I remain a technology optimist, but weeks like this give even me an “are we the baddies” moment or two. On to the links.
1. Sam wants more more money
Sam Altman wants $7 trillion. Not to transition the planet to a carbon-free economy, end poverty, or provide universal healthcare to every person on the planet — all of which could be done with that kind of money — but to build AI chips. When I mentioned this on Threads, some dude popped up to helpful educate me that AI would enable us to do all those things. Mate, we don't need AI for any of that. We just need to end capitalism.
2. Apple broke web apps
I'm not going to rush in and say that breaking support for progressive web apps — one of the few ways to distribute apps on the iPhone without giving Apple its tithe — was deliberate. While I'm not inclined to assume malice about bugs in beta software, I would very definitely assume malice if this made it into the release version.
3. Remember when VCs were supposed to be smart?
The savaging that Chris Dixon's silly little book defending crypto has taken is entirely justified. Pushing said book on to the New York Times "bestseller" list by bulk ordering, when you know that bulk ordering gets publicly noted, shows either the kind of “I don't care you're not the boss of me” attitude of a 14-year-old boy, or just stupidity. Fair play to Penguin Random House, though: they must have known that whatever they paid Dixon for this laugh-a-minute publication would be easily recouped by copies bought for his worshippers at the firms his company has thrown money into.
4. Enshittification, FT-style
I was literally about to mail Cory saying “ha ha you got the attention of the FT” when I spotted he'd actually written the piece himself. As he rightly says, we are in the enshittocene.
5. My printer hates me
It's taken a while, but it looks like mainstream publications — OK, The Atlantic — are taking note that just because you buy a product doesn't mean you own it. Printers are just one example, and not even the most egregious. Every large corporate has spotted that charging rents is easier than making good products and competing in a free(ish) market. The surprising thing, to me, is how many people think this is a good idea for ordinary people.
6. App stores keep us safe, Redux
I've spent far too much time over the past couple of weeks arguing with people who believe that Apple is entirely correct to face off against the big bad tech-hating European Union about app stores. Without Daddy Apple keeping us all safe, someone might download a malicious app! The problem is, of course, is that app stores don't really keep you safe, something we saw again this week. What they do is make you believe that it's someone else's responsibility to keep you safe, lulling you into a false sense of security. Oh, and of course, they keep developers paying rent to platform owners.
7. You will be wanting to buy this book
Kara Swisher has written a book. You want to buy this book because if it's anything like the extract, it's going to be a doozy. And in the spirit of this article, you should pre-order it from Bookshop.org rather than Amazon.
8. Comic Sans is a good font
Yes. It is. I will not be taking questions at this time.
9. British Universities are a mess
Gaby Hinsliff's article on the problems of UK universities is well worth a read, but I don't entirely agree with it. I have heard too many horror stories from academics who have been “encouraged” to ensure that foreign students (who pay a lot of money) pass courses. Like much of the Tory legacy that Labour will inherit, it will take decades to undo the horrific damage this government has done to higher education. The entire system of funding both institutions and students needs dismantling and rebuilding.
10. Sup with a long spoon
Reach has reached (ahem) a deal with Amazon to give away its crown jewels to make a few pecks of corn. I had thought that publishers might have learned that collaborating with big tech platforms never means they get a good deal, but here we are. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me ten times, I'm probably a publisher.
