AI • 5572 implied HN points • 31 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Productivity Tools Tech Trends Market Analysis Consumer behavior
  1. Many people are trying AI tools, but not everyone thinks they are effective. This shows there's a mix of interest and skepticism in using new technology.
  2. A recent survey revealed that while 79% of people have tried Microsoft Copilot, only 25% found it worthwhile. This indicates people are testing AI but still unsure about its overall value.
  3. People are not ignoring AI; they are being cautious and waiting to see if it meets their expectations before fully committing. It’s a wait-and-see attitude towards technology.

The Second Gemini

Don't Worry About the Vase • 2374 implied HN points • 17 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Innovation Research Tech Trends
  1. Google's Gemini Flash 2.0 is faster and smarter than previous versions, making it a strong tool for those who want quick assistance and information.
  2. Deep Research is a new feature where users can get detailed reports based on multiple websites; it's useful but still needs improvement in accuracy and relevance.
  3. Projects like Astra and Mariner are experimental tools that aim to enhance user experience by providing real-time assistance and better interaction through voice and web browsing.

AI Roundup 106: Grok 3

Artificial Ignorance • 54 implied HN points • 21 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Software Robotics Tech Trends Data
  1. Grok 3 is a new AI model that shows great reasoning capabilities, ranking well in benchmarks, but it's still behind a future model called o3. Many early reviews say it has potential.
  2. Meta is focusing on building humanoid robots, believing they could be a big part of the future, while also working on software to support these robots. Competition in this area is heating up, especially from companies like Apple.
  3. There's a growing concern that new junior developers lack coding skills because they rely too much on AI tools, which may hurt their understanding of how programming works.

The Swift Runtime: Your Silent Partner

Jacob’s Tech Tavern • 1312 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Open Source Tech Trends
  1. The Swift Runtime, known as libswiftCore, is a C++ library that helps run Swift programs by managing essential features like memory and error handling.
  2. This library works alongside your Swift code, linking dynamically when you launch your app, which is why it's mentioned as running 'alongside'.
  3. By exploring the code within libswiftCore, you can learn how core Swift features are implemented at a deeper level, which can help you understand the language better.
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Personal Site Refresh

Software Design: Tidy First? • 176 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Software Design Web Development User Experience Digital Media Tech Trends
  1. Trying to manage many interests can be tricky, but it's important to embrace all parts of yourself. It helps to answer questions like 'What are you up to?' more honestly.
  2. A personal website can serve as a great way to showcase your thoughts and projects. It's like a digital home where you can share what you're passionate about.
  3. Adding new topics to your website can keep it fresh and engaging. It's a way to express your evolving interests and ideas.

Tech companies are clamoring to re-buttonize their products

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 3732 implied HN points • 25 Nov 24
🕹 Technology User Interface Product Design Consumer Electronics User Experience Tech Trends
  1. Tech companies are bringing back physical buttons in their products. After years of relying on touch screens, people are realizing that buttons are often easier and more reliable to use.
  2. Touch screens can crash and are not as user-friendly when you can't look at them, making things difficult in situations like cooking or driving. Buttons allow for more control without having to focus on a screen.
  3. The desire for buttons indicates a shift in how people want to interact with technology. There’s a growing appreciation for the tactile experience and simplicity that buttons provide.

Hinternet Production Labs — An Audio Launch Event!

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 311 implied HN points • 22 Dec 24
🎙 Podcasts Cultural Commentary Tech Trends Digital Media
  1. Hinternet Production Labs has released a new audio project called 'Chatbient chill-out,' combining chatbot conversations and ambient music for a unique listening experience.
  2. The project mixes chatbots with philosophical topics, using AI VoiceOver technology, appealing to those looking for background audio in today's busy world.
  3. Critics and fans have engaged deeply with the work, appreciating both its imperfections and the unexpected moments, which challenge our understanding of reality and art.

Security by design is hard

Frankly Speaking • 355 implied HN points • 10 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Product Design Software Development Startups Tech Trends
  1. Security by design is a good idea but hard to implement. Most companies prioritize speed over security, treating security as an afterthought.
  2. Many existing cybersecurity solutions focus on adding security measures after a product is built instead of integrating it from the start.
  3. Tools like Pangea help address security issues early in product development, making it easier for developers to implement security as they build.

data-driven VC is over

State of the Future • 323 implied HN points • 25 Feb 25
💼 Business Venture Capital Investment Strategies Market research Entrepreneurship Tech Trends
  1. The way we research and develop investment ideas in venture capital is changing. Now, smaller firms can compete with big players because information is easier and cheaper to access.
  2. As everyone starts using the same data and insights, decision-making might become more about trusting your instincts than just following numbers. Investors might need to rely on what's not obvious or data-driven.
  3. The most successful investors in the future will be those who combine experience and wisdom with their specialized knowledge. It's not just about the data anymore; understanding what truly matters will set them apart.

Microsoft & Google: "You'll have no real computers, and you'll be happy"

The Lunduke Journal of Technology • 6893 implied HN points • 26 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Tech Trends Cloud Computing
  1. Big tech companies are promoting the idea of using less capable computers and remote desktop-ing into central servers.
  2. Microsoft is pushing Windows 365 Frontline where users connect to a remote Windows 11 desktop provided by Microsoft.
  3. Google is providing low-power Chromebooks to employees and encouraging the use of Google Cloudtop for desktop software, eliminating the need for powerful computers.

Claude's agentic future and the current state of the frontier models

Democratizing Automation • 277 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
🕹 Technology AI Models Machine Learning Computing Software Development Tech Trends
  1. Anthropic has released Claude 3.5, which many people find better for complex tasks like coding compared to ChatGPT. However, they still lag in revenue from chatbot subscriptions.
  2. Google's Gemini Flash model is praised for being small, cheap, and effective for automation tasks. It often outshines its competitors, offering fast responses and efficiency.
  3. OpenAI is seen as having strong reasoning capabilities but struggles with user experience. Their o1 model is quite different and needs better deployment strategies.

Report: Virtual & Augmented Reality Test Drive

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 153 implied HN points • 24 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Virtual reality Augmented reality Product Reviews Tech Trends User Experience
  1. The Apple VisionPro has some cool uses like immersive video and creating a personal space during flights. However, it's not worth the high price for most people.
  2. Facebook's new AR glasses are just a prototype and not available for sale yet. This means they aren’t really ahead of Apple, which could quickly release a practical product when ready.
  3. Users want more efficient apps and features for AR experiences, especially those that work better than iPad apps. There's potential for amazing virtual experiences, but the technology isn't fully there yet.

Why I fell in love with Go

Tech Ramblings • 39 implied HN points • 18 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Tech Trends Startups
  1. Learning Scala was challenging, and it took a long time for new hires to get comfortable with the language. This made it hard to maintain projects and hire developers.
  2. Switching to Go allowed for faster operational readiness and simpler code, making it easier to deliver products and focus on customer needs.
  3. Go may not be seen as a 'cool' language, but it's practical and widely understood, making it a better choice for most developers compared to niche languages.

Phishing for Google’s g.co, AI Co-Pilot as Chaos Catalyst, & AI Missing the Mark

HackerPulse Dispatch • 13 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Cybersecurity Software Programming Tech Trends
  1. AI tools can sometimes cause more problems than they solve, like in a recent project that turned chaotic when the developer relied too much on them.
  2. The first AI software engineer has a very low success rate, managing to complete only 15% of tasks. This raises doubts about AI's ability to fully replace human engineers.
  3. Overreliance on AI for coding is making new programmers less skilled. They are losing important problem-solving abilities because they are not practicing those skills.

Who to Follow on LinkedIn and X for A.I. Knowledge & News (repost)

AI Supremacy • 530 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Social media Newsletter Influencers Tech Trends
  1. The post provides lists of AI experts to follow on LinkedIn and Twitter for the latest insights.
  2. The recommended individuals include researchers, authors, builders, journalists, and more in the AI field.
  3. Following these experts can offer valuable breaking news and insights in AI, aligning with the latest trends and discussions.

Revisiting 2024 Predictions

next big thing • 44 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
💼 Business Venture Capital Startups Tech Trends Market Analysis Consumer behavior
  1. Venture capital is expected to pick up in 2024 as many companies seek funding to survive and grow. More startups could get funded, especially those in AI, but some may struggle to raise money.
  2. AI technology saw incredible growth in 2024, with many new applications becoming popular. Despite some challenges, AI became a huge part of tech this year.
  3. There are hopeful signs for real-world uses of crypto, as new applications are being built. With better technology and user needs, crypto could see significant adoption this year.

Dead phone

The Rectangle • 56 implied HN points • 20 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Consumer Tech Mobile devices Gadgets Tech Trends
  1. Losing my phone made me realize how much I depend on it. I felt lost without it and realized that I need to make some life changes.
  2. To regain control over my tech use, I'm looking to separate my tasks across different devices. This way, I won't have everything tied to one phone.
  3. I'm excited to explore new gadgets and find a balance. Breaking free from my phone dependency feels refreshing and gives me a chance to enjoy other tech.

Don't use functional programming languages

CodeFaster • 36 implied HN points • 18 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Computers Tech Trends
  1. Functional programming languages can be slow and may not match your thinking style. It's better to use a language that feels natural to you.
  2. Python has a lot of library support and community help, making it easier to find solutions and resources.
  3. While functional programming concepts like map and filter are useful, you can learn them without relying on functional programming languages.

What’s the future of AI hardware?

Product Identity • 138 implied HN points • 17 Jun 24
🕹 Technology AI hardware Product Design Tech Trends Gadgets Consumer Electronics Innovation
  1. AI hardware is still finding its identity and purpose. It's not yet clear how AI will truly enhance our devices.
  2. New gadgets often create high expectations but can lead to disappointment. Companies may hype products that aren't fully developed.
  3. Innovation in hardware often combines old ideas with new technology. It might be better to improve existing devices than to create entirely new ones.

Claire Vo: The CPO who automates herself with AI

CommandBlogue • 19 implied HN points • 19 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Product Management Startups Software Development Tech Trends
  1. AI is changing how product managers work. It helps them complete tasks much faster, which could mean fewer PMs are needed in the future.
  2. The role of PMs might shift more towards being makers, meaning they will need to have skills in design and engineering to stay relevant.
  3. To break into product management, it's important to show what you can do by building something real for the companies you're interested in, rather than just sending a resume.

When LLMs Made Everyone a Coder

ScaleDown • 22 implied HN points • 29 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Tools Coding Software Development Product Management Tech Trends
  1. Using AI to write code can be misleading. Just because the code looks good doesn't mean it works; real coding requires understanding the logic behind it.
  2. Simple apps can be more effective than complex ones built with AI. Breaking tasks into manageable steps is key to successful programming.
  3. AI tools are helpful but shouldn't replace engineers. Someone needs to check and fix the code generated by AI, making engineers still very important.

OpenAI's o-1 and inference-time scaling laws

Tanay’s Newsletter • 63 implied HN points • 28 Oct 24
🕹 Technology AI Models Machine Learning Computing Data science Tech Trends
  1. OpenAI's o-1 model shows that giving AI more time to think can really improve its reasoning skills. This means that performance can go up just by allowing the model to process information longer during use.
  2. The focus in AI development is shifting from just making models bigger to optimizing how they think at the time of use. This could save costs and make it easier to use AI in real-life situations.
  3. With better reasoning abilities, AI can tackle more complex problems. This gives it a chance to solve tasks that were previously too difficult, which might open up many new opportunities.

How Much Revenue Does AI Startup Sierra Need? $225M

Alex's Personal Blog • 65 implied HN points • 29 Oct 24
💼 Business Startups Venture Capital Tech Trends Market Analysis Revenue Models
  1. AI startups like Sierra are trying to improve customer service, which can be cheaper than hiring lots of workers. That's smart because AI can save money in the long run.
  2. The valuation of Sierra seems very high compared to its current revenue. This might mean they are setting themselves up for a tough future if they don't meet those big expectations.
  3. There's a sense that some investors are overestimating startups based on past successes, hoping they will grow quickly without enough proof. This approach can be risky for everyone involved.

10 things no one else will tell you about Apple Vision Pro

The Rubesletter by Matt Ruby (of Vooza) | Sent every Tuesday • 926 implied HN points • 06 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Tech news Tech Trends Virtual reality Artificial Intelligence Digital Culture
  1. Future of technology like Apple Vision Pro may have surprising uses beyond what we initially think.
  2. Passthrough feature in Apple Vision Pro allows mutual seeing - interesting concept for enhanced interaction.
  3. Reflect on the impact of excessive screen time and technology usage on real-life human interactions.

Where do we go from here

Normcore Tech • 1155 implied HN points • 28 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Social media Artificial Intelligence Data science Tech Trends Personal Projects
  1. The landscape of social media is changing with platforms like Twitter and Facebook losing users to newer platforms like TikTok
  2. Users are moving to private, fragmented social media landscapes with platforms like Discord and Mastodon
  3. Creators are facing challenges in standing out in the mass-creation of art facilitated by tools like ChatGPT and StableDiffusion

The Rise of Offline Apps

In Bed With Social • 336 implied HN points • 24 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Apps Tech Trends Digital Experiences Online Platforms Entrepreneurship
  1. The mobile app landscape is shifting with a decrease in app downloads and counts on platforms like the App Store and Play Store.
  2. Apps like Breeze and Soon are introducing 'offline dating' experiences that prioritize face-to-face interactions over virtual connections.
  3. There is a rising trend towards digital consolidation and possibly a shift towards a 'super app' revolution to balance tangible experiences with digital connectivity.

Results from poll #4

The Counterfactual • 39 implied HN points • 21 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Research Machine Learning Data science Language Models Tech Trends
  1. The recent poll found that two topics, an explainer on interpretability and a guide to becoming an LLM-ologist, were equally popular among voters.
  2. The plan is to write about both topics in the coming months, keeping the content varied as usual.
  3. Two new papers were published this month, one on multimodal LLMs and another on Korean language models, highlighting ongoing research in these areas.

Why Do VC Firms Want an Option Pool Before the VC Round? | Lessons from the Dot-Com Era for Generative AI Hype| How Startups Use VC Funds to Invest in Other Startups? | VC Remote Jobs and More

Venture Curator • 179 implied HN points • 15 Sep 23
💼 Business Venture Capital Startup funding Investment Strategies Tech Trends Remote work
  1. VC firms prefer having an option pool before the funding round to ensure proper allocation of shares and ownership percentages among founders, investors, and future employees.
  2. Lessons from the Dot-Com era suggest parallels with the current Generative AI hype, highlighting potential trends in commoditization, emergence of innovative disruptors, and advice for startups to focus on long-term goals.
  3. Startups often reinvest VC funds into other startups, showcasing a trend seen during peak market craziness, where companies like Stripe and Coinbase made significant investments.

Season 05 - Newsletter 01 --> Look back at 2024 and forward to 2025

Product Hustle Stack Newsletter • 4 implied HN points • 06 Jan 25
💼 Business Product Management Consumer behavior Tech Trends Market Analysis Leadership
  1. In 2024, consumers showed mixed feelings about spending, where rich people kept buying more while those with less money struggled. Finding balance between cautiousness and resilience was key for many.
  2. AI became a big part of daily life, assisting people not just at work but also in personal matters. This made AI feel more like a helpful companion than just a tool.
  3. Product leaders in 2025 need to adapt to challenges and find ways to connect with both broad audiences and specific market needs. It's important to build products that resonate emotionally while using AI effectively.

Brazil Bailed on Twitter, and So Did I: The Vibes Are Off

What the Blurb • 2 HN points • 05 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Social media Internet culture Tech Trends Digital Platforms User Experience
  1. Brazil's Supreme Court banning Twitter led to a big drop in users there, and many are trying out other platforms like Bluesky.
  2. Bluesky is gaining popularity because it has cool features that users find fun and engaging, unlike some other social media apps.
  3. The writer feels stuck between using both Threads and Bluesky, realizing social media is becoming more divided and siloed.

The velvet rope: let the right one(s) in

Social Warming by Charles Arthur • 117 implied HN points • 12 May 23
🕹 Technology Social media Artificial Intelligence Tech Trends Networking Innovation
  1. Using a velvet rope strategy can create anticipation and exclusivity for a service, enticing more people to join.
  2. In the world of social networks, a VIP lane for selected users can build hype and set the tone for success.
  3. Artificial intelligence like ChatGPT is impacting various industries, particularly white-collar jobs and online platforms.

A New Study Compares RAG & Fine-Tuning For Knowledge Base Use-Cases

Cobus Greyling on LLMs, NLU, NLP, chatbots & voicebots • 39 implied HN points • 25 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Data science Software Development Tech Trends
  1. Choosing technology depends on what you need to achieve. Focus on the specific requirements of the problem to find the right solution.
  2. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is often more effective than Fine-Tuning for knowledge base tasks. It allows for quick searches and better accuracy.
  3. RAG systems are easier to update with new information compared to Fine-Tuned models. You can simply add new data without complex adjustments.

The Tech Buffet #14: A 3-Step Approach To Evaluate Your LLM-based Applications

The Tech Buffet • 79 implied HN points • 19 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Data science Software Development Tech Trends
  1. Creating a good dataset is important to evaluate your LLM-based applications. You can use LLMs to generate questions and answers from your data, which helps in building a reliable test set.
  2. Running your application over this dataset helps you see how well it retrieves information and generates answers. Keeping track of the documents it finds will make your evaluation easier.
  3. Finally, you should measure how well your application retrieves relevant documents and how good the answers are. This will help you understand what works best and where you can improve.