skybrian's recent activity
-
Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
-
Comment on Outsourcing plus local AI will soon become more economical vs frontier labs in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentThat will make coding agents slower (emitting more tokens takes longer) as well as increasing costs. Maybe some people on expense accounts won't notice, but others will see that it's a crappy...That will make coding agents slower (emitting more tokens takes longer) as well as increasing costs. Maybe some people on expense accounts won't notice, but others will see that it's a crappy model and switch. Word gets around eventually.
Also, many models have adjustments for "think time" that you can play around with.
-
Comment on The last technical interview in ~life
skybrian LinkFrom the article: [...] [...]From the article:
It turns out interviewing was broken long before I learned the trade, and despite the many attempts to band-aid it, it’s still broken today. It has managed to survive in spite of that. But it is finally dying on its own. People are a bit unclear on what’s next, so we’ll talk about some of our options.
[...]
We’ve already established that the gold standard of assessment is working directly with someone on real work, in a real environment, for as long as needed to make the call.
So the short answer is, stop simulating. Post real pieces of work, let the candidate do it, look at what they actually produced, and decide from that work.
[...]
If you spend any time doomscrolling on X, the new meta in SF is “come work with us for a few days.” Paid, real codebase, real ticket, real team. From what I’ve heard, it generates the best signal people have ever seen, by a mile. I don’t think it beats a six-month co-op, but it’s a hell of a lot better than a standard interview loop.
So there’s already a movement away from traditional interviewing, which is why I feel comfortable making the claim that it’s already starting to die out on its own. It’s being replaced by bringing people in for longer stints. I’ve been calling this working model the campfire: pull up a log, build something together, see how it feels. Bringing in outside contributors is pretty easy, as they’ll have agents and should be able to come up to speed very quickly. If they can’t, there’s your signal.
But even though people are experimenting with it, the way it’s done today is a mess. Every shop is reinventing a bespoke solution. And it’s unportable: candidates do brilliant work in a trial, they don’t get the offer for reasons, and the signal evaporates. The next company they campfire-interview at starts them at zero.
-
The last technical interview
13 votes -
Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentMaybe there's another way to look at it: there are people who control spending decisions, either because it's their own money (investors) or they control a budget (legislators, managers, pension...Maybe there's another way to look at it: there are people who control spending decisions, either because it's their own money (investors) or they control a budget (legislators, managers, pension funds, etc). If they save money on labor, what do they spend it on?
Currently it seems like investors want to build data centers and managers want to pay for the computing, and I wouldn't have predicted so much enthusiasm. But what comes after that?
I don't see teaching and healthcare becoming less important.
-
Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentIn a market where you expect costs to drop later, it makes some sense to wait, but you do miss out in the meantime. So, you might want to buy something cheaper that will do for now? For a laptop,...In a market where you expect costs to drop later, it makes some sense to wait, but you do miss out in the meantime. So, you might want to buy something cheaper that will do for now?
For a laptop, this might mean sticking with what you have or buying something reasonably priced like a Macbook Neo.
Similarly, I don’t see why businesses are spending money on AI like a drunken sailor now when AI’s are likely to get cheaper and better, but it still makes sense to use it more conservatively in the meantime.
But as you say, perhaps some companies need to move faster because there’s a market opportunity and competition for it. What opportunities would those be?
-
Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentI don’t share your confidence that it will be over that quickly.I don’t share your confidence that it will be over that quickly.
-
Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentThat’s the “API price” which is the standard rate, and it’s quite high for Anthropic. The subscriptions are heavily discounted, but have restrictions, like you have to use Claude Code. I’m...That’s the “API price” which is the standard rate, and it’s quite high for Anthropic. The subscriptions are heavily discounted, but have restrictions, like you have to use Claude Code.
I’m actually paying the standard rate via an intermediary, which is why I’ve been trying out Chinese competitors recently, GLM and DeepSeek.
-
Comment on US FBI says Google engineer used internal search data to win $1.2M on Polymarket in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentFor what it’s worth, Polymarket’s terms of service were changed to prohibit it a few months ago.For what it’s worth, Polymarket’s terms of service were changed to prohibit it a few months ago.
-
Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentIf that revenue trend doesn’t reverse, they’re not going to need a discount.If that revenue trend doesn’t reverse, they’re not going to need a discount.
-
Comment on US Pentagon puts building blocks in place for Cuba invasion in ~society
skybrian Link ParentHow would Cuba get the drones? They would have to import them, and it’s an island. The US has an effective blockade on oil. The situation doesn’t seem much like Iran.How would Cuba get the drones? They would have to import them, and it’s an island. The US has an effective blockade on oil.
The situation doesn’t seem much like Iran.
-
Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
-
Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
skybrian LinkApparently this year the world’s managers have gone mad and decided it’s very important to spend, spend, spend on AI. It’s fascinating technology but I don’t really see what the hurry is? Can it...Apparently this year the world’s managers have gone mad and decided it’s very important to spend, spend, spend on AI. It’s fascinating technology but I don’t really see what the hurry is?
Can it last? Hell if I know. When I joined Google I wondered if buying Internet advertising was a bubble since I never clicked on the ads myself. Turns out, not so much.
I think it will be difficult to predict the end of the bubble if that’s what it is. It seems more likely we’re somewhere in the middle of it.
-
Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
skybrian LinkThe Man Turning the Cockroach Into a Gen-Z Movement in India From the article: [...] [...] [...]The Man Turning the Cockroach Into a Gen-Z Movement in India
From the article:
Until a couple of weeks ago, Abhijeet Dipke was one of thousands of Indian students in the United States with a fresh graduate degree in hand, seeking a job. Then, a cockroach changed his life.
It started with a question that Mr. Dipke, a 30-year-old graduate of the public relations program at Boston University, posted on X on May 16: “What if all cockroaches came together?” He was responding to comments a day earlier from India’s chief justice, Surya Kant, who referred to young and unemployed Indians as cockroaches who, failing to secure jobs, end up complaining on social media or becoming activists and criticizing the system.
Encouraged by thousands of replies endorsing his call to action, Mr. Dipke started the “Cockroach Janta Party” — janta means “the public” in Hindi — as a joke, with its own website, built in two hours with help from A.I. and friends. The goal was to create a movement for young people “who keep getting called lazy, chronically online, and — most recently — cockroaches,” the mission statement read. “The rest is satire.”
Tens of millions of young people joined the movement, eager to turn a perceived insult into an emblem of pride. Within days, some of the C.J.P.’s accounts had more social media followers than India’s biggest political parties. But beyond the laughs, the instantaneous embrace of Mr. Dipke’s message tells a bigger story of the bleak mood of many young Indians who are struggling to find jobs, even though the country has been the world’s fastest-growing large economy four years in a row.
[...]
The rate of unemployment for people aged between 15 and 29 — more than a quarter of India’s population — was roughly 10 percent last year, far higher than the overall unemployment rate of around 3 percent, according to India’s 2025 Periodic Labor Force Survey.
Competition for jobs is fierce in both the private and government sectors. In 2022, 10 million people competed for 35,000 railway jobs, according to the state-owned Indian Railways.
[...]
Last week, Indian government officials directed X to block the “Cockroach Janta Party” handle, citing a threat to national security, according to Indian media reports. Mr. Dipke created a second handle, “Cockroach is Back,” which remains active. (Under Indian law, social media companies operating in the country must take down content that could pose a risk to national security.)
[...]
As its first action, the party is circulating a petition calling for the resignation of India’s education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, under whose watch the recent medical school exam was allegedly mishandled. As of Thursday, the petition had gathered around nearly 800,000 signatures of the targeted one million, according to the C.J.P.’s website.
-
Comment on I think Anthropic and OpenAI have found product-market fit in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentI’m not sure how that follows since Willison really is using LLM’s a lot and has legitimate reason to do so. Besides being a programmer, he’s become a prominent influencer (for lack of a better...I’m not sure how that follows since Willison really is using LLM’s a lot and has legitimate reason to do so. Besides being a programmer, he’s become a prominent influencer (for lack of a better word) who reports LLM-related news.
-
Comment on India battles power cuts as heatwave boosts electricity demand to record in ~enviro
skybrian LinkFrom the article: [...] [...] [...]From the article:
NEW DELHI/BENGALURU, May 22 (Reuters) - Some parts of India are grappling with power cuts as record-breaking heat has pushed electricity demand to an all-time high in excess of 270 gigawatts, spurring a government call for consumers to limit use.
An El Nino weather pattern is bringing above-average summer temperatures across the subcontinent in May, with nighttime outages running from 40 minutes to an hour in the manufacturing and infotech hub of Chennai, residents said.
[...]
"South Chennai has seen frequent power cuts over the past two days, with outages at short intervals," said R. Hari, a resident of the southern city, who complained that they made it difficult to work from home.
[...]
Shortages are chronic during the evening hours as supply then relies heavily on thermal and hydropower sources, while daytime demand is met partly by solar generation.
[...]
The record heat and surging electricity demand are testing India's power system, said Disha Aggarwal, senior programme lead at energy and environment think-tank CEEW, as hotter nights become the norm.
India needs to urgently fast-track commissioning of battery storage to make use of surplus solar energy at night, she added.
-
India battles power cuts as heatwave boosts electricity demand to record
13 votes -
Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentThe free LLM's aren't as good as the more expensive ones at staying on track. I have a ChatGPT subscription (not the fancy one, the $20/month one) and use it with the default set to "Thinking." It...The free LLM's aren't as good as the more expensive ones at staying on track. I have a ChatGPT subscription (not the fancy one, the $20/month one) and use it with the default set to "Thinking." It consistently does many searches before answering. This takes a while, so I do something else and then come back. When I ask it questions about an open source project, it often downloads source files.
I haven't been impressed with Gemini, but I haven't signed up for anything extra beyond having a Google account, so maybe there are better versions. Google's pricing and AI product line confuse me so I haven't bothered.
I agree that there's little point in continuing conversations with an LLM for long. That's especially true of the free ones.
-
Comment on Use AI this election in ~society
skybrian Link ParentI think you can take this article at face value as being his honest opinion, though you might disagree. I don't think it needs a content warning. I suppose a warning that he's controversial might...I think you can take this article at face value as being his honest opinion, though you might disagree. I don't think it needs a content warning. I suppose a warning that he's controversial might be in order, but it has nothing to do with the article.
-
Comment on If you let AI do your writing, I will come to your house and kill you in ~tech
skybrian Link ParentNowadays, they can also look things up, which significantly improves accuracy. That is, you’re likely to interact with a chatbot that can do web searches. It doesn’t help if the web search has bad...Nowadays, they can also look things up, which significantly improves accuracy. That is, you’re likely to interact with a chatbot that can do web searches.
It doesn’t help if the web search has bad info, though.
I don't know what's going to happen, but it seems like a mini-economy where businesses sell only to each other is basically a bubble. It could only work while investors are propping it up. Eventually it runs out of new sources of funding.
Eliminating all labor is a far-fetched hypothetical. Maybe putting together a list of all the kinds of labor that can't be automated any time soon would make that clearer?