Ben Thompson: “Meta had a lot of room to increase Reels monetization, but not just because they could target ads better (that was a part of it, as I noted above): rather, it turns out that short-form video is so addictive that Meta can simply drive more engagement — and thus more ad inventory — by pushing more of it. That’s impression driver number one — and the most important one. The second one is even more explicit: Meta simply started showing more ads to people (i.e. “ad load optimization”).”
FT: “Quantum systems, when they arrive, will remain tools for specialists rather than the masses. But, in the fields where they have most impact, they could usher in a period of considerable discontinuity. The most widely used forms of encryption would be vulnerable, meaning that anyone hoping to protect today’s information from future prying eyes should already be switching to new forms of quantum-proof cryptography. The technology would put new tools into the hands of scientists who could bring breakthroughs in materials or pharmaceuticals, opening up new processes and markets or spelling doom for old ones. In finance, it could bring a better understanding of complex risks and more efficient pricing in markets.”
David Brooks: “In my view, individuals, like nations, come back through a process of rupture and repair. You go through a hard time. When I ask people, “Tell me about a time that made you who you are,” nobody ever says to me, “I took this vacation in Hawaii. That was awesome. That made me who I am.” No, they went through a hard time…That process of rupture and repair, going through that phase in the valley — I think that’s how people grow. Nations go through periods of rupture and repair.”
Menlo Ventures LLM Markert Update: “Predicting the future of AI can be a fool’s errand. The market changes by the week, with exciting new model launches, advancements in foundation model capabilities, and plunging costs. What has become clear, though, is that conditions are ripe for a new generation of enduring AI businesses to be built on top of today’s foundational building blocks.”
