TLDR 2025-11-27

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Big Tech & Startups

Apple Set to Become World's Top Phone Maker, Overtaking Samsung (2 minute read)

The iPhone 17 models have been a hit in both the US and China. Apple has seen double-digit year-over-year sales growth in both markets. The cooling of US-China trade tensions and a depreciating dollar have boosted purchases in emerging markets. The growth will propel Apple past longtime rival Samsung this year.

Tether Stablecoin Stability Rating Reduced to 'Weak' at S&P (3 minute read)

Analysts have dropped Tether's USDT stability rating to 'weak' due to a rise in exposure to high-risk assets in USDT's reserves over the past year. The reserve can no longer fully absorb a decline in its value. A drop in Bitcoin's value, combined with a decline in the value of other high-risk assets, could lead to USDT being undercollateralized. The token's other weaknesses include limited transparency on research management, a lack of asset segregation to protect against Tether's insolvency, and limitations on redeeming USDT with Tether directly.

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Science & Futuristic Technology

China launches an emergency lifeboat to bring three astronauts back to Earth (6 minute read)

On November 4, astronauts on the Tiangong space station discovered that one of the two docked ferry ships had a damaged window. The discovery was made during a crew handover, so it left three astronauts on the Tiangong station without a safe return craft. China successfully launched an unpiloted spacecraft late Monday to the space station to provide a lifeboat for the astronauts. The astronauts will return next year, soon after the arrival of their replacements.

A Cell So Minimal That It Challenges Definitions of Life (15 minute read)

Scientists have discovered a single-celled organism with a fantastically small genome. The cell is so stripped of essential functions that it challenges biologists' definitions of life. Its lost genes include those central to cell metabolism - the cell can neither process nutrients nor grow its own. The cell appears to be a parasite entirely dependent on a host or cellular community.

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Programming, Design & Data Science

8 learnings from 1 year of agents (9 minute read)

PostHog AI is an AI agent built into PostHog that can access user data and setup via dozens of tools. It works tirelessly in a loop until it achieves the tasks it is given. PostHog AI can create multi-step analyses of product usage, write SQL queries, set up new feature flags and experiments, dig into impactful errors, and more. This post reflects on the lessons PostHog's team learned when developing the agent.

Why (Senior) Engineers Struggle to Build AI Agents (6 minute read)

Transitioning from deterministic systems to probabilistic agents requires trading certainty for semantic flexibility. People trained on strict interfaces will find this uncomfortable. However, forcing an agent into a deterministic box defeats the purpose of using one. Instead of coding away ambiguity, start engineering systems that are resilient enough to handle it.

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Miscellaneous

MIT study finds AI can already replace 11.7% of US workforce (6 minute read)

MIT has released a study that shows that AI can already replace 11.7% of the US labor market across finance, health care, and professional services. The study used a labor simulation tool called the Iceberg Index to simulate how workers interact across the country and how they are affected by AI and corresponding policy. The index offers a detailed map of where disruption is forming, down to the zip code. It is designed to provide a skills-centered snapshot of what today's AI systems can do to give policymakers a structured way to explore scenarios before they commit real money and legislation.

The Untold Story of Charlie Munger's Final Years (14 minute read)

Charlie Munger died two years ago in his longtime home in Los Angeles, close to people he liked and projects he found stimulating. Rather than a quiet life by the sea, Munger spent his final years chasing investments, forging friendships, and facing new challenges. In the year before his death, he made over $50 million on a bet on coal stocks, revved up his real-estate activities, and dealt with health issues. His final years provide a blueprint for investors on how to age with grace, equanimity, and purpose.

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