Sep 24, 2025

‘Hey mum, I dropped my phone down the toilet’: Investigating Hi Mum and Dad SMS Scams in the UK

An empirical study of the 'hi mum and dad' SMS scam, a new interaction-based fraud technique. The research dissects the scam's lifecycle, from initial contact to financial exploitation, by analyzing scam messages, mobile network data, and mule accounts in collaboration with a UK mobile operator. Key findings reveal the psychological principles used, the abuse of mobile and financial infrastructure, and the underlying structure of scammer networks.

Sep 24, 2025

Dion: The distributed orthonormal update revolution is here

Kwangjun Ahn from Microsoft Research introduces Dion, a next-generation optimizer that improves upon Muon by using amortized power iteration. Dion enables efficient, scalable training for massive models by orthonormalizing a low-rank subspace, reducing compute and communication overhead in distributed settings.

Sep 24, 2025

Software finally eats services - Aaron Levie

In a dynamic discussion, experts debate the merits of pricing H-1B visas versus the current lottery system, questioning what the policy should optimize for. They explore the real-world impact of AI on developer productivity, with Box reporting that 30% of its code now comes from AI, and highlight how small, senior teams are achieving superhuman results by shifting from writing code to reviewing it. The conversation also covers why bottom-up, personal AI tools are succeeding where top-down corporate pilots fail, and analyzes the platform shift, arguing that AI-native startups have a unique advantage in a landscape where incumbent scale is being neutralized by AI agents.

Sep 24, 2025

Solving the Hard Problems • Dave Farley • GOTO 2024

Dave Farley argues that modern software development should be treated as an engineering discipline, emphasizing an evolutionary and iterative approach to architecture and design. He outlines key principles for tackling complexity, focusing on optimizing for learning and ease of change through techniques like working in small steps, prioritizing testability, and managing coupling.

Sep 24, 2025

The AI vulnerability apocalypse, a new strain of Petya and dumb cybersecurity rules

Panelists debate the likelihood of an "AI vulnerability cataclysm", discussing whether AI will overwhelm defenses or if it's an arms race where both attackers and defenders level up. The discussion covers the return of threat group Scattered Spider using AI-powered vishing, the persistent and significant risks of cloud misconfigurations, the emergence of firmware-level ransomware like HybridPetya, and the importance of focusing on security fundamentals and user education over punitive rules.

Sep 23, 2025

America's Autism Crisis and How AI Can Fix Science with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the NIH, discusses his vision for reforming the institution by adopting a Silicon Valley-style portfolio approach to funding, tackling the replication crisis, supporting early-career scientists, and leveraging AI to accelerate biomedical research while rebuilding public trust in science.