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Issue 273: Would you open source your AI?

No matter where in the world you live, this newsletter is hitting your inbox free of tariffs. I mean, it's always free, and we've got some excellent freebies for you. We dropped the results of our survey on open-source AI, and it's got plenty of insights into how developers of all experience levels view the rise of open-source LLMs like LLaMa and DeepSeek. --

On the podcast side, we have two conversations recorded at the HumanX conference and one new Leaders of Code episode. We chatted with Amr Awadallah, CEO of Vectara, about how AI's going to give us that "I know kung fu" moment sooner rather than later. We serve up a conversation with a repeat customer, Tomasz Tunguz, about his theories (and his Theory Ventures) about the AI landscape. In Leaders of Code, our own Ellen Brandenberger chats with Maureen Makes, VP of Engineering at Recursion, about whether you can move too fast with AI. --

Did you know that the #! is called a shebang? Me either. Find out how it works with the Linux kernel in our links section. Want to know how dang wrong Jules Verne (and, frankly, everybody else in 1865) was about the Rocky Mountains? Check our questions. Dear reader, there's even more, so I'll get out of the way of your scroll wheel.

From the blog

Open-source AI: Are younger developers leading the way?

In March, over 1,000 developers and technologists gave us insights into what they think about open source and the role it plays with AI.

Bottom of the first: A veteran VC’s take on the AI landscape

Ryan welcomes Tomasz Tunguz of Theory Ventures back to the podcast to talk about the intersection of AI and venture capital, the implications of AI on the labor market, and the future of AI applications.

“There is a real cost to moving fast”: Using AI to accelerate drug discovery

On this episode of Leaders of Code, Maureen Makes, VP of Engineering at Recursion, discusses AI's role in drug discovery, scaling and integration challenges, and the importance of innovation in achieving the high standards desired.

How do you fact-check an AI?

Ryan chats with Amr Awadallah, founder and CEO of GenAI platform Vectara about how retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) has advanced, why fact-checking and accurate data are essential in building AI applications, and how Vectara’s Mockingbird model seeks to minimize hallucinations.

Fix Legacy Code IRL: Code Remix Summit | May 12–14 | Miami

Join engineers from Spotify, Morgan Stanley, Broadcom & more to see how dev teams tackle large-scale refactoring at scale. For engineers, architects & tech leads. Hosted by Moderne (creators of OpenRewrite) & NFJS. Sponsored by Snyk, Azul & CodeGate. 50% off with code STACK50.

Interesting questions

Is this a polished enough answer to, "Why do you want to leave?"

“Almost all you are doing is complaining.”

What causes THIS level of dry rot?

These bicycle tires were made in Finland and should be able to withstand a measly Italian winter.

Did Jules Verne not know how high the Rockies are?

In 1865, did anyone know how high the Rockies are?

Was refused US visa as a minor, but found out only after submitting new tourist application a decade later

“Am I likely to be denied permanently on the basis of providing false information, even if by accident?”

Links from around the web

Demystifying the #! (shebang): Kernel Adventures

This guide explains the whole shebang and how it works with the Linux kernel.

Why I program in Lisp

While Lisp might not be the most popular language overall, it is this programmer's favorite.

AI Index 2025: State of AI in 10 Charts

AI models are getting smaller, cheaper, and more problematic.

Fintech founder charged with fraud after 'AI' shopping app found to be powered by humans in the Philippines

The Mechanical Turk lives and it's doing your shopping.

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