Reading List

The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the bloc is set to propose a "social media start date for minors", with a proposal after a summer break (Barbara Moens/Financial Times)

Techmeme

Sources: Shein is targeting a $40B+ valuation after winning Beijing's approval for a Hong Kong IPO, set for as early as Q3; Shein canceled its US IPO in 2024 (Wall Street Journal)

Techmeme

How a Denmark-based research team is using quantum computers to accelerate AI protein discovery, showing a near-term commercial application for the quantum tech (Isabella Ward/Wired)

Techmeme

A look back at the 2007 heist of a Verizon data center in London, highlighting the role of physical data security as cyber defenses grow more sophisticated (Nathaniel Rich/New York Times)

Techmeme

Munich-based defense tech startup Helsing raised a $1.8B Series E from Dragoneer, Iconiq, and others at an $18B valuation; Germany made a €270M order this year (Mark Bergen/Bloomberg)

Techmeme

Docs: Uber lobbied for a "phased transition" to AVs, giving it an edge over self-driving developers; Uber says AV industry proposals overlook drivers' rights (Aarian Marshall/Wired)

Techmeme

Eating disorder therapists say patients are increasingly using AI chatbots for advice, while AI also appears to be directing more patients to helplines (Julie Jargon/Wall Street Journal)

Techmeme

A look at ADI Predictstreet's troubled launch, marked by tiny trading volumes, withdrawal bugs, and other issues, as it tried to challenge Kalshi and Polymarket (Wall Street Journal)

Techmeme

A Taiwanese minister says TSMC plans two more advanced chip packaging plants in the Chiayi Science Park, with all four set to generate $9.35B+ in annual output (Wen-Yee Lee/Reuters)

Techmeme

Open-weight AI models are facing an existential policy test in the US, with Anthropic leading a campaign against Chinese models over distillation concerns (Nathan Lambert/Interconnects AI)

Techmeme

How museums are using AI chatbots to reach new audiences, as some museum staff worry AI-generated inaccuracies and bias could undermine them as trusted sources (Naomi Rea/Financial Times)

Techmeme

A profile of Asha Sharma, an outsider elevated by Satya Nadella to lead Xbox, where she made sweeping job cuts and shed game studios within her first few months (Financial Times)

Techmeme

Memo: Tang Jie, founder of Z.ai, the Chinese lab behind the GLM models, argues frontier AI capabilities should stay "as open and widely accessible as possible" (Bloomberg)

Techmeme

Sources: Cursor is building a general-purpose AI agent codenamed Sand, aimed at non-developers, that handles emails, texts, and documents to rival Claude Cowork (Grace Kay/The Information)

Techmeme

OpenAI, Meta, and SpaceXAI may be able to put pressure on Anthropic by emphasizing cost efficiency, as business customers increasingly scrutinize AI spending (Bloomberg)

Techmeme

Anthropic says it is "extending Claude Fable 5 access on all paid plans, as well as keeping Claude Code's weekly rate limits 50% higher, through July 19" (The Economic Times)

Techmeme

Sources: Apple is already taping out M7 with major NPU upgrades, and plans M7 Ultra with 1.5TB RAM, and M8, for 2028; new Pencils are coming with a new iPad Pro (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Techmeme

AI coding tool users are flooding open-source projects with low-quality contributions, overwhelming maintainers and potentially eroding community engagement (Sam Learner/Financial Times)

Techmeme

A look at the growing anti-AI movement in the Bay Area, as the disappearance of Sam Kirchner, co-founder of a hard-line activist group, has the movement on edge (Zusha Elinson/Wall Street Journal)

Techmeme

AirDNA: during the FIFA World Cup group stage, platforms such as Airbnb saw 52K+ new listings in US host cities, while hotel bookings fell short of expectations (Financial Times)

Techmeme