<rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Hacker News: lefstathiou</title><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=lefstathiou</link><description>Hacker News RSS</description><docs>https://hnrss.org/</docs><generator>hnrss v2.1.1</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 04 Jul 2026 15:31:19 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://hnrss.org/user?id=lefstathiou" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"></atom:link><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Intelligence is a commodity. Context is the real AI Moat"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Ads are the ultimate end state.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:20:52 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47265204</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47265204</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47265204</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Iran War Cost Tracker"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Carriers aren't meant to hang out at port at home. The US has protected global sea lanes for 80 years.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:28:29 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47237557</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47237557</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47237557</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "France dumps Zoom and Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy from the US"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Your comment here is arguably illegal under UK law that prevents extremism based on violence, hatred or intolerance. Referring to someone as affiliated with the Nazi party arguably fits that bill. Please exercise caution...<p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-definition-of-extremism-2024/new-definition-of-extremism-2024" rel="nofollow">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-definition-of...</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 18:58:31 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46890056</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46890056</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46890056</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "France dumps Zoom and Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy from the US"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Latest leaks indicate the US will be given sovereignty over its existing and future bases in Denmark, along with oil drilling rights, at $0 to US tax payers. Some vassal indeed.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 19:30:37 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46876023</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46876023</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46876023</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "France dumps Zoom and Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy from the US"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>As an American, I will echo Trump's speech at Davos. We want strong allies, not vassals. Be capable of building your own EVs, your own rockets, your own fighter jets, your own subway systems, your own zoom alternatives, your own search engines, your own operating systems, etc etc.<p>Make Europe great again. Bring back creativity. Bring back jobs. Build a talented workforce that stays local instead of migrating to the US. Be independent. Stand tall. Do all of these things and preferrably do them now.<p>America and China's rise shouldnt be zero sum. It should lift the world. Europe forged the path we all follow. Come back to it.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:00:43 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46874557</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46874557</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46874557</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "LICENSE: _may be_ licensed to use source code; incorrect license grant"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Someone tried to shake our company down once. They posted all this stock imagery on the web, waited for someone to use it with an ambiguously worded attribution policy, then have a third party chase you down and demand $100k but will settle for $5k.<p>It turns out we did attribute the right way (in our terms of use) and could prove it with logs of when we added the language and when it was removed after we removed the image, but I am sure they nail people all the time with this strategy. This didnt stop them from sending 20 emails, demand lawyers get on the phone, etc.<p>There are a couple of similar scams like this out there.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:26:44 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46861822</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46861822</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46861822</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Design Thinking Books (2024)"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>My two cents as a 20 year product manager with +10 enterprise applications under my belt (and having read several of these):<p># "Don't make me think" is a seminal work on design thinking for online services. I've yet to come across a book with as much relevance and substance even though 
it was written for the dot com era.<p># "Positioning" by Al Reis is a book I wish I read 15 years ago when I started my company... your product's strategic positioning will greatly inform and shape design decisions (typography, colors, tones, copy, etc)<p># "Ogilvy on Advertising" - written by the legend himself, once you read this book, it will change the way you see all ads in any medium</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:40:00 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46719802</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46719802</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46719802</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Spain fines Airbnb €65M: Why the government is cracking down on illegal rentals"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>65,000,000.00000</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:08:28 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46314489</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46314489</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46314489</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Ford kills the All-Electric F-150"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I think the issue is that the administration is in an adversarial relationship with China. Risky to allow a foreign power have a kill switch on critical infrastructure.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:28:32 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46281698</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46281698</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46281698</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Show HN: I built a dashboard to compare mortgage rates across 120 credit unions"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>The Credit Union Mortgage Association can make the crawling easier via this link: <a href="https://mortgages.cumortgage.net/start_up.asp" rel="nofollow">https://mortgages.cumortgage.net/start_up.asp</a></p>
]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2025 02:41:06 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46143179</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46143179</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46143179</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Google Antigravity"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Same. I wonder if it is because I'm signing in with my Google Apps for business account.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2025 18:40:55 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45970225</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45970225</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45970225</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Why is Google charging me $5-10 per click for my own brand name searches"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>I bought a domain that was previously used for hentai in the 90s and 00s. It was blacklisted from search because Symantec site review and other similar site review services marked it as adult content. I emailed each of them directly and within 48-72 hours, all had manually changed it. This is the only path that I know of.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2025 02:46:07 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45421406</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45421406</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45421406</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Are elites meritocratic and efficiency-seeking? Evidence from MBA students"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>My two cents, I believe there is an nuance worth deliniating, specifically differentiating between being elite "in status" vs being elite "in nature." Painting broad strokes here for the sake of this post (so take with a grain of salt)...<p>Many people born into or groomed for an elite status (via inherited wealth, rich families, strong support systems, etc) are rationally self preservationists. They were born on third base and know it. Many subconsciously know they do not belong there and cannot live up to the level of performance, intellectualism and hard work that laid the foundation for their current state or that others had to endure. Thus, they need support from the system to preserve their current state.<p>People who became elite in nature, are far more likely to value meritocracy. They lacked support, didnt know there was a "system" to be leveraged (eg getting unlimited time for an SAT score with a doctors note), had a chip on their shoulder, grinded their way to be top of their class, were the most productive, knocked on more doors, took risks others would consider irrational, etc.<p>At every level they've had to fight for what they have in a world where the criteria is often opaque. Being genuinely competent, they don't have an innate imposter syndrome, and thus, they value a system that has a clear and objective criteria for them and others, because they are confident they will operate fine within it.<p>EDIT 1: to add: With the above in mind, the more useful analysis in my opinion would be to assess the extent to which ethical frameworks and the role of fairness and meritocracy differ between those who were self-made (eg 1st of their generation to go to an IVY or get an MBA) vs not in "elite" positions of wealth or power.<p>EDIT 2: I'm not suggesting all people born rich don't deserve their success or do not possess these qualities of hard work, etc.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 23 Sep 2025 16:40:24 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45349449</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45349449</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45349449</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Meta’s live demo fails; “AI” recording plays before the actor takes the steps"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Bots bots bots... tearing down our stars is good business for a variety of vested interests. Don't let the bastards grind you down.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 01:12:27 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45296890</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45296890</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45296890</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Show HN: Aris – a free AI-powered answer engine for kids"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Father of three here, I like the premise and execution of this a lot. I don't let my kids use iPads or iPhones and we only watch movies (not shows) as a family on weekends.<p>What resonates with me:
- Dead simple interface
- Zero risk of ads
- I like that you can ask follow-up questions<p>Some ideas
- Using this on Web, the cursor should autofocus on the text box
- A log / audit trail of questions asked would be fun to review as a parent
- One of my biggest concerns about AI is the lack of guardrails preventing them from generating answers rather than using the technology as an amplifier of knowledge.  For example, if my son asked "what is 142 + 47?", I would feel better knowing the response explained how he could approach the problem 100 + 80 + 9 = ? rather than answering the question
-</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 2025 02:40:31 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45228883</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45228883</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45228883</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Trump Just Militarized the Capital – What Comes Next?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Is crime down because they are safer or because police have been told to stand down or see no point if the perp walks free an hour later?<p>Bottom line, I am skeptical. Cities all over have de-criminalized crime, which makes the statistics untrustworthy.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:37:30 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44891385</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44891385</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44891385</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Trump Just Militarized the Capital – What Comes Next?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Agreed, I can't wait. It's this or they should install facial recognition cameras with social credit scores. Either way, something needs to happen.<p>Not an exaggeration, I witness some physical escalation 3 out of 5 days a week between Union Square and Midtown NYC on my daily commute. 10 minutes ago a delivery guy and a pedestrian got into it when the bicyclist ran the red light and went into the cross walk while a swarm of people were walking through it. I've personally been accosted 3x while holding hands and walking my 5-year old son to school in completely "random" acts aggression. Strangely, it's not them trying to rob me, the aim is just to harass.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 13 Aug 2025 17:35:48 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44891366</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44891366</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44891366</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Amazon Submits Bid for TikTok with US Sale Deadline Nearing"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Meh, you aren’t seeing it. You are likely noticing a fringe view of a minority of people being greatly magnified through coordinated and uncoordinated social media campaigns and broad sweeping statements intended to covey that a totality of people (ie “a country”) hold a given view.<p>Now, if we framed it not as an “expropriation of a company” but a “100% tax on billionaires profiting from the work of the creative class” then the numbers would get real very quick.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 02 Apr 2025 18:30:16 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43559808</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43559808</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43559808</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Launch HN: Pinch (YC W25) – Video conferencing with immersive translation"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Telemedicine!</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 Feb 2025 17:44:39 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42935892</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42935892</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42935892</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New comment by lefstathiou in "Ask HN: Is anyone making money selling traditional downloadable software?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[
<p>Same price, only difference is you pay it annually instead of perpetually. I think it’s like 10-15k per license per year.</p>
]]></description><pubDate>Sat, 25 Jan 2025 23:00:55 +0000</pubDate><link>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42825832</link><dc:creator>lefstathiou</dc:creator><comments>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42825832</comments><guid isPermaLink="false">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42825832</guid></item></channel></rss>