The TikTok Ban Heads to the=
Supreme Court Tomorrow. Here's What to Know (4 minute read)
TikTok will argue its case before the S=
upreme Court today in a case that will decide whether the government can ba=
n the platform if it doesn't sever ties with China. The US government wants=
to ban TikTok due to concerns about China's control over the app. TikTok s=
ays the ban violates its First Amendment right to free speech and that the =
US government's security concerns are too vague and hypothetical to justify=
an infringement of its rights. If TikTok is banned on January 19, people w=
ho don't already have the app on their devices will no longer be able to do=
wnload it from Google or Apple app stores. The law also bars US internet ho=
sting services and data-storage providers from supporting the app. There ar=
e workarounds, but they are limited.
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X launches Grok's iPhone ap=
p in the US (1 minute read)
xAI has released an iOS app for its Gro=
k chatbot in the US. It can perform the same functions as the chatbot built=
into the X app. The company has been testing the app in a handful of count=
ries since December. There is no word on when it might come to Android. xAI=
is also working on a dedicated website for Grok.
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Science & Futuristic Technology
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A taller, heavier, smarter =
version of SpaceX's Starship is almost ready to fly (12 minute read)
SpaceX plans to test Starship's payload=
deployment mechanism on its seventh test flight, which could be launching =
as soon as January 13. The upcoming flight test will launch a new generatio=
n ship with significant upgrades. In addition to testing the payload deploy=
ment mechanism, SpaceX plans to fly multiple reentry experiments geared tow=
ards ship catch and reuse, and launch and return the Super Heavy booster. D=
etails about the upgrades on the new generation ship are available in the a=
rticle.
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Blue Origin's first orbital=
launch now targeting Sunday (2 minute read)
Blue Origin is aiming to launch its fir=
st orbital rocket on Sunday. The launch was delayed due to rough seas in th=
e Atlantic, where the company hopes to land its first stage booster on a sh=
ip. The rocket, New Glenn, will carry a prototype of Blue Ring, a US Defens=
e Department funded spacecraft. The launch will mark Blue Origin's long-awa=
ited entry into the orbital launch market and escalate the rivalry between =
Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
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Programming, Design & Data Science
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Why aren't we all serverles=
s yet? (12 minute read)
The industry pivot to serverless comput=
e hasn't really happened despite an appealing value proposition. Friction a=
gainst serverless is caused in part by fatigue from the last paradigm shift=
to microservices. Caution in the industry is reasonable as a shift to serv=
erless will amplify the same type of challenges that were caused by microse=
rvices, many of which still aren't fully resolved. The main incentive for b=
road serverless is financial, not technical, it is unlikely for someone fro=
m the engineering department to sponsor the idea.
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My role as a founder CTO: Y=
ear Seven (11 minute read)
Miguel Carranza, founder of RevenueCat,=
writes a post every year looking back over the last twelve months. 2024 wa=
s a good year for RevenueCat, possibly its best since 2020. While the journ=
ey was a lot rockier than Carranza had imagined, it was clear the company s=
ucceeded in its goals. The post discusses the company's performance last ye=
ar, the lessons it learned (on culture, hiring, company building, and scali=
ng as a founder), and its plans for the future.
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The New $30,000 Side Hustle=
: Making Job Referrals for Strangers (14 minute read)
There's a growing underground market co=
nnecting job seekers to anonymous company insiders willing to help them get=
a foot in the door. While a referral is not a guarantee of a job offer, it=
can substantially improve the odds. There are several sites available that=
let people get in touch with verified employees of their target employer t=
o discuss job referral opportunities. Many companies say that this is compl=
etely fair practice, but others, like Google and Goldman Sachs, disagree.
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Linux Foundation bands toge=
ther Chromium browser makers in a =E2=80=9Cneutral space=E2=80=9D (4 minute=
read)
'Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers'=
is an initiative started by the Linux Foundation that will provide funding=
and development support for industry leaders, academia, developers, and th=
e broader open source community working on open Chromium projects. It will =
have an open governance model based on transparency, inclusivity, and commu=
nity-driven development. Google has slowly loosened its control over the Ch=
romium project over the years, allowing outside developers into its leaders=
hip, softening its stance on non-Google-derived features, and opening up it=
s 'Goma' development scheme for Chromium.
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