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What to read this weekend
First, a short apology. I was unable to send the newsletter last weekend. Life and sniffles got in the way — OM
As has been the case lately, I have been writing a bit too much about AI, and its two most visible examples, Anthropic and OpenAI, either on their own, or as a counterpoint to each other.
OpenAI seems to be making news for all the wrong reasons, while Anthropic is slowly transforming into the boy who cried wolf. Either way, even my online homestead is not an AI-free zone.
This week I tried to explain the crazy spending by Hyperscalers, and how they are actually benefiting from the circular economy of AI. And I dug into the 10-Q of Microsoft to figure out why it was okay to set OpenAI free from its exclusivity clause.
I enjoyed writing about how Apple’s chip design decisions made over half a decade ago are helping the company cash in on AI-related computer sales.
What I Am Reading
Where the U.S.’s Chip Strategy Is Still Falling Short | Harvard Business Review
Turning back the clock, a.k.a. turning the US into a chip powerhouse, is going to need patience and time. Something politicians and fast-talking CEOs don’t understand or like.
The Rise and Fall of Petty Tyrants | Noema
Danny Hillis, inventor, builder of the 10,000-year Clock of the Long Now, is one of my favorite thinkers, and he traces a recurring historical pattern: bad leaders who undermine democracy always face the same end. Amazing writing.
Memory Makers Are Strangling the Rest of the Tech Industry | Culpium
Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, a.k.a. the memory oligopoly, are leveraging this historic moment to extract, not invest. They did not expand supply to meet the AI boom, and instead raised prices. Read this along with my piece, Memory Is the Machine.
I Make Good Money. Why Do I Still Feel Like This? | Your Brain on Money
Hanna Horvath names the feeling precisely: it is not deprivation, it is dissonance. This is one of the good essays to read. TL;DR: The anxiety is rational.
We Bought an Orchestra | The Baffler
Jeffrey Arlo Brown spent an evening watching a wealthy amateur conduct a professional orchestra at a private Berlin concert. Money can buy you anything.
Kissimmee Star Motel | The Washington Post
How the pandemic has made life a struggle for those who live in run-down motels because they cannot afford better housing. This is a very sad story of the underclass in America.
Death of a Really Good Salesman | Truly Adventure
The rise and fall of Steve Carroll, the high-flying corporate executive who wanted it all, is a great yarn. Perfect Sunday read.
ICYMI
These are my blog posts and essays from this past week.
With AI, Headline Isn’t the Story
What’s Wrong in My Thinking About Errors
May 3, 2026.
Thank you, Om, for always sharing your reading list, wide range of interests, and what’s on your mind. I was just reminded that there are still some technologists living in the Valley who haven’t chosen to go with the MAGA flow.
Yes, I know the majority of tech isn’t like that, but the majority of the stars and majority of those who speak the loudest ARE like that.
So to hear one of the most prominent voices in tech speak about some of the most important issues of our time in calm tones, with an uncommon level of empathy is very very very nice.
Thanks for being the good guy you’ve always been. Since I first met you while forming SAJA.org 32 years ago.