The models will not be a moat, but the products can be. More specifically "sticky" products / killer apps like ChatGPT, and whatever forthcoming products this acquisition of Jony Ive's company may lead to.
Windsurf acquisition may be explained in part by the same logic of owning a strong and sticky product, as well as a good source of data for training.
Alternatively, this may be Deno’s “Dip”: A tough period of time before continued gains and small breakthroughs that build up over time to a new plateau. Maybe all new creative projects will have this as a part of their journey. I am confident Ryan Dahl is unlikely to give up, and is aware (and working to become more aware) of what is necessary to improve for deno to achieve the vision he has for it.
US scientific research funding is largely driven by nepotism and favoritism. Insiders know but don't talk too much about it. They have a few options: a) just quietly stay in the system trying their best to do good work b) join the gravy train through social climbing c) quietly leave and move on with their careers.
I had the advantage of having a mentor early in my career hold my code to the highest standards with regards to using the semantics of HTML. We were working on a big redesign of a large website for BigCorp, but we were still a small team on a deadline. She would not accept any excuses, and she guided me to think through HTML element selection until we found what we considered the best choice. I was taking the bus to work most days and used the time to read on the bus and at home the thick book "CSS: The Definitive Guide" by Eric Meyer cover to cover.
As you mention, working with HTML, and even more so CSS, can be a source of frustration. The UX of actually working with them is tedious work. However I can write today that all these years later, the high standards that my mentor held me to (and the project required) helped me to master HTML and CSS in a way that made doing that work less tedious, and easier over time. I was being paid to be educated by an expert - I considered it a great opportunity, and believe I have been proven correct.
In the post Vasilis writes that they told their students the assignment "doesn’t have to be semantic and shit". I consider this a missed opportunity to hold them to higher standards and help the students build a strength that can help them for years to come. More broadly, I believe this to be an example of current generations being limited by their mentors and educators lowering standards, and potentially robbing them of opportunities. Impedimentum Via Est.
RFK Jr and Nicole Shanahan are running, and already on the ballot in 29 states. Though you won't see them interviewed on CNN or Fox News, many polls show them winning against Trump.
One of the reasons that RFK Jr started his campaign last year was a poll by Zogby which "surveyed over 26,000 likely voters across all 50 states, indicated that Kennedy could potentially outperform both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in head-to-head matchups." I believe the poll showed the majority of independent votes going to RFK Jr, and a significant portion of D and R votes going to him as well.
Given recent events, perhaps Trump is now much more popular, but previously polls showed RFK Jr beating Trump.
The models will not be a moat, but the products can be. More specifically "sticky" products / killer apps like ChatGPT, and whatever forthcoming products this acquisition of Jony Ive's company may lead to.
Windsurf acquisition may be explained in part by the same logic of owning a strong and sticky product, as well as a good source of data for training.