TLDR 2026-05-22

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Big Tech & Startups

Google Pushes AI-Generated Ads Further Into Search Results (6 minute read)

Google has started testing several new ad formats in both standard search and in AI Mode. AI-generated ads for brands and products will now appear below the responses to some prompts in AI Mode. Ads with direct offers for discounted products will be displayed in standard search results. The ads will not appear in Gemini for now. Google will protect the ads against AI hallucinations with strong guardrails.

SpaceX Postpones Launch of Newly Redesigned Starship (6 minute read)

Starship's launch has been delayed due to a malfunctioning part in the launch tower. SpaceX may try launching again today if the problem is fixed in time. The postponed test mission will deploy 20 Starlink simulators and stress-test tiles designed to protect the craft as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere. The new investigation of Starship is designed to carry 100 metric tons to low-Earth orbit - the company's workhorse Falcon 9 vehicle can carry roughly 23 metric tons.

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Science & Futuristic Technology

Experimental Drug Yields Dramatic Weight Loss (7 minute read)

Retatrutide, an experimental shot by drugmaker Eli Lilly, was so powerful in human trials that participants stopped taking it because they thought they were losing too much weight. The results for some of the heaviest patients were on par with those seen with gastric bypass surgery. There are some side effects at higher doses, such as gastrointestinal side effects so unpleasant that some patients stop taking it. Eli Lilly has not yet applied for regulatory approval.

The Internet can't stop watching Figure AI's humanoid robots handling packages (10 minute read)

Figure AI has been livestreaming its humanoid robots placing packages onto a conveyor belt since May 13. The livestream has become a viral sensation. It was originally intended to only run for eight hours, but the company decided to continue the livestream 24/7 after the initial time was up. Viewers have named the robots and Figure plans to roll out related robot merchandise.

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Programming, Design & Data Science

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What's new in web extensions: I/O 2026 recap (6 minute read)

AI is making extension development more approachable than ever. Google is expanding developer registration to over 120 additional countries this year. The Chrome team is dedicated to elevating the extension developer experience and has expanded store permissions, modernized platform APIs, and introduced AI-integrated tooling to remove friction from workflows. This post details some of the biggest new features the team has introduced.

Cheap code means formal verification is reasonable now (9 minute read)

One way to make sure that agents complete tasks correctly is to make them hill climb on verifiable problems. Comprehensive conformance test suites are valuable because they help guarantee that agents produce what developers actually want them to. TLA+ is a formal spec language for modeling complex systems with many moving parts. Formal languages have proof checkers and other ways of catching many of the types of hallucinations that language models create.

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Miscellaneous

How SpaceX's IPO Cements Elon Musk's Grip on the Company (3 minute read)

SpaceX has adopted a corporate governance policy that will erode typical shareholder protections and give Elon Musk virtually unchecked executive authority when the company goes public. It is combining supervoting shares, mandatory arbitration, stricter rules on shareholder proposals, and Texas corporate law to give Musk and other insiders broad control. The rules sharply limit investors' ability to challenge management, sue in court, and force votes on governance issues. It will protect SpaceX from the kind of criticism aimed at Tesla, where investors have challenged Musk on issues ranging from his pay package to the acquisition of his solar energy company, SolarCity.

Today ClickUp reduced headcount by 22% (5 minute read)

ClickUp is in the strongest position it's ever been in, but the company decided to cut 22% of its staff to operate at its highest level of productivity. The savings from the change will flow directly back to the staff who stay. The company plans to introduce million-dollar salary bands for staff who create outsized impact using AI. Staff affected by the cuts will receive packages aimed at honoring their contributions and easing the transition.

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Quick Links

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NVIDIA To Become The World's Leading CPU Supplier With Vera Hitting $20 Billion Revenue This Year (7 minute read)

Nvidia's ARM-based Vera CPUs are purpose-built for Agentic AI and Inference domains.

After Automation (39 minute read)

AI progress creates more work for humans, not less.

You can't afford to lead agentic engineering from the sidelines (12 minute read)

Leaders need first-hand experience with the technology before they can start redesigning their processes.

It's Time to Walk (6 minute read)

Dictation and agentic AI have given humans back the ability to walk, to rest, and to think while moving.

The Coddling of the Tech Mind (4 minute read)

You don't learn agency in a place that never asks you to have any.

Ideas (Website)

This page contains a collection of mental models, patterns, and frameworks on thinking clearly, building well, and living with intention.

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Thanks for reading,
Dan Ni & Stephen Flanders

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