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Sage: An atomic bomb kicked off the biggest computing project in history

In addition to being vital for national security, SAGE was a proving ground for the US Department of Defense. It demonstrated the government’s ability to coordinate large-scale, diversified and highly sophisticated computer research and development. From his earliest conversations with MIT, IBM vice president of engineering John McPherson, who would become the company’s point person on SAGE, quickly recognized the magnitude of the data processing opportunity — the largest for IBM since it was c

Why a Y Combinator startup tackling AI agents for Windows gave up and pivoted

A startup called Pig.dev that participated in Y Combinator’s Winter 2025 batch was working on a potential revolutionary idea: AI agentic tech to control a Microsoft Windows desktop. But in May, the founder announced he was abandoning the tech and pivoting his company to something entirely different: Muscle Mem, a cache system for AI agents that allows them to offload repeatable tasks. An early-stage YC company pivoting is nothing out of the ordinary, of course. What’s interesting — and what sp

Block shares soar 10% on entry into S&P 500

Jack Dorsey, co-founder and chief executive officer of Twitter Inc. and Square Inc., listens during the Bitcoin 2021 conference in Miami, Florida, on Friday, June 4, 2021. Block shares jumped more than 10% in extended trading on Friday, as the fintech company gets set to join the S&P 500, replacing Hess . It's the second change to the benchmark this week, after S&P Global announced on Monday that ad-tech firm The Trade Desk would be added to the S&P 500. Trade Desk is taking the place of softw

Microsoft stops relying on Chinese engineers for Pentagon cloud support

Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella (L) returns to the stage after a pre-recorded interview during the Microsoft Build conference opening keynote in Seattle, Washington on May 19, 2025. Microsoft on Friday revised its practices to ensure that engineers in China no longer provide technical support to U.S. defense clients using the company's cloud services. The company implemented the changes in an effort to reduce national security and cybersecurity risks stemming from

China Is Using Trump's Tactics Against Him to Corner the EV Market

Although Donald Trump presents himself as a fierce adversary of China, some of his policy moves appear to be a significant boon for the People's Republic. This spring, as Trump's chaotic tariff war captured headlines, a game-changing electric vehicle provision in his "Big Beautiful Bill" lurked just below the surface. After being signed into law on July 4, it turns out that the massive piece of legislation is set to completely upend the American EV market. That's thanks to a provision in the b

Section 174 is reversed, mostly

Hi, this is Gergely with a bonus, free issue of the Pragmatic Engineer Newsletter. In every issue, I cover Big Tech and startups through the lens of senior engineers and engineering leaders. Today, we get into one out of four topics from last week’s The Pulse issue, which full subscribers received seven days ago. If you’ve been forwarded this email, you can subscribe here. Since early 2024, a tax change in the US named “Section 174” has been plaguing tech companies in the country. It was introd

How I keep up with AI progress

Last Updated: 30th June 2025 Generative AI has been the fastest moving technology I have seen in my lifetime. Its also happens to be terribly misunderstood. We have already seen large companies and even governments ship dysfunctional or even dangerous AI products. Sufficiently uninformed people misunderstand how to apply AI with concretely negative consequences. The most common errors of misunderstanding are either underestimation (“it’s all hype that will blow over”) or overestimation (“I do

Trump’s Cabinet Is Cashing in on Crypto

Congress’s big “Crypto Week” might have faded into the background a bit due to cryptic messages Donald Trump left in a birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein, but Republicans in the House and Senate did, in fact, manage to pass a couple of laws that will establish loose, industry-friendly regulations for cryptocurrency. Which means it is a perfect time to be reminded that the Trump administration is packed with people who stand to benefit from cryptocurrency being mainstreamed. Trump himself, of cour

Trump signs first major crypto bill, the GENIUS Act, into law

is a senior policy reporter at The Verge, covering the intersection of Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill. She spent 5 years covering tech policy at CNBC, writing about antitrust, privacy, and content moderation reform. In a landmark victory for the crypto industry, President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, establishing a regulatory framework for a type of digital currency known as stablecoins. The GENIUS Act creates rules for entities that issue stablecoins, whose value is tied to a

Ether takes spotlight as Trump signs stablecoin bill into first major U.S. crypto law

In this article ETH.CM= BTC.CM= COIN HOOD BMNR MSTR MARA Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Jonathan Raa | Nurphoto | Getty Images Ether climbed to end the week as President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act stablecoin legislation into law, while bitcoin and its proxies took a breather. The price of ether was last higher by 4% at $3,578.67, according to Coin Metrics, trading at highs not seen since January and turning positive for the year. On Thursday, ETFs tracking the pr

How I keep up with AI progress (and why you must too)

Last Updated: 30th June 2025 Generative AI has been the fastest moving technology I have seen in my lifetime. Its also happens to be terribly misunderstood. We have already seen large companies and even governments ship dysfunctional or even dangerous AI products. Sufficiently uninformed people misunderstand how to apply AI with concretely negative consequences. The most common errors of misunderstanding are either underestimation (“it’s all hype that will blow over”) or overestimation (“I do

Russian alcohol retailer WineLab closes stores after ransomware attack

WineLab, the retail store of the largest alcohol company in Russia, has closed its stores following a cyberattack that is impacting its operations and causing purchase problems to its customers. Its parent company, Novabev Group, informed earlier this week that hackers had breached its IT systems. “On July 14, the group was subjected to an unprecedented cyberattack—a large-scale and coordinated operation carried out by hackers,” the company said. “As a result of the incident, parts of the IT

Meta says it wont sign Europe AI agreement, calling it growth stunting overreach

Meta Platforms declined to sign the European Union's artificial intelligence code of practice because it is an overreach that will "stunt" companies, according to global affairs chief Joel Kaplan. "Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI," Kaplan wrote in a post Friday on LinkedIn. "This code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, as well as measures which go far beyond the scope of the AI Act." Last week, the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, pub

More Than Half of Teens Surveyed Use AI for Companionship. Why That's Not Ideal

Is your teen using an artificial intelligence chatbot for companionship? If you don't know, it's time to find out. Common Sense Media released a study this week, where it found that more than half of pre-adult teenagers regularly use AI companions. Nearly a third of the teens surveyed reported that conversations with AI were as satisfying as conversations with actual humans, if not more so. Researchers also found that 33% of teens surveyed use AI companions such as Character.AI, Nomi and Replik

CoCo1 composite video

When I got the CoCo, one of the big problems was the super-smeary, snowy video on the RF-out. Even though composite video is generated internally by the video circuitry of the computer, Tandy didn’t end up breaking it out to an actual port. Lots of other 8-bit machines of the era are in the same boat. Luckily, adding a composite video port to the CoCo is very straightforward! So straightforward, in fact, that I did it twice. Theory As I said just now, the Motorola 6847 VDG already generates a

CP/M creator Gary Kildall's memoirs released as free download

The year before his death in 1994, Gary Kildall—inventor of the early microcomputer operating system CP/M—wrote a draft of a memoir, “Computer Connections: People, Places, and Events in the Evolution of the Personal Computer Industry.” He distributed copies to family and friends, but died before realizing his plans to release it as a book. This week, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, with the permission of Kildall’s children, released the first portion of that memoir. You can downlo

Netflix admits it used generative AI in a big sci-fi hit to cut costs

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Netflix used generative AI to create a scene in the sci-fi series The Eternaut — a first for one of the streamer’s original shows or films. During an earnings call on Thursday, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the use of AI was faster than using traditional visual effects tools and helped cut costs. “That VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster

After a partly successful test flight, European firm eyes space station mission

Last month, the parachutes on Hélène Huby's small spacecraft failed to deploy, and the vehicle and its cargo crashed into the ocean on Earth. It was both a success and a failure. The success was that after Huby founded The Exploration Company in Europe, she managed to move nimbly with the "Mission Possible" spacecraft such that it cost less than $25 million to build and reached space in less than three years. The vehicle ticked off a number of successes in spaceflight before making a controlle

OpenAI Quietly Turns to Google to Stay Online

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has quietly added Google Cloud as one of its official service providers, meaning Google will now help power the systems that run ChatGPT and other AI products. This development was disclosed on OpenAI’s website in a list of what are called sub-processors, or companies that handle or process user data on OpenAI’s behalf. For everyday users, it may not seem like a big deal. But behind the scenes, it is a major shift. OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft, has

Microsoft’s constant layoffs risk creating a culture of fear

is a senior editor and author of Notepad , who has been covering all things Microsoft, PC, and tech for over 20 years. I can’t open LinkedIn without seeing a new post from a Microsoft employee who lost their job in the company’s latest round of layoffs. Around 15,000 jobs have been eliminated at Microsoft over the past couple months — the biggest cuts at the company in more than a decade. I’ve spoken to more than a dozen Microsoft employees in recent weeks, and everyone is concerned about the

Meta refuses to sign EU’s AI code of practice

Meta has refused to sign the European Union’s code of practice for its AI Act, weeks before the bloc’s rules for providers of general-purpose AI models take effect. “Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI,” wrote Meta’s chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan in a post on LinkedIn. “We have carefully reviewed the European Commission’s Code of Practice for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models and Meta won’t be signing it. This Code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developer

Zuck, Sandberg, and Thiel Skate Free From Testifying After Settlement in Meta Privacy Suit

An $8 billion shareholder lawsuit against Meta over the Cambridge Analytica scandal ended in an undisclosed settlement on Thursday. The settlement, which came at the last minute as a trial was getting underway, saved high-ranking members of Meta’s board from having to testify under oath about their roles in those alleged violations. The lawsuit, which was originally filed in 2018, asked the defendants to use billions of their personal wealth to compensate for the financial damages it accused th

Netflix starts using GenAI in its shows and films

Companies developing video AI models and tools often talk about working with Hollywood studios to make certain workflows possible. On Thursday, Netflix said that it has started using AI in movies and shows it produces. Speaking at the company’s post-results conference call, the company’s co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, said that the platform had “the very first GenAI final footage to appear on screen” in an Argentine show called “El Atonata.” He noted that Netflix’s internal production group teamed up wi

iSnitched? Apple sues YouTuber over elaborate iOS 26 leak plot

Front Page Tech TL;DR Apple is suing YouTuber Jon Prosser for Front Page Tech for allegedly accessing a development iPhone and leaking iOS 26 details months before launch. The lawsuit accuses him and a collaborator of a conspiracy to misappropriate trade secrets and secretly record unreleased features. It’s an unusually aggressive legal move for a tech company, one we’ve never seen from an Android brand. Apple is generally better than most Android brands at keeping its unreleased products an

Arva AI (YC S24) Is Hiring an AI Research Engineer (London, UK)

Location: In person, Central London, 4-5 days in office Type: Full-Time NB: We are able to sponsor visas Arva AI is revolutionising financial crime intelligence with our cutting-edge AI Agents. By automating manual human review tasks, we enhance operational efficiency and help financial institutions handle AML reviews, while cutting operational costs by 80%. As the AI Research Engineer, you’ll play a pivotal role in building and iterating on LLM-based and agentic features of our AI-powered c

CP/M Creator Gary Kildall's Memoirs Released as Free Download

The year before his death in 1994, Gary Kildall—inventor of the early microcomputer operating system CP/M—wrote a draft of a memoir, “Computer Connections: People, Places, and Events in the Evolution of the Personal Computer Industry.” He distributed copies to family and friends, but died before realizing his plans to release it as a book. This week, the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, with the permission of Kildall’s children, released the first portion of that memoir. You can downlo

Nothing Phone 3 review: Nothing ventured, nothing gained

The last few years have seen several smartphone makers pull back or totally abandon their mobile efforts. UK-based Nothing Technologies, however, is still trying to carve out a niche in the increasingly competitive smartphone market. Its tools have been quirky designs and glowing lights, along with a focus on markets outside the US. With the Nothing Phone 3, the company has brought its "first flagship" phone stateside. Nothing didn't swing for the fences with the Phone 3's specs, but this devic

The crypto industry got what it paid for

is a senior policy reporter at The Verge, covering the intersection of Silicon Valley and Capitol Hill. She spent 5 years covering tech policy at CNBC, writing about antitrust, privacy, and content moderation reform. The crypto industry is beginning to see a return on one of its most prescient investments: Donald Trump. On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed three bills that industry supporters believe will bring more legitimacy and predictability to the digital currency space — and

The End of Windows 10: a toolkit for community repair groups

In October 2025, Microsoft ends free support by default for Windows 10. Its successor, Windows 11, has unnecessarily strict requirements for what computers it will support. Hundreds of millions of computers currently running Windows 10 face early obsolescence as a result. Microsoft’s options for continued support of Windows 10 cost either your money or your data, and only push the snooze button on the problem. Eventually, many millions of fully functional computers and their users will be entir

Elon Musk's Neuralink filed as 'disadvantaged business' before being valued at $9 billion

Elon Musk's health tech company Neuralink labeled itself a "small disadvantaged business" in a federal filing with the U.S. Small Business Administration, shortly before a financing round valued the company at $9 billion. Neuralink is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) system, with an initial aim to help people with severe paralysis regain some independence. BCI technology broadly can translate a person's brain signals into commands that allow them to manipulate external technologies j