0:10
Stop hiring for the résumé. Start hiring for obsession
40 hires, 4 years, and the lesson is simple: look for people already living the work you need. The founder’s 18‑year‑old community ambassador was spending 20‑30 hours a week on the app, and in three months he became head of community and later a lead engineer.
The rule of thumb is to chase obsession, not résumé credentials. Someone who’s grinding on a side project, a subreddit, or a hobby will carry that drive into your product, whereas a polished big‑tech résumé often signals a finished obsession.
Recruiters tend to move in quarterly cycles and push any hire; until you hit about 50 people, the cost and delay outweigh the benefit. Direct outreach—friends of friends, cold messages to people doing the work you admire—keeps you in control of culture and speed.
Finally, treat hiring as a continuous, personal effort. Even the best fits may leave, so keep the pipeline open and prioritize people who are good at heart and endlessly curious.
1:15
Dark smoke rose above a Virginia data center as a heat wave pushed the power grid close to its limits
- Energy regulators warned data centers could be cut off as a heat wave swept the mid-Atlantic states.
- PJM, which runs the regional grid, said "demand response" kept power consumption manageable.
- Dark smoke was seen rising from a Virginia data center. Other big loads also ran diesel generators.
Ashburn, Virginia, is in the heart of America's "data center alley." Over the July 4 weekend, diesel generators at a Digital Realty data center switched on as temperatures spiked.
Dark smoke floated above ACC9, one of dozens of data centers clustered in Ashburn and nearby cities, according to a video and photos from July 3 seen by Business Insider. The company said it turned on generators as part of a program run by the electrical grid operator, PJM Interconnection, to reduce the load on the grid during times of peak demand.
In recent years, unprecedented volumes of cash have been pumped into America's data center buildout and into the construction of new power plants and transmission lines. A Business Insider analysis found that 176 new data centers were permitted in 2025, which could together require enough electricity to power millions of homes.
The growing footprint of such data centers has touched off debates about their role in rising energy costs. It also has some people worried about the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels to generate backup power, particularly on days like July 3, when the high was 102 degrees in Ashburn.
"We're talking about normalizing running our grid and protecting it with 18th-century electricity," said Elena Schlossberg, a northern Virginia activist. "That is what diesel fuel is."
Data centers are a small minority — around 5% — of those enrolled in PJM's demand-response programs, according to information published by the grid operator, which coordinates power generators, large loads, and utilities that supply power to roughly 20% of Americans. Demand-response programs offer power users incentive payments for agreeing to reduce the electricity they draw from the grid during peak stress times.
Across the states PJM serves, manufacturers account for 43% of demand-response capacity. In cities like Ashburn, some of the top electricity users are data centers run by companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Equinix.
At the Digital Realty data center, a 2016 permit lists 20 Caterpillar diesel backup generators capable of producing more than 2 megawatts each. The company wouldn't say how many were running on July 3, but said that its permits prevent it from running the generators excessively.
According to a PJM report, about 3.25 gigawatts' worth of generation resources were run outside their limits during the weeklong heat wave that included the July 4 weekend. All in all, PJM said that demand-response programs like those the ACC9 data center was enrolled in meant that more serious steps, like an emergency order compelling the use of backup generators, weren't required.
Bobby Chahal, a resident of nearby Leesburg, took photos of the smoke drifting from ACC9 while driving around Ashburn on July 3 and said he witnessed similar plumes rising from data centers last summer. He said this year his electricity bills have risen even though he's not using more power.
Revenue from data centers has juiced the coffers of some of the municipalities and counties where they have broken ground. Tax collections related to a massive Meta data center in Louisiana meant huge bonuses for teachers in one part of the state. Loudoun County, where Ashburn is located, collected $875 million from data centers in its 2024 fiscal year, Business Insider previously reported, driving down each household's share of taxes by thousands of dollars.
Still, some people who live near data centers, particularly in northern Virginia, say the noise and emissions generated by data centers have hurt their quality of life and driven down their property values.
The data-center buildout, Chahal said, "makes Ashburn look kinda industrial, kinda run-down."
Read the original article on Business Insider
5:36
Oh dear, did someone steal something from Apple?
$634 million was the recent jury award against Apple in a Masimo patent case, a reminder
5:47
EU: Meta apps are so addictive they violate the law
A European Union investigation has determined that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram apps are too addictive, presumably after regulators lost half a day watching cooking reels and clips of 20-year-old TV shows. Now, the European Commission wants Zuck and company to make some changes, or face massive fines.
What happened? EU investigators announced yesterday that Meta is currently in breach of the bloc’s Digital Services Act. Regulators said Meta didn’t fully consider how some of its app features fuel compulsive use by sending users, especially younger ones, into a zombified “autopilot mode.” The preliminary findings now give Meta time to propose remedies before a final judgment—and fines—are handed down. The European Commission has some suggestions:
- Disable autoplay and infinite scroll.
- Implement screen time breaks.
- Make its recommendation algorithm less “engagement-oriented.”
Fine line: If the preliminary findings are upheld, Meta could get fined up to 6% of its annual global revenue. The company said it disagrees with the report, pointing to recent attempts to bulk up parental controls, but that it will “continue to engage constructively” with regulators.
Marketplace: Meta investors—who are used to living in the shadow of possible fines related to privacy and safety—collectively responded to the news with a “big whoop,” choosing instead to celebrate the company’s recent AI announcements. Meta shares closed nearly 6% higher yesterday, capping off the company’s best week in more than two years.—BC
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7:32
Report: Netflix invents cable TV
While some people turn into their parents as they get older, some streaming companies turn into cable television. Netflix is considering adding live channels and bundles to boost sagging engagement, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The report states that Netflix is concerned about a decline in engagement (aka how often a viewer stays with a show, movie, or series), which can serve as a precursor to subscription cancellations. Among the solutions being discussed, per the WSJ, is Netflix edging closer to the very thing it disrupted—traditional TV:
- Executives are reportedly weighing adding live channels that constantly stream shows and movies of a specific genre, because the one thing Netflix subscribers were missing was a random weekday airing of Couples Retreat at 2pm.
- Also on the table: Bundling with other subscription-based streaming platforms and selling those packages through the main app, similar to what rivals Amazon and Apple already do.
Live TV means more ad sales: Netflix generated ~$1.5 billion in ad revenue last year and projects to double that this year. A new channel showing Golden Girls on a 24/7 loop, for example, would certainly increase that number.
Isn’t Netflix the No. 1 streamer? By subscribers, yes, but shares are down 40% over the past 12 months. Some recent projections have come in below analyst expectations, and its TV viewership in April reached its lowest level since May 2025, according to Nielsen.
Netflix is also reportedly in the running to purchase Letterboxd, the app for people that love movies and miss writing book reports. Sony, Paramount, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian are also reportedly showing interest in the app, per Puck News.
Letterboxd has more than 30 million global members ready to be targeted with ads by whichever corporation lands the social media site. LionTree, an investment bank handling the sale, is “floating” a $250 million valuation.—DL
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9:41
Socialist NYC Mayor Mamdani Inadvertently Hands ICE A Target Map To Catch Illegals
So, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a map highlighting 30 migrant enclaves, but conveniently left out historic Italian, Irish, and Jewish communities. This move has sparked outrage, with some accusing him of being "beyond shameful." The map includes areas like Little Palestine, Little Pakistan, and Little Yemen, but omits Little Italy, Irish enclaves, and Brooklyn's heavily Orthodox Jewish Borough Park.
Rudy Giuliani even chimed in, calling out Mamdani's decision as "beyond shameful." Italian-Americans, in particular, are feeling left out, given their significant contributions to the nation. The map has also caught the attention of President Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with some users joking that it's a "roadmap" for ICE raids.
Ryan James Girdusky of the 1776 Project PAC wrote on X that the map is actually a gift for ICE, providing a clear target map for raids. Social media users are having a field day, with some calling it a "nice" gesture from Mamdani to help ICE out. The map has been seen as a reflection of Mamdani's Marxist ideology, which divides residents into competing identity blocs.
Before Mamdani took office, New Yorkers were simply New Yorkers, with a shared civic identity. Now, it seems like the city is being divided along ethnic and cultural lines. The map has sparked a heated debate, with many questioning Mamdani's intentions and the impact of his policies on the city.
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11:25
Why Trump Is Right To Warn Americans About Communism
So, Trump's been warning about a growing communist threat in the US, and it's not just empty rhetoric. He's pointing to the fact that communist regimes have some of the worst human rights records in history, with millions of people imprisoned, tortured, and executed. The economic systems they've implemented have consistently failed, leading to shortages, inefficiency, and stagnation. And let's not forget that Marxist ideology is fundamentally incompatible with the liberties guaranteed by the American Constitution.
It's not just about Trump's message, though - it's about the lessons of history. We've seen what happens when communist ideas are implemented, and it's not pretty. From the Soviet Union to North Korea, the results have been the same: repression, economic failure, and human suffering. And yet, these ideas are still being reintroduced in new forms, often under the guise of "social justice" or "progressive" ideals.
The problem is that younger Americans often have little knowledge of communist repression, and they're more likely to view it as an interesting philosophical theory rather than a tyranny that's governed one-third of humanity. That's a recipe for disaster, and it's something that Trump is trying to warn us about.
Now, I know some people are going to dismiss Trump's warnings as just another example of his divisive rhetoric, but I think it's worth taking a closer look at the facts. History has taught us that destructive ideas must be exposed, explained, and confronted, and Trump's been one of the few Western leaders willing to take on this task.
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13:17
When Billion-Dollar Non-Profits Stop Looking Like Charities
$1.72 billion in revenue, $68.4 million of that left as a surplus—that’s what AltaMed Health Services reported for 2024, putting it on par with many public‑company hospitals. It runs 70‑plus clinics, employs about 5,000 staff, and serves over 700,000 patients across Southern California, making it one of the nation’s biggest federally qualified health centers.
The growth story raises a broader question: when a nonprofit swells to multibillion‑dollar scale, does the traditional charity governance model still make sense? AltaMed’s board oversees a $1.66 billion asset base, yet the organization has drawn scrutiny for executive compensation—over $32 million paid to its CEO and family since 2001—far above peer FQHCs.
Beyond healthcare, AltaMed has built a $6 million art collection and invested millions in cultural projects, from overseas exhibitions to a proposed museum in Los Angeles. While the art initiative is framed as “Art as a Holistic Approach to Healthcare,” it blurs the line between mission‑driven spending and broader patronage.
The takeaway? As nonprofits like AltaMed expand, policymakers and the public will need to rethink accountability standards to ensure that charitable assets stay focused on their core public‑benefit purpose.
14:41
China Shuts The Helium Valve As Qatar Outage Deepens Global Supply Squeeze
China’s export ban wipes out roughly 5 % of the U.S. helium import share, a modest slice but a sharp shock to a market already strained by Qatar’s outage. Spot helium prices have already doubled since the conflict began, and the ban could tighten supplies further as China’s intermediaries pull back from re‑exporting Russian and Qatari helium.
The ban is total—no exemptions for hospitals, labs, or semiconductor fabs—so any existing contracts or cargo in transit face uncertainty. China imports about 85 % of its helium, meaning the restriction mainly conserves domestic stock but also removes a key conduit for foreign‑origin helium.
Qatar’s attack on its Ras Laffan LNG complex knocked out roughly 17 % of its LNG capacity and cut its annual helium output by about 63 million cubic meters, a third of global production. That loss alone has already driven spot prices up sharply.
With helium’s fragile logistics—45 days to ship before it evaporates—the market now leans on allocations and force‑majeure notices rather than transparent pricing, signaling a tighter supply landscape for the months ahead.
15:57
Self-Flagellation Nation
The piece opens with a blunt claim: the West, with its comforts—from air‑conditioning to modern medicine—offers a quality of life most of us take for granted.
Frank then leans on Gad Saad’s “Suicidal Empathy” to argue that excessive pity for non‑Western suffering can turn into self‑flagellation, hurting our own societies in the name of virtue.
He cites the 2017 Venezuelan crisis and the Trump‑Miller‑Acosta exchange over the Statue of Liberty poem to illustrate how moral posturing can clash with practical concerns about immigration and cultural change.
In the end, Saad’s satire—calling rapists “undocumented lovemakers”—serves as a reminder that over‑cautious tolerance may blind us to real harms.
