”All of the people I love hate this stuff, and all the people I hate love it. And yet, likely because of the same personality flaws that drew me to technology in the first place, I am annoyingly excited.”
Tech
I’m not sure I like where the ESPN x NFL is going. At all.
I’ve had my Kindle Paperwhite for over 10 years now… probably one of the few “still using it on the regular” piece of tech I still own and use!
Been testing Perplexity’s Comet since yesterday and already in 2 days, it’s turning to be a huge time saver / task achiever!
Asking for a friend… “How to kill a rogue AI” | Vox
“…we are woefully unprepared for the worst-case-scenario AI risks and more planning and coordination is needed. ”
Holy shit: Netflix is about to get Warner Bros Discovery?!
⚽️ 📺 Per The Athletic, in 2026, MLS Broadcasting will be included as part of a regular Apple TV subscription, as opposed to requiring an additional add-on sub.
Great news to make it more accessible to everyone, globally!
Sheridan’s rise is one of the craziest things to happen in Hollywood this century, (…), I think his billion dollar market value is a tech story in one respect that’s obvious, and one that’s less so.
RE: French Tech Journal: "France Spooked By Fears Of Great Founder Migration"
10/31/25
The team at “French Tech Journal”, on the reports of founders leaving France/Europe for the US: @chrisobrienfrance.bsky.social @index.frenchtechjournal.com.ap.brid.gy
America is the land of the free and the home of disposable stuff. There’s not much sentimentality about dropping your platform thingy like a rancid steak tartar left on the countertop overnight.
Nothing to add here: moving to/from Silicon Valley and/or the US seems cyclical — there’s clearly success stories coming from all schools of thought, whether SV-based, Europe-based, remote or on-location, etc. At the end of the day, only execution matter
lol remember these hundreds of millions of dollars of signing bonuses?!
Oh FFS: Atlassian is acquiring The Browser Company for $610M. The deal is mostly above Dia, as expected, but it’s still quite surprising given the valuations in the AI space, these days…
Is this why we can’t have nice things?!
Also interesting to realize that The Browser Company decided to continue putting Arc up front on their website, despite their previous claim (in May) that they would discontinue Arc. It continues to receive bugfixes recently, it seems.
À propos of nothing, the latest updates to the Dia (AI) browser are making it a whole lot more usable now: more stable & reliable, compatibility with Passwords, better resources management.
Very enjoyable. I do wish you could plug your own AI, though.
Honestly truly didn’t need a study to confirm this, but I guess it’s always good to have data to back up street-level facts…
…The study did not answer the question of why Americans were reading less. But the authors suggested some possible explanations, including **increased use of social media **and other technology, or more time spent at work because of economic pressure.
The decline in reading could have implications for Americans’ learning, relationships and overall well-being, the researchers said.
“Even though reading is often thought of as more of an individual activity, when we read stories, we actually form connections with characters”
While AI might change companies and become a valuable tool in various trades, when it comes to telling their stories, brands are increasingly reticent about social media. There’s just too much slop being served (…) Legacy media has an opportunity to be the new media.
There’s a special karmic place and spot saved up for customers who behave like bullies and gaslight you over months. 🔥🧘 Anyways… time for a well deserved holiday and summer break!
The EU sets up regulations pushing for transparency in online advertising. Next thing you know:
Meta will stop running political advertising in the EU from October, criticising “unworkable requirements” under a new European law designed to increase transparency in digital campaigning.
The sound you hear at a distance are the thousands of Zuck-pitched violins. Or as we say in France:
Spain strikes me as the neighbor buying the cheapest stuff possible, regardless of quality. From my experience, what I’ve seen and witnessed when working with Spanish people or companies — including locally— cheap price is the #1 criteria.
This is what happens when you compromise over quality.
Now that Dia has vertical tabs, I’m testing it again. Biggest drawback is that the Password Manager browser extension isn’t compatible and therefore I have to jump through hoops (the menu item) to use my own PWs.
Another one: auto-PiP during Google Meet calls.
Looks like the big Swarm redesign, taking from the Foursquare City Guide (RIP!) is now live!
Happy Independence Day!
Monocle: "Could Europe be about to benefit from Trump’s US brain drain?"
7/3/25
…up to 75 per cent of US-based scientists say that they are considering leaving the country.
(…)
While the US shoots itself in the foot, Europe might receive a shot in the arm.
Obviously something’s that been on my mind and that we started seeing in 2016. Feels like this is about to become a much bigger topic this time around. I, for one, welcome the upcoming scientific refugees to our Old Continent…
Two things to note, however:
- We need to ensure that while we welcome scientists, there are still lots of refugees seeking asylum in our country, that don’t get the same red carpet treatment. The government’s shift to the right isn’t something I’ve particularly enjoyed and I’m hoping that we can keep them accountable with regards to ensuring we don’t just open our doors to researchers…
- It would be hypocritical to welcome research academics while also cutting funding for education — something needs to improve for our children and their teachers.
Seems like my M3 / 2024 Macbook Air is already feeling the limits of DIA being built on Chrome. Was navigating work with multiple tabs & webapps and… heavy temperature + long freezes. You can improve on Chrome, but if you’re built on it, the machines are gonna flyyyyy!
Testing out DIA and while some stuff is different and with minor issues, at least there are some good uses for it: reading through, summarizing, and highlighting tasks from a long email thread, for example…
Will continue experimenting with it.
Back from Viva Tech 2025
6/13/25
Just got back from a day at Viva Tech 2025 for Work.
The event was huge, with 165,000 attendees over four days, making it the biggest conference I’ve ever been to.
AI was obviously the star of the show, popping up everywhere and driving discussions on its ethical implications and practical applications. It was interesting to see how governments (national and regional) and companies are leveraging AI to innovate in their core businesses.
I attended 2 really cool keynotes :
- Peng Xiao’s talk on “Life in the Age of AI” delved into the philosophical and ethical aspects of our AI-driven world.
- The panel on “The Future of Space” was equally inspiring, with insights from NASA, CNES, and other industry leaders.
Overall, a great opportunity to see how the industry is evolving. It was a solid experience, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s event.
I’ve had this one on rotation since 2011:
🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷
According to Dealroom’s Global Tech Ecosystem Index 2025, Paris just overtook London as the #1 startup hub in Europe — and is now fourth globally behind Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston. While London still brings in more cash, the City of Light is growing faster in unicorns, AI talent, and enterprise value.
Also: fairly surprised this wasn’t technically already the case given what I know of the French Tech ecosystem, but I guess capital/language/culture used to make it easier for London up until now.