Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

O(n) vs O(n²) Startups: Which Makes More Money?

2025-05-18

This essay explores two distinct types of tech startups: O(n) and O(n²). O(n) startups (like Mailchimp) grow linearly, boast high margins, and require no outside funding. O(n²) startups (like Slack) exhibit exponential growth but necessitate heavy investment. The author argues that while VCs favor O(n²) companies, O(n) founders may ultimately earn more due to easier profitability and higher valuations. O(n) startups thrive on stable growth, clear profit models, and lower operational costs, while O(n²) companies face higher risk and uncertainty.

Zero-Sum Games: It's All About Information Warfare

2025-02-24

In zero-sum games like poker and quant trading, information asymmetry is key. The game-theoretic optimal (GTO) strategy isn't always best, as it assumes all opponents play rationally. Success hinges on identifying exploitable patterns in opponent behavior while concealing your own strategy. High-frequency trading firms might profit from predictable patterns in competitor algorithms, while those algorithms defend by adding randomness to their trades. This mirrors poker's table image; players can mislead opponents by creating a false pattern of behavior, ultimately profiting. Zero-sum games are fundamentally information warfare, not just a pure strategy contest.

Rohlang3: A Minimalist Dependently Typed SK Calculus

2025-01-06

Rohan Ganapavarapu's Rohlang3 is an experimental minimalist language written in Rust. It attempts to combine point-free style, homoiconicity, and dependent typing atop an SK-calculus foundation. While built on the standard S and K combinators, Rohlang3 adds reflection (q and e), partial evaluation (z), and environment reordering (i, E, D) combinators, along with a simplified Pi/Sigma dependent type system (p and g). The project isn't aiming for perfect consistency, but rather explores the interplay of these concepts. Homoiconicity allows runtime manipulation of the AST, and the reflection and partial evaluation features enable powerful metaprogramming capabilities.