Analog versus Digital

‘I can’t pay for anything’: 10-hour blackout exposes risk-taking Revolut
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/31/i-cant-pay-for-anything-10-hour-blackout-exposes-revolut/
A technical snag shows the fintech has a long way to go to compete with the high street banks.
 
It’s time to prepare the back-up economy 
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/10/31/its-time-to-prepare-the-back-up-economy/
This perhaps is the real problem. We have spent decades optimizing the economy for frictionless connectivity and dismantling analogue systems, only to discover that friction may be precisely what makes systems secure. It’s hard to imagine a more literal illustration of Chesterton’s fence: the principle that we should never tear down a barrier before understanding why it was erected in the first place. 

Vendor Financing and the AI Trade

The Tangled Web of AI Bets Is Reason to Fear Tech Stocks
https://www.wsj.com/tech/the-tangled-web-of-ai-bets-is-reason-to-fear-tech-stocks-905bde86
Vendor financing is back in a new form and it magnifies the AI trade on the way up—and down. 

Political Corruption in America

The Corruption Is Bad. This May Be Worse.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/30/opinion/trump-america-capitalism-rich-politics.html 

Are we Starting to See AI's Impact on the Job Market?

Microsoft and Skydance announced buyouts. What does it mean for workers in a 'low-hire' market?
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/article/microsoft-and-skydance-announced-buyouts-what-does-it-mean-for-workers-in-a-low-hire-market-191021868.html

Goldman says AI layoffs are starting to leave a ‘long-lasting’ scar, just like the last 40 years of history
https://fortune.com/2026/10/30/goldman-sachs-ai-layoffs-displaced-workers-older-workers-past-tech-disruptions/
 
The New Hot Job in Law Doesn’t Require a J.D.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/31/business/dealbook/legal-engineer-ai-law.html
Big law firms, legal tech vendors, and in-house legal departments at companies like Microsoft and Nvidia are all hiring legal engineers, a new position for lawyers with A.I. skills.  

Demand for Forward-Deployed Engineers Is Leading to $1.5 Million Paychecks
https://www.wsj.com/cio-journal/demand-for-forward-deployed-engineers-is-leading-to-1-5-million-paychecks-c1cd713a
https://www.wsj.com/cio-journal/ais-most-wanted-hire-gets-a-big-raise-4f084fc8
 
Memo to AI: lessons from the rise and fall of secretarial skills
https://www.ft.com/content/8f337275-71d9-4aa2-ba57-3f3b7cc20380

Being Needed

Do You Feel Needed? Being necessary has never been more necessary – or more difficult.
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/open-questions/do-you-feel-needed
Joshua Rothman:
Psychologists say that “mattering” is a pillar of happiness, along with belonging and self-esteem. We know we matter when other people notice us, when they invest in us—and when they need us. Young people, accordingly, flourish more when they find ways to be relied upon in their families and communities. Older people tend to stay healthier when they don’t just receive care but give it. The sense of being unnecessary is deflating; the belief that you’re a burden can be even worse, can act as a stepping stone to depression and suicidal thought. 

Chinese EVs and the Global Automarket

‘This Is a Knife Fight’: Inside China’s Ruthless EV Blitz Upending the World
https://www.barrons.com/articles/china-ev-blitz-gm-ford-stock-b73ce2bf
China has so much excess capacity to manufacture inexpensive, feature-laden electric vehicles and hybrids that it threatens car companies—and car stocks—everywhere. 

Political Economy of Government Debt

Why Did All the Fiscal Hawks Go Extinct? By Richard Rubin and David Luhnow
https://www.wsj.com/economy/fiscal-hawks-national-debt-midterms-gdp-8b7a950d
The national debt is growing at an unprecedented pace and almost nobody is prepared to stop it.