Best of Startup — June 2025

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    Article
    Avatar of uxplanetUX Planet·50w

    Stop trying to be Steve Jobs and start learning from the losers

    Many companies blindly copy organizational models and practices from successful tech giants like Spotify, Google, and Netflix, but this approach often fails because these practices are context-dependent. The Spotify model, for example, has been abandoned even by Spotify itself. Instead of learning from winners who represent survivorship bias, teams should study failures to understand what actually breaks. Success stories are incomplete and don't prove causation - just because successful companies do something doesn't mean it made them successful. Organizations should think from first principles and adapt practices to their specific context rather than treating tech giant approaches as gospel.

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    Article
    Avatar of techleaddigestTech Lead Digest·49w

    Smart People Don't Chase Goals; They Create Limits

    Traditional goal-setting often creates misalignment and focuses on outcomes rather than process. Smart people instead work within constraints - self-imposed boundaries that guide decisions without locking in specific predictions. Constraints like 'never work with clients who drain me' or 'only build products I can explain to a teenager' provide adaptive frameworks that respond to feedback and maintain authenticity. This approach proves more effective in ambiguous, creative domains where rigid goals become brittle and counterproductive.

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    Article
    Avatar of hnHacker News·49w

    The Tech Job Meltdown

    The massive tech layoffs since 2023 aren't primarily due to AI, overhiring, or economic downturns, but rather a tax policy change. Section 174 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated the ability to immediately deduct R&D expenses, forcing companies to amortize them over 5-15 years instead. This created immediate cash flow problems and higher tax bills for tech companies, leading to over 500,000 layoffs. The policy was designed to offset corporate tax cuts in 2017 but has driven companies to move R&D operations overseas and cut US-based engineering jobs. The change particularly hurt startups and growth companies that relied on R&D write-offs to manage their tax burden while investing in innovation.

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    Video
    Avatar of fireshipFireship·51w

    This unicorn AI startup just collapsed… why?

    Builder AI, a UK startup once valued at $1.5 billion and backed by Microsoft and SoftBank, has collapsed due to fraud and unsustainable business practices. The company promised to build software without technical expertise using AI, but actually relied on human programmers to fix AI-generated code. They engaged in fraudulent billing schemes with partners, invoicing for work never completed. When creditors discovered the fraud and seized $37 million from their accounts, the company was forced into bankruptcy, highlighting the risks in the current AI startup bubble.

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    Video
    Avatar of youtubeYouTube·49w

    How I Built An App That ACTUALLY Makes Money In Just 93 Days

    A college student built Empor, a student-exclusive marketplace app, in 93 days using React Native, Supabase, and Stripe. The app launched at McGill University with features like Tinder-style browsing, integrated payments, and social elements. Within a week of launch, it gained 866 users and generated $1,600 in transactions. The developer shares the complete tech stack, development process, and lessons learned while building a profitable mobile app from scratch.

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    Article
    Avatar of tcTechCrunch·49w

    11 startups from YC Demo Day that investors are talking about

    Y Combinator's Spring 2025 Demo Day featured 11 standout startups, with nearly all focused on AI development. Notable companies include Anvil (SEO for LLMs), Atum Works (3D chip manufacturing), Den (AI for enterprise knowledge workers), and Eloquent AI (automated customer operations). Several startups are building "Cursor for X" variations, while others explore quantum computing and robotics applications. Investors showed particular interest in companies addressing AI evaluation, enterprise automation, and next-generation computing architectures.

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    Article
    Avatar of communityCommunity Picks·48w

    What Should Be My Starting Salary?

    A comprehensive guide to starting salaries in Pakistan's tech industry, covering different company types from local startups to remote international roles. The piece emphasizes that salary is a tradeoff between stability and growth potential, with entry-level positions typically ranging from PKR 50,000-75,000 ($180-270 USD) monthly. It breaks down four main employer categories: local product companies, international product companies with local teams, agencies/software houses, and BPO firms, each with distinct advantages and drawbacks. The author stresses that learning opportunities and career momentum matter more than initial salary numbers, advocating for roles that build valuable skills and provide clear growth paths rather than just higher immediate compensation.

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    Video
    Avatar of bigboxswebigboxSWE·48w

    Tech Startups in a Nutshell

    A satirical take on the tech startup ecosystem that humorously breaks down the typical journey from founder mindset to venture capital funding. The piece covers the stereotypical startup founder persona, market targeting strategies (B2B vs B2C), fundraising through PowerPoint presentations, employee equity structures, and the cyclical nature of startup funding rounds. While presented as comedy, it touches on real aspects of startup culture including buzzword usage, the emphasis on growth over profitability, and common business practices in the tech industry.

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    Video
    Avatar of entreprenueroppEO·47w

    Stop Fixing Today's AI | The $3B Windsurf Story - Varun Mohan, Co-Founder&CEO

    Varun Mohan, CEO of Windsurf, shares his journey building a $3B AI-powered IDE company. He discusses the critical pivot from GPU virtualization to AI development tools after GPT-3.5's release, emphasizing the importance of building for future technology rather than current limitations. The company grew from 8 employees to nearly 200, serving over a million developers. Key insights include embracing failure as learning, maintaining intellectual honesty during pivots, and focusing on where technology is heading rather than solving today's problems.

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    Article
    Avatar of tcTechCrunch·48w

    Better Auth, an authentication tool by a self-taught Ethiopian dev, raises $5M from Peak XV, YC

    Better Auth, an open-source TypeScript authentication framework, has raised $5M seed funding from Peak XV and Y Combinator. Built by self-taught Ethiopian developer Bereket Engida, the tool allows developers to implement authentication directly in their databases rather than relying on external services like Auth0 or Firebase. The framework has gained significant traction with 150,000+ weekly downloads and 15,000+ GitHub stars, particularly among AI startups needing custom authentication flows. Unlike hosted services, Better Auth keeps user data on-premise and offers flexible customization options.

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    Article
    Avatar of gamedeveloperGame Developer·48w

    GenAI animation startup Motorica raises 5 million pounds in investment

    Motorica, a generative AI animation startup, secured £5 million in funding to develop tools that automate tedious animation tasks like keyframing and locomotion. The company claims AAA studios including Quantic Dream are already using their AI mocap technology, which aims to let animators focus more on creative work rather than technical grunt work. The funding will support platform scaling, R&D investment, and team expansion across engineering and animation roles.

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    Article
    Avatar of tdsTowards Data Science·51w

    Landing your First Machine Learning Job: Startup vs Big Tech vs Academia

    A comprehensive guide for new machine learning graduates navigating their first job search across three different sectors: startups, big tech companies, and academic research labs. The author shares personal experiences and practical advice on building resumes, creating portfolios, networking strategies, and interview preparation. Key insights include understanding the trade-offs between sectors (startups offer broad experience but instability, big tech provides high compensation and structure but narrow focus, academia offers intellectual freedom but lower pay), the importance of authentic self-presentation over AI-generated applications, and specific preparation strategies for coding, system design, and behavioral interviews. The guide emphasizes that job hunting is a systematic process requiring strong fundamentals, tailored applications, and mental resilience through inevitable rejections.

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    Article
    Avatar of pragmaticengineerThe Pragmatic Engineer·49w

    Builder.ai did not “fake AI with 700 engineers”

    Builder.ai, a Microsoft-backed AI startup that went bankrupt, was falsely accused of using 700 engineers in India to fake AI capabilities. Investigation reveals the company actually built a legitimate code generator called Natasha using Claude and GPT models, developed by a 15-person team. The viral claim originated from an unverified social media post. Builder.ai's downfall was due to accounting fraud and revenue misrepresentation, not fake AI. The company did employ hundreds of outsourced developers for custom software development services, which likely contributed to the misconception.

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