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I Wrote This

Whenever I hear some exec going on about AI and staff reductions

I think the right way to read any tech company’s claim that they expect to reduce headcount by this or that percentage in the next year because of AI is just that they expect to reduce headcount by this or that percentage in the next year.

AI is just the latest bullshit reason they have come up with to justify it. They have no real plan for how AI will enable them to do it, and it doesn’t even matter, really. They’ve got a target they need to hit in order to make things look good for the investors, so that’s what they are going to do. The bits about AI are beside the point.

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Lots of smart people fall for hype

Tante (via Mastodon):

Reporting on Sam Altman blog posts without the addendum that he needs to keep the narrative of “AGI soon” going for his house of cards to hold is irresponsible. (Acknowledging that most of the things he said about AI were just false would also help.)

I fully agree.

I was talking with a colleague recently and when I expressed some skepticism that AGI was right around the corner, their response was to ask me if I had seen some LinkedIn post where the Nvidia CEO was talking about AGI being right around the corner. “What do you think of that?” my colleague asked, in all seriousness.

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Streaming services are annoying, part eleventy-billion

🔗 Disney finally completes purchase of Hulu:

Eater of streamers, studios, and those delicious Mickey Waffles, the Walt Disney Company is rubbing its hands together and licking its lips, as DoorDash reports that the rest of its Hulu order is on the way. Per Reuters, Disney has completed its two-year appraisal process of Hulu and finalized its purchase of the streamer. It’s a long time coming. Disney acquired a majority stake in the service in its purchase of 21st Century Fox in 2019. At the time, Comcast agreed to fork over its 33% stake in the streamer. Six years later, Disney has completed its order, agreeing to pay Comcast an additional $439 million for The Bear‘s den.

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When the Kite String Pops by Acid Bath

When the Kite String Pops by Acid Bath

I had never heard of this band before today, and I am kind of surprised, as they are awesome. They’re a sludgy mix of metal, hardcore, and maybe a bit of goth?

They only out two albums—this is the first one—in the mid-90s, and then apparently broke up when one of members was killed in a car accident. The remaining members went on to other bands, including Crowbar and Goatwhore.

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