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The consensus among analysts seems to be that Apple’s AI features announced at WWDC yesterday are largely catch-up with third party services. Yet Apple’s approach to AI is different. Instead of merely providing a chat bot for you to play with in the cloud, they are using the data on your device to personalize your AI. Instead of being limited to web results and its own corpus, Apple Intelligence will be able to return and interact with your data.

The software industry’s approach to security is broken. Among professionals there is a lack of consensus on best practices. Adoption of innovations is slow, uneven, and poorly executed. The regulatory and compliance framework around security involves large amounts of labor by businesses and practices that are hostile to end users. Despite all the effort that goes into security, it fails and fails often.

Mastodon’s secret sauce might be that it declined to use algorithms to sort your content. While the slot machine appeal of Facebook or Instagram leaves me checking their apps hoping for something fresh, they rarely deliver. I have nearly exhausted the well of DIY and construction content on Instagram. Travel influencers can only post so many photo worthy pools and cocktails before they stop impressing. It used to be nice to use apps like Threads or Facebook to find news articles, but now that everything is behind a paywall it is not worth my time.

2012 to 2023 was a decade of massive growth for technology companies. Fueled by low interest rates, aggressive venture capital investments, and a massive surge in pandemic related technology expenditures, there was no limit for the demand for software engineers and adjacent roles. Flush with cash companies did not have to be picky: low performers and folks without productive work could coast on payroll until a use for them arrived. Major layoffs arrived to the industry over a year ago, and now it is easier than ever to find entry to intermediate level software talent.

An abstraction is a mental shortcut. Good abstractions save you the time and effort of learning about something in order to focus on a larger picture. You probably use abstractions all the time. Instead of learning about auto repair you go to a mechanic. It would seem odd to need to conduct diligence against your dentist beyond checking their credentials. Yet in fields without robust supply of providers the abstractions tend to break down. To have a successful procurement you need learn the underlying art and conduct greater diligence.