TikTok nears deal 📱, Tesla Oasis Supercharger ⚡, LLM dev reality check 🧑‍💻

TLDR 2025-07-07

Jul 07, 2025

TikTok's ‘ban' problem could end soon with a new app and a sale (2 minute read)

The Trump administration says it's close to an agreement for a TikTok sale that satisfies the law's requirements, but it involves a new, separate version of the app. The deal still needs approval from the Chinese government. TikTok staff are reportedly working on a new version of the app for release in app stores on September 5. Under the current timeline, the original TikTok app will leave app stores as the new one launches, and the old one will stop working entirely in March 2026.

OpenAI experiments with new "Study together" tool on ChatGPT (1 minute read)

'Study together' is a new tool in ChatGPT that guides users through the study process step-by-step. It creates a more interactive, guided study environment by posing more questions and breaking down topics, helping users actively learn rather than just receive explanations. It checks answers and adapts by offering follow-ups or clarifying explanations as needed. There is currently no official timeline for the rollout of the feature - a growing number of users are reporting access, indicating a limited A/B test or pre-release trial.

🚀Science & Futuristic Technology

Tesla launches Oasis Supercharger with solar farm and off-grid batteries (3 minute read)

Tesla's Oasis Supercharger, an EV charging station with a solar farm and off-grid batteries, is now open in Lost Hills, California. The project consists of 168 chargers, half of which are currently operational. It is equipped with 11 MW of ground-mounted solar panels and canopies. Spanning 30 acres of land, it has 10 Tesla Megapacks with a total energy storage capacity of 39 MWh. The charging station can be operated off-grid. The rest of the stalls and a lounge will be open later this year.

UK firm achieves tritium breakthrough, could boost nuclear fusion fuel supply (3 minute read)

UK-based private commercial fusion company Astral Systems claims to be the first firm to successfully breed tritium, a vital fusion fuel, using a fusion reactor. The achievement addresses a significant hurdle in the development of fusion energy. It clearly demonstrates a potential path to scalable tritium production, which could unlock a wide range of applications and capabilities. The ability to generate tritium within the reactor is crucial - a sustainable fusion energy system needs to produce more fuel than it consumes.

💻Programming, Design & Data Science

Software engineering with LLMs in 2025: reality check (31 minute read)

Executives at AI infrastructure companies have made bold claims about the technology, but developers often find these claims to fall spectacularly flat. This article looks at how AI is used within the tech industry to see why founders/CEOs are more bullish than devs about AI tools, how widespread usage is among developers, how much time AI tools really save, and more. Many seasoned software engineers were skeptical about AI tools until very recently - now, most are surprisingly enthusiastic and see these tools as a change that will reshape software development.

How to become passionate about delivering shareholder value (8 minute read)

Many engineers believe their jobs are to write good code, thinking that delivering shareholder value is the company's business, not theirs. Delivering shareholder value means making the company stock price go up and stay up. Shareholder value is part of the software design process - engineers should be connected to the financial goals of the company. Not all engineers are working in situations that can affect shareholder value, but those who work in more functional environments have a real opportunity to shape the financial situation of their companies, for good or ill.

🎁Miscellaneous

The Coder ‘Village' at the Heart of China's A.I. Frenzy (9 minute read)

Liangzhu, a suburb in the southern Chinese city of Hangzhou, is a hot spot for entrepreneurs and tech talent. Lured by the low rents and proximity to tech companies like Alibaba and DeepSeek, people flock to the city to explore their own possibilities. The provincial and local governments started offering subsidies and tax breaks to new companies in the region a decade ago, which helped to incubate hundreds of startups. The region has already birthed tech powerhouses like Alibaba, DeepSeek, NetEase, and Hikvision.

The Companies Betting They Can Profit From Google Search's Demise (6 minute read)

At least a dozen new startups are betting on the rapid demise of Google search and pouring millions of dollars into AI tools. These companies are helping businesses understand how AI chatbots gather information and how to steer them towards brands so that they appear in AI searches. The customer interest is a sign of how AI is transforming search and how companies are trying to get ahead of the changes.

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