Dare Obasanjo

Opinions about product management, technology news and inclusivity in tech. Diversity is about demographics, inclusion is about creating a sense of belonging.

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Last Notes

2024-10-31 04:47:07

Block (formerly Square) acquiring Tidal always seemed to me like the billionaire version of how much would you pay to have dinner with Jay-Z.
“So we’re going to part ways with a number of folks on our team. We’re going to lead with engineering and design, and remove the product management and product marketing functions entirely. We’re reducing the size of our design team and foundational roles supporting TIDAL.” - Jack Dorsey in note to TIDAL staff about building like a startup
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/113/400/219/103/549/570/original/fd89b205ea581873.jpeg

2024-10-11 11:05:32

The Tesla robotaxi event would have been impressive if we didn’t already have Waymo autonomous vehiicles giving 100,000 rides in Phoenix and San Francisco.
Instead this was a vaporware announcement in a constrained environment with optimistic timelines, capabilities and prices reminiscent of the original promises of the cybertruck.
I actually found the bit about Optimus robots interacting with the audience more interesting than the robotaxi announcement.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/10/tesla-reveals-20-cybercabs-at-we-robot-event/

2024-10-11 10:49:46

The executive who helped Uber build a $1 billion business showing ads in its app is now trying to do the same for PayPal & Venmo.
I’m curious if this will have similar success as Uber & Uber Eats both have workflows where you’re either checking the app for your driver or a restaurant and are somewhat amenable to advertising.
I’m not sure PayPal or Venmo have similar parts of their typical usage where ads can be inserted as well.
https://www.adweek.com/commerce/paypal-launches-ad-business/

2024-09-25 11:54:40

Google’s cybersecurity unit, Mandiant, has found dozens of US companies have accidentally hired North Korean spies using fake identities as remote workers.
Many of them hold multiple jobs and decline Zoom meetings at work to avoid detection.
This is nuts
https://therecord.media/major-us-companies-unwittingly-hire-north-korean-remote-it-workers

2024-09-25 11:40:48

WordPress hit the same problem other open source cloud software like Redis, MongoDB and ElasticSearch have.
You do a bunch of R&D only for another company to host your software and provide the same or better service with your free labor.
Usually companies change licenses in response to this form of asymmetric competition. It’s unusual to first demand a portion of revenue and then sue for trademark violations instead.
The business impact on Automattic/WordPress must be non-trivial
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/113/198/002/614/337/474/original/6a063f027478744a.jpeg

2024-09-08 19:36:59

If you assume success is guaranteed for others and failure guaranteed for you then it’s a self fulfilling prophecy.

2024-07-13 23:46:05

This moment and this image will go down in history books as the pivotal moment of the 2024 election.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/781/843/579/871/713/original/ca776e16be8bf878.jpeg

2024-07-09 22:45:54

Illinois has enacted a ground breaking law that requires influencers whose kids appear in 30% or more of their social media content to pay their children. The money should be kept in a trust until the kid is 18 and if not, the child has the right to sue the parents.
This is good. Every state should enact similar laws.
https://fortune.com/2024/07/09/illinois-child-influencer-law-social-media/
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/758/957/832/954/958/original/fe565b099892c7fc.png

2024-07-07 23:42:40

Costs for generative AI models are going in the wrong direction relative to every technological advancement of the past few decades.
Costs should be going down by 10x in subsequent generations not up by 10x. LLMs can’t be the final form when it comes to AI architectures.
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/ai-models-that-cost-dollar1-billion-to-train-are-in-development-dollar100-billion-models-coming-soon-largest-current-models-take-only-dollar100-million-to-train-anthropic-ceo
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/747/856/299/423/462/original/ce64cc6127686194.jpeg

2024-07-07 16:21:10

Emperor Palpatine is canonically 88 in Return of the Jedi which makes old enough to run for president of the United States but unfortunately not evil enough to be the GOP front runner.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/746/120/021/704/420/original/713b994c79369e77.jpeg

2024-07-06 15:55:09

The Gartner hype cycle is a useful tool for understanding how excitement about a new technology works. It’s also helpful to combine it with the idea of crossing the chasm.
The hype cycle implies all technologies will be useful but crossing the chasm reminds us they need adoption.
For example, the hype cycle would give you the impression that NFTs would one day hit the plateau of productivity. In reality, it never crossed the chasm because it didn’t solve any real problems well.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/740/355/308/998/104/original/c1894e6f721ddf8f.png
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/740/355/630/700/689/original/60f78155b927ecfe.png

2024-07-05 21:43:54

The fact Biden has to tweet he’s not too senile to be president and won’t step down while Trump faces no pressure to defend his candidacy despite being a convicted rapist, fraudster and widely acknowledged racist is everything wrong with American politics.

2024-07-05 16:48:55

Apple’s rejected Epic’s 3rd party app store twice due to design issues including the design of the [Install] button in their store. Epic argues this is a delaying tactic and a form of non-compliance with the DMA.
I think Apple’s decided fines are cheaper than losing its 30% cut.
Spotify also has similarly complained that Apple continued rejecting its app submissions even after being fined $2B. I guess they want to find out if fines for 10% of global revenue are a real threat or not.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/734/904/482/118/910/original/b67bc57d4fe08a61.jpeg

2024-07-03 16:31:54

I don’t understand how Tesla stock is rocketing over a robotaxi event in August when Waymo has robotaxis on every street corner in San Francisco and $GOOG isn’t mooning.
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-tsla-robotaxi-unveiling-historical-moment-in-story-catalyst-trillion-market-cap-wedbush/amp/
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/723/513/155/154/662/original/d8225cc4e702bf8c.jpeg

2024-06-28 21:04:21

I can only assume Microsoft has laid off all its lawyers.
https://searchengineland.com/microsoft-web-content-freeware-443775
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/696/272/603/995/539/original/1b14a43c331c43cf.jpeg
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2024-06-21 16:25:57

Believing in UBI being inevitable in a country that won't even give kids free school lunches is like believing in the Tooth Fairy.

2024-06-20 23:16:01

In April 2024, Dell announced a new policy that makes fully remote employees ineligible for promotions, with the exception of hybrid workers. Nearly half of the company's employees have said given this choice, they'd rather work from home than be eligible for promotion.
Based.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/651/491/347/792/509/original/57833d3049f9e295.png

2024-06-20 16:30:06

I’m one of the people who was fooled by the promise and rosy stats tweeted by Lambda School.
It turns out you can’t replicate a computer science degree with a coding boot camp just because you defer tuition until after they get a job.
You just end up with students who got a poor, overhyped education and a business model that doesn’t work.
https://www.sandofsky.com/lambda-school/
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/649/896/010/406/481/original/a357167b25dfe6be.jpeg

2024-06-17 16:55:10

The wheels of justice should grind Adobe to dust for their horrendous pricing practices.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/633/007/723/814/309/original/89d5b49310966abe.jpeg

2024-06-17 15:48:26

Are there still people who believe that as AI eliminates a bunch of knowledge worker jobs that it’s fine since those people will get “higher level” jobs?
The story of the company that went from 60 content marketers to one person editing ChatGPT output seems worse not better.

2024-06-17 04:10:29

The BBC has a story about how 60 writers and editors who did content marketing for a tech company were reduced to a staff of one editor who edits articles and blog posts written by ChatGPT.
This is an extreme example of how entire fields will be decimated.
I expect a similar pattern will show up in graphic arts, animation and VFX. We will see entire teams of artists reduced to a handful who primarily fix up the errors generated by AI.
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240612-the-people-making-ai-sound-more-human
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/630/000/862/873/316/original/02df1b62b2bc0871.jpeg

2024-06-15 12:18:28

Whenever I see analysis that says based on this growth chart, so and so product will have massive adoption and revenue in five years, I remember this tweet.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/620/595/072/827/527/original/fbe2fe04143e46df.jpeg

2024-06-14 20:58:53

I’m amused by this because it implies they were hiring total idiots before then had the epiphany to hire intelligent people who are excellent at their craft.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/616/979/146/970/916/original/8826fff58ce9976a.jpeg

2024-06-13 23:41:33

In 2022, Google settled a class action lawsuit for systematically underpaying 15,500 female employees.
It’s now Apple’s turn in the hot seat as they’ve been hit with a lawsuit for systematically underpaying 12,000 female employees.
Apple bases pay on people’s previous salaries or pay expectations which creates a systemic disparity as women tend to have lower values for these than men.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-accused-lawsuit-underpaying-female-workers-california-2024-06-13/
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/611/962/462/112/549/original/5f7763e5921d2d7a.jpeg

2024-06-13 17:52:38

AI is both expensive and people are being socialized by big tech to expect it to be free. There's either going to be an ugly enshitification cycle or massive wind down of products as companies figure out this isn't sustainable.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/610/584/536/651/487/original/674a9737579b6b4b.png

2024-06-13 13:56:56

Microsoft Recall's security issues weren't anomalies but symptoms of a culture prioritizing cool features over protecting users.
A former employee has revealed how the company refused to fix the security hole that led to hacks of the Treasury, NIH, and nuclear secrets.
Microsoft chose not to fix the flaw that led to the SolarWinds hack to avoid risking billions in government contracts. That focus on profits has now become a national security issue.
https://www.propublica.org/article/microsoft-solarwinds-golden-saml-data-breach-russian-hackers
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/609/657/645/483/322/original/a567b9e30d5ddf6c.jpeg

2024-06-13 11:41:43

No one’s gotten promoted at X this year and sales teams are going to miss revenue.
If massively profitable companies like Google and Microsoft are doing layoffs then this doesn’t sound good for the 1,500 remaining employees at X.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/609/125/976/272/721/original/bd17aad59cd61992.jpeg

2024-06-12 00:01:48

Who would have ever guessed that this was the solution to unhappy workers?
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/600/711/582/095/962/original/0bdf1bca90764813.png

2024-06-11 14:22:12

Apple’s AI announcements are another reminder of how AI is an incumbents game. It not only takes hundreds of millions to be a leader given compute and increasingly licensing costs but also it’s a tablestakes feature in every major platform.
B2B is the main startup opportunity.

2024-06-11 11:08:22

As announced in February, Google Pay is no more. Last week the Google Pay app automatically signed US users out and asked them to start using Google Wallet.
The family tree of Google’s payment apps on Wikipedia now needs to be updated.
This is not a serious company.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/597/670/213/504/134/original/69817e6147461be4.jpeg

2024-06-06 20:37:49

From “don’t be evil” to AI powered military drones is quite the journey especially when you think about who gets hurt the most by drone strikes.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/571/597/792/843/193/original/2820b32ba6d31ae6.jpeg

2024-06-06 11:25:34

Since the TikTok ban became a thing, there’s a growing category of news stories that are simply “This popular US app is made in China.”
The combination of fear mongering and pointing out Chinese founders is a subtle mainstreaming of xenophobia in tech reporting.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/569/425/954/162/414/original/e2491944287e0938.jpeg
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/569/426/293/089/612/original/8d048ac2183277af.jpeg

2024-06-06 10:16:11

Ikea is looking to hire ten people at £13.15 / €14.80 an hour to run its virtual store in Roblox which mimics a physical store where people can buy furniture and interact with employees.
They hope the virtual store encourages kids to want to work at Ikea
https://www.thegamer.com/ikea-hiring-roblox-players-run-virtual-in-game-store/

2024-05-29 11:42:36

Hybrids are sounding like the best of both worlds these days. BYD delivering a car for under $14,000 that can go 1,250 miles without recharging or refueling is wild.
Unfortunately US car owners will have to pay double, thanks to tariffs if they want this level of fuel economy.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/524/194/810/177/302/original/e36b00357313f993.jpeg

2024-05-20 23:37:51

This is nuts. Sam Altman asked Scarlett Johansson to voice ChatGPT 4o and when she refused, OpenAI hired someone else to mimic her voice from "Her" only to take it down after she complained. Wow. 🤯
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/476/046/544/245/961/original/d61a17ba2218b284.png

2024-05-19 01:33:59

I’ve had mixed feelings about manager readme. On one hand I do a verbal version in my first meeting with new collaborators to let them know I communicate directly but mean well.
OTOH, the power dynamic as a manager can read as a list of flaws your team has to put up with.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/465/178/467/833/651/original/d1aaf5c724751f41.jpeg

2024-05-18 18:37:34

A topic that is mostly ignored even in news coverage is that Republicans have tacitly and explicitly made it legal to kill #BlackLivesMatter protesters.
It will be an interesting section of future history books which will cover incidents like Kyle Rittenhouee’s celebrity and giving drivers immunity for hitting protesters.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/463/541/081/951/992/original/5273bcb86599c59c.jpeg

2024-05-16 11:38:49

Microsoft has asked 700-800 employees in China to consider relocating outside the country due to increasing tensions between the US and China.
There’s a feeling of inevitability and helplessness as the escalating tensions make further trade conflict and potentially actual conflict between both countries seem inevitable.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-asks-hundreds-china-based-staff-relocate-amid-us-china-tensions-wsj-2024-05-16/

2024-05-14 15:13:56

As surmised, there was no grand strategy in laying off the entire supercharger team. It was a rage firing because an exec defied a layoff order and now Tesla has to beg these people to return now their CEO’s calmed down.
When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/440/091/084/898/997/original/b7f84059bf258200.jpeg

2024-05-14 13:44:36

You laugh so you don’t cry
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/439/739/792/376/414/original/33680bdf60b6cdb5.jpeg

2024-05-12 16:15:44

It must be really awkward hosting Q&A’s with the staff celebrating record profits to the tune of billions of dollars only for employees to ask why you’re doing layoffs every quarter then?
This is why CEOs can’t wait to replace their pesky employees with AI.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/429/009/214/185/271/original/0e372c047d7d8bfe.jpeg

2024-05-09 03:52:31

Microsoft really spent $68.7B acquiring Activision only to realize their gaming division is now too big and costly so they’re doing layoffs every quarter 🤦🏾‍♂️
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-08/xbox-studio-closures-microsoft-plans-more-cost-cutting-measures-after-layoffs?embedded-checkout=true
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/409/100/109/363/461/original/f56b5be4718219d3.jpeg

2024-05-02 12:20:23

The tech job landscape has changed significantly post-ZIRP. It used to be as a foreign worker you’d get sponsored for a green card after working at a big tech for a few years.
But due to layoffs companies have to first make a case for why they laid off an American to then sponsor a foreigner. Many tech companies including Google and now Amazon have paused sponsoring green cards for their employees given this reality.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/371/460/961/492/147/original/71e12681446139f1.jpeg

2024-05-01 19:33:03

Google went from you have to be in Mountain View at least three days a week to do this job to you can do it from India and Mexico in less than a year.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/367/499/629/731/467/original/f0cb3cb6377d5bff.jpeg
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/367/499/963/250/939/original/6bed830b32630fb0.jpeg

2024-04-26 16:25:33

This perspective would hold more weight if banning TikTok wasn’t Trump’s idea.
This is one of those rare bipartisan issues like being pro-police or anti-immigration where the election results likely won’t change a thing.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/338/451/030/102/115/original/1bb7ef723cfd011b.jpeg

2024-04-26 11:17:59

A Tesla owner has been charged with vehicular homicide for killing a motorcyclist while browsing the web on their phone while the car was on Autopilot. According to the driver he was “putting the trust in the machine to drive for him,”
The naming of this feature kills people.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/337/241/727/618/320/original/902f72f8903f7ab0.jpeg

2024-04-26 10:59:03

Deepfake audio isn’t just for rap beefs.
A high school principal temporarily lost his job after audio circulated on social media of him making racist comments. It turned out to have been AI generated audio created by a disgruntled staff member.
We now live in the future. 😕
https://abcnews.go.com/US/baltimore-high-school-athletic-director-ai-create-fake/story?id=109638535&cid=social_twitter_abcn

2024-04-25 18:02:41

I still can’t believe this is really happening and Biden signed it into law.
The saving grace for the Biden administration is the deadline is after the elections so if TikTok actually ends up being banned or shutdown, it won’t have election consequences.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/333/170/796/428/829/original/fd9c962b6a512179.jpeg

2024-04-21 18:01:32

Whenever you’re tempted to argue with a Reply Guy remember that
1. A lot of people on the internet are miserable and want you to feel the same way. Don’t let them.
2. The average person reads at the level of a 12 year old. They likely misunderstood your post and will your reply
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/310/516/953/828/954/original/0fec7fd65c7a5ed6.jpeg

2024-04-20 10:54:27

Kinda wild that Meta is doing more open source AI than the company literally named “Open AI”

2024-04-19 12:57:47

The typical VC podcast
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/297/998/020/396/796/original/3edf1c9fa3e704b0.jpeg

2024-04-16 17:26:21

It's incredible what you learn when you treat your employees like adults.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/282/067/227/578/765/original/8e8aadf7d57db954.jpg

2024-03-31 18:46:49

Whenever people complain about their favorite intellectual property from their childhood becoming “woke” it’s usually because it simply went over their heads as kids.
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/112/191/786/510/696/406/original/ba461b56aa692b71.jpeg