The ACs also sense human movement and adjust temperature accordingly, he said. Wassup acquires Doormint for an equity swap * Wassup Laundry, an on-demand laundry and dry cleaning brand ...

Artificial Intelligence, big data dominate HR tech meet

DoorMint

doormint

In 2021, hosted the first-ever awards!! HackerNoon Startup of the Year The goal of this campaign was to give recognition to the hardworking startups who pulled through the pandemic -- growing and thriving (despite all of the challenges). More than 44,000 startups were nominated all across the globe! They were selected from over 4,553 cities, with a total number of * cough * “4 billion” votes. Insane, right? To see who is a winner in each respective city, visit and pick a city. The name at the top of the list is the winner. (Compromised awards are under review. Cities with tie votes will be updated to have two winners!) startups.hackernoon.com The will announce the winners per region in their respective cities. Startups Winners Announcement series Here are the winners in the : Asia region Top Startup Cities in East Asia Seoul The Startup of the Year in is with 377 votes! Seoul dable Central is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 121 votes. UpNow Central Sheung Wan came out as the Startup of the Year in with 154 votes. Votee Sheung Wan Tokyo The Startup of the Year in is with 41 votes! Tokyo ACES Wan Chai The Startup of the Year in is with 54 votes! Wan Chai Zetl Osaka, Japan In , is the winner! Osaka Nanophoton Taiwan came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Tico Taiwan Dongcheng, China In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Dongcheng Waiju Taipei came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Tico Taipei Akasaka In , is the winner! Akasaka WAKUWAKU Chuo In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Chuo GO-NET Ginza came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Netyear Ginza Kanazawa In , is the winner! Kanazawa Granzella Minami-aoyama In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Minami-aoyama Tokyo6 Entertainment Shibuya came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Hupro Japan Shibuya Toranomon In , is the winner! Toranomon Small Worlds Toshima In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Toshima Altplus Guangzhou, China came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Leyaoyao Guangzhou Hong Kong, Hong Kong In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Hong Kong Episode Six Kunming In , is the winner! Kunming Green A Sapporo In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Sapporo Polar Star Space Shirokanedai came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Nupp1 Shirokanedai Wuhan In , is the winner! Wuhan CSICEE Baoan, China In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Baoan Jumper Baoshan, China In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Baoshan Renren Games Chengdu, China came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Ju You Xi Chengdu Fujisawa, Japan In , is the winner! Fujisawa Scohia Pharma Fukuoka, Japan In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Fukuoka Kyulux Haidian, China came out as the Startup of the Year in ! 51vv Haidian Hongkou, China In , is the winner! Hongkou Kidstone Jiading, China In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Jiading IMRobotic Kawasaki, Japan came out as the Startup of the Year in ! QD Laser, Inc. Kawasaki Kyoto, Japan In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kyoto Hacarus Minato, Japan In , is the winner! Minato Visionary Fun Nagoya, Japan came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Prodrone Nagoya Ningbo, China The winner in is . Ningbo OlymTech Corporation Aomori In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Aomori Forte Japan Bandai-cho In , is the winner. Bandai-cho Delta-Fly Pharm Changchun In , the Startup of the Year is . Changchun Kaidi Animation Fuchu In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Fuchu TMS Fukuoka-shi The winner in is . Fukuoka-shi SkyDisc Fukushima In , the Startup of the Year is . Fukushima Matsuri Technologies Gotanda In , is the winner. Gotanda Basset Hachioji In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Hachioji Adriakaim Harbin The winner in is J . Harbin oining Technology Iwaki In , is the winner. Iwaki Tao Engineering Izumo In , the Startup of the Year is . Izumo PuREC Kagoshima In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kagoshima Farmers Support Kamakura In , the Startup of the Year is . Kamakura KAYAC Kami-meguro The winner in is . Kami-meguro Buzzreach Kanagawa In , is the winner. Kanagawa LoiLo Kashiwa In , the Startup of the Year is . Kashiwa Intelligent Surfaces Kita In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kita Ax Robotix Kobe The winner in is . Kobe Coconomi Koriyama In , the Startup of the Year is . Koriyama Tocoton Kumamoto In , is the winner. Kumamoto Bloom Technology Kunitachi In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kunitachi Trys Liaocheng The winner in is . Liaocheng Jinzheng Animation Minami In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Minami ATLAB Miyazaki In , is the winner. Miyazaki Caster Nagano In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Nagano Precision Forestry Nagaoka The winner in is . Nagaoka Plant Form Nihombashi-hamacho In , the Startup of the Year is . Nihombashi-hamacho Shizen Energy Niigata In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Niigata UniBio Japan Nishi-shinagawa In , is the winner. Nishi-shinagawa Play Heart Okayama In , is the winner! Okayama Arch Farm Okinawa In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Okinawa BlogNinja Otemachi In , the Startup of the Year is . Otemachi beBit, Inc Qingdao Shi In , is the winner! Qingdao Shi Manyoubang Quanzhou In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Quanzhou KungFu Animation Group Roppongi The winner in is . Roppongi Holo-X Saitama In , the Startup of the Year is . Saitama GameTector Sendai In , is the winner! Sendai Sendai Smart Machines Setagaya In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Setagaya Skyestate Shenzhen In , the Startup of the Year is . Shenzhen Aiator Shinjuku In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Shinjuku Scalar Shizuoka In , is the winner! Shizuoka PiPhotonics Sumida The winner in is . Sumida Holotch Tachikawa In , the Startup of the Year is . Tachikawa PlusOne Takamatsu In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Takamatsu Ken Robotec Tokushima In , is the winner! Tokushima DennoKotsu Toyonaka In , the Startup of the Year is . Toyonaka FISH BIOTECH Tsukuba In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Tsukuba WARPSPACE Wakayama In , the Startup of the Year is . Wakayama 4D Sensor Xiangzhou In , is the winner! Xiangzhou ALLiN Edutech Group Xianyang The winner in is . Xianyang TONLY Xiaoshan In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Xiaoshan GONGHUI Yamaguchi In , the Startup of the Year is . Yamaguchi Archis Yangpu The winner in is . Yangpu Tmxmall Yau Tsim Mong In , is the winner! Yau Tsim Mong Airnugget Yeoksamdong In , the Startup of the Year is . Yeoksamdong WizSchool Yichang In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Yichang Hubei Kento Electronic Yokohama In , is the winner! Yokohama Next Innovation Yubei In , the Startup of the Year is . Yubei Ophiux Network Yueqing The winner in is . Yueqing Yueqing Easythink Media Zhuhai In , is the winner! Zhuhai Aijuba Hongo In , the Startup of the Year is . Hongo Smile Robotics, Inc Admiralty In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Admiralty BUNCH Southern In , the Startup of the Year is . Southern Retykle Yongdungpo In , is the winner! Yongdungpo Push News Taichung In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Taichung Wondercise Cyberport, Hong Kong In , the Startup of the Year is . Cyberport Animoca Brands Hefei, China In , is the winner! Hefei Tsinglink New Territories, Hong Kong The winner in is . New Territories, Hong Kong Zeek Dezhou In , the Startup of the Year is . Dezhou Dezhou Baji Kitakyushu In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kitakyushu Reif Seongnam In , is the winner! Seongnam EOFlow Yanshi In , the Startup of the Year is . Yanshi CASI Vision Top Startup Cities in South Asia Hyderabad, India The Startup of the Year in is with 962 votes Hyderabad Quixy Lahore, Pakistan is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 186 votes. SmartWindows Lahore Bangalore, India When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year with 210 votes! Bangalore vBridge Hub Pune, India couldn’t be beaten for Startup of the Year in , it won with 129 votes! InfraCloud Pune Jaipur, India The Startup of the Year in is with 166 votes Jaipur Emizen Tech Lucknow, India is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 279 votes. Keeros Superfoods Lucknow Noida, India came out as the Startup of the Year in with 156 votes! Bagisto Noida Mumbai, India When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year with 96 votes! Mumbai Sequretek Sylhet couldn’t be beaten for Startup of the Year in , it won with 122 votes! DataXpie Sylhet Mylapore, India In , is the winner! Mylapore Yalimart Goa, India In , the Startup of the Year is Goa Filter Coffee Delhi, India In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Delhi EkAnek Networks Karachi, Pakistan The winner in is Karachi Bykea Ahmedabad, India In , is the winner Ahmedabad MageComp Dhaka, Bangladesh The winner in is Dhaka SOLshare Islamabad, Pakistan In Islamabad, is declared the Startup of the Year! TAG Gurgaon, India In , the Startup of the Year is Gurgaon ixigo Bengaluru, India In , is the winner! Bengaluru Prakshep Private Limited Haryana, India couldn’t be beaten for Startup of the Year in ! Footprints Childcare Haryana Kolkata, India In , is the winner! Kolkata Wow! Momo New Delhi, India In , is declared the Startup of the Year! New Delhi Rusk Media Indore, India The winner in is Indore Chattar Patar Kormangala In , is the winner Kormangala Sanctum Technologies Ghaziabad came out as the Startup of the Year in Craftfurnish.com Ghaziabad! Mohali In , the Startup of the Year is Mohali DataKund Mysore The Startup of the Year in is Mysore Excelsoft Karnal came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Dunar Karnal Kolhapur In , is the winner! Kolhapur Zanvar Group Patiya In , the Startup of the Year is Patiya Kloud Project Kathmandu In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kathmandu Vairav Technology Bangalore City, India In is the winner! Bangalore City, PagarBook Ernakulam The winner in is Ernakulam Epixel Solutions Colombo, Sri Lanka couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in MAs Foods Colombo Andheri, India When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Andheri DoorMint Kanpur, India came out as the Startup of the Year in ! ServiceWalaa Kanpur Faisalabad In , is the winner! Faisalabad DigiKhata Nasik The Startup of the Year in is Nasik Sahyadri Farms Patna came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Asvin Tech Patna Chennai, India In , is the winner! Chennai Agnikul Cosmos Faridabad, India In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Faridabad UClean Panjim, India The winner in is Panjim TempoGO Ranchi, India In , is the winner Ranchi Osam Dairy Surat, India In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Surat Wishbook Thane, India In , is the winner! Thane Delight Foods Trivandrum, India came out as the Startup of the Year in ! GenRobotic Trivandrum Vijayawada, India In , the Startup of the Year is Vijayawada Eruvaka Technologies Visakhapatnam, India In , Ltd is declared the Startup of the Year! Visakhapatnam Greenline Labs Pvt Ahmadabad In , is the winner! Ahmadabad KiwiQA Services Bandra came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Car Club Bandra Bombay In , is the winner! Bombay Locobuddy Mobile Technology (Sportobuddy) Cochin In , the Startup of the Year is Cochin Tuttifrutti Interactive Gandhinagar In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Gandhinagar Kroop AI Guwahati In , the Startup of the Year is Guwahati GNRC Hospitals Jamshedpur In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Jamshedpur Intelliber Kabul The winner in is Kabul Miracle Shop (Vocinno Technology) Karur In , is the winner Karur Karur Vysya Bank Kochi The winner in is Kochi BestDoc Kozhikode In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kozhikode OfficeKit HR Ludhiana In , the Startup of the Year is Ludhiana Trendy Beat Network Madhapur In , is the winner! Madhapur Head Digital Works Mangalore When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year Mangalore Hangyo Nagpur came out as the Startup of the Year in ! UPrudence Agro Nagpur Rawalpindi The Startup of the Year in is Rawalpindi Pro Options Marketing Rishikesh came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Descatuk Rishikesh Secunderabad couldn’t be beaten for Startup of the Year in Prakriti Biosystems Engineering Secunderabad Tirupur In , is the winner! Tirupur Tubeknit Fashions Udupi The winner in is Udupi Krishitantra Top Startup Cities in Southeast Asia Singapore, Singapore The Startup of the Year in is with 6556 votes! Singapore Cake DeFi Hanoi, Vietnam is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 683 votes. DeFi For You Hanoi Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia came out as the Startup of the Year in with 109 votes! Trambellir Kuala Lumpur Pasig, Philippines When it comes to , . is the Startup of the Year with 110 votes! Pasig Quickreach Inc Bangkok, Thailand couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in , it won with 60 votes! Perception Codes Bangkok Johor Bahru In , the Startup of the Year is . Johor Bahru AGR1 Bandung, Indonesia In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Bandung Prosa Portugal The winner in is . Portugal SCEMAI Tangerang, Indonesia In , is the winner Tangerang Yummy Corp Jakarta, Indonesia In , is the winner! Jakarta Tokocrypto Dki Jakarta, Indonesia In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Dki Jakarta Limakilo Bangkok Metropolis In , is the winner! Bangkok Meticuly Medan The winner in is ! Medan DIKA Manila, Philippines In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Manila PawnHero Phnom Penh, Cambodia In , the Startup of the Year is Phnom Penh vKirirom Bali In , is the winner! Bali Radius App Penang When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year Penang EasyParcel Surabaya came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Super Surabaya Setiabudi, Indonesia The Startup of the Year in is Setiabudi Chilibeli Cebu City came out as the Startup of the Year in MiCab Cebu City! Jawa couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in DAUR Jawa Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam In , is the winner! Ho Chi Minh City Pharmacity Selangor, Malaysia is the Startup of the Year! BabyDash Selangor Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia In , is the winner! Jakarta Pusat StickEarn Semarang When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Semarang Food Bear Petaling Jaya, Malaysia The winner in is . Petaling Jaya Deemples Kebayoran Baru, Indonesia couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! Yogrt Kebayoran Baru Kuningan The winner in is . Kuningan Prinzio Bukit Merah came out as the Startup of the Year in ! DC Alliance Bukit Merah Huai Khwang In , the Startup of the Year is . Huai Khwang AppMan Co.,Ltd Kuta In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Kuta Gringgo Mandaluyong came out ahead as the Startup of the Year! Work Inspire Mandaluyong Midview City In , is the winner! Midview City BioMers Phuket The Startup of the Year in is ! Phuket Sapahn Yangon, Myanmar The winner in is . Yangon Wave Money Denpasar When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Denpasar Revasi Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand The winner in is . Nakhon Ratchasima Siam Lottery co., Ltd Taguig, Philippines In , is the winner! Taguig PayMongo Bogor came out as the Startup of the Year in ! TIRANYX Bogor Senai, Malaysia won as the Startup of the Year. Nutrition Technologies Senai Bekasi Kota couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! 8villages Bekasi Kota Top Startup Cities in Middle East Tel Aviv, Israel The Startup of the Year in is with 1,065 votes! Tel Aviv hyro Beirut, Lebanon is the Startup of the Year! It came out ahead with 1,276 votes. Hovi Digital Lab Beirut Riyadh, Saudi Arabia With 350 votes, came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Flicron Riyadh Tel Aviv-yafo, Israel When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year with 167 votes! Tel Aviv-yafo Cymbio Haifa, Israel couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in , it won with 183 votes! Pico Haifa Amman, Jordan In , with 141 votes, is the winner! Amman Edexy Dubai, United Arab Emirates In , the Startup of the Year is with 74 votes. Dubai Ziina Doha, Qatar In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Doha SkipCash Tehran, Iran The winner in is . BeyondBoard AR Tehran Jerusalem, Israel In , is the winner! Jerusalem SolidBlock Rishon Le Zion The Startup of the Year in is ! Rishon Le Zion Passparto Ness Ziona, Israel is the Startup of the Year! Soapy Ness Ziona Kuwait, Kuwait came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Brapper Shop Kuwait Manama, Bahrain couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! Doctori Manama Lod, Israel is the winner in ! Phinergy Lod Agudat Israel, Israel When it comes to is the Startup of the Year with [vote ] votes! Agudat Israel, Aqaurius Engines Beersheba, Israel In , the Startup of the Year is . Beersheba Visual Estate Ltd Giv'atayim, Israel In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Giv'atayim WSC Sports Modi'in, Israel The winner in is . Modi'in Loginno Nazareth, Israel In , is the winner! Nazareth AR Guide In Medical Ramat Gan, Israel The Startup of the Year in is . Ramat Gan Datos Health Baghdad When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Baghdad Mishwar Khobar In , the Startup of the Year is . Khobar Garage Misgav couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! Eden Shield Misgav Sharjah came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Bookends Sharjah Affula In , the Startup of the Year is . Affula eMotion Technologies Bene Beraq, Israel In , is the winner Bene Beraq Reflectiz Caesarea, Israel In , the Startup of the Year is . Caesarea CardiacSense Dubayy In , is declared the Startup of the Year! Dubayy North Ladder Muscat couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in ! iLab Marine Muscat Tirat Carmel In , the Startup of the Year is . Tirat Carmel PassCall Advanced Technologies Hod Hasharon, Israel The winner in is . Hod Hasharon Idomoo Holon, Israel came out ahead as the Startup of the Year! OptimalPlus Holon Jeddah, Saudi Arabia When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Jeddah Arabian Combustion Technologies Ramat Hasharon, Israel is the Startup of the Year! Lumen Ramat Hasharon Al Khobar came out as the Startup of the Year in ! Swyft Al Khobar Bet Shemesh In , is the winner! Bet Shemesh Degania Medical Binyamina When it comes to , is the Startup of the Year! Binyamina OncoHost Makkah In , the Startup of the Year is Makkah Scimagine Or Akiva Last but not least, couldn’t be beaten for Startup in the Year in the city of ! WMT Or Akiva More Information: If you’re a winner, please answer ! If you’re a reader, participant, just a curious individual, consider answering one of our interviews . this interview here Read the FAQs about or . Startups here here To see all of the winners you may visit , pick any city and view the name that appears at the top. this site If you’re interested in partnering with us, we invite you to look through some of these or reach out to our business department. unique sponsorship options Perhaps creating your very own tickles your fancy or maybe you have a whole new idea for how we can partner! writing contest Thank you to all of our sponsors! We truly appreciate your contribution to the tech world and thus the future! The Startups Awards are sponsored by: , , , , , , , , , , Blockster Brex FreeCodeCamp LaunchDarkly Coil Udacity Udemy Vercel Asia Pacific Transgender Network Bybit Everscale Network The post was written by Kushal Tamrakar and Valerie Ejegi, edited by Hang Ngo. If you have any questions or concerns or would like to report a discrepancy please email ellen@hackernoon.com.

Meet the Winners of Startups in Asia

Ever feel like you’re just an unpaid intern in everyone else’s life? You agree to things you don’t want to do. You feel guilty for setting boundaries. You say “yes” before you even realize what’s happening. Congratulations, you’ve been trapped in the People-Pleasing Vortex. And let me tell you from experience—it’s exhausting. For years, I thought being "nice" meant being agreeable, easygoing, and always available. Turns out, it just meant I was running on empty, filled with silent resentment, while everyone else walked away happy. So if you’re done bending over backward for people who wouldn’t lift a finger for you, let’s talk about how to stop people-pleasing and start prioritizing yourself. The Real Cost of People-Pleasing There’s this chart I saw once that perfectly sums it up: 🟢 Work 🟢 Family 🟢 Friends 🟢 Social Obligations 🟢 Doing Favors for People Who Don’t Deserve It 🔴 Relaxing? Nowhere to be found. That’s the life of a people-pleaser. You spend so much time making sure everyone else is happy that your own happiness gets bulldozed. You over-commit to things you don’t even want to do.


You let people push your boundaries because confrontation feels scarier than being used.


You end up exhausted, burned out, and wondering why no one ever considers your needs. The truth? When you prioritize everyone else’s happiness over your own, you’re not living—you’re just surviving. So let’s fix that. 5 Ways to Stop Being a People-Pleasing Machine 1️⃣ Make ‘No’ Your Default Setting If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no. It sounds harsh, but think about it: Every "yes" to something you don’t care about is a "no" to the things that actually matter. And let’s be real—most of the stuff you say yes to? You probably regret it later. 🔹 Extra work projects you don’t have time for? No. 🔹 Social events that drain you? No. 🔹 Helping someone move again when they never return the favor? Absolutely not. Early in your career, saying yes opens doors. Later in life, saying yes closes them. The more valuable your time becomes, the more ruthless you have to be with it. 2️⃣ How to Say ‘No’ Without Sounding Like an Asshole Here’s a graceful rejection formula (steal this): Thank them for thinking of you.


Acknowledge it sounds like a great opportunity.


Say you’re overcommitted and can’t give it the attention it deserves.


Wish them luck. Example: "Hey [Name], thanks for reaching out! This sounds like an amazing project, and I really appreciate you thinking of me. Unfortunately, I’m already stretched too thin, and I wouldn’t be able to give it the time it deserves. I know it’ll turn out great, and I’m excited to see where you take it!" ✅ Respectful. ✅ No over-explaining. ✅ No guilt. The key? Don’t leave room for negotiation. People respect clear boundaries. They walk all over vague ones. 3️⃣ Boundaries Are a Cheat Code for Sanity There’s a quote I love: "Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments." If someone keeps overstepping, it’s your job to make the boundary clear. Here’s a 5-step boundary-setting script to use: “Is now a bad time?” (This makes people more receptive.)


“When you ____, I feel ____.” (State the issue calmly.)


“I have a personal rule where I only allow/don’t allow ____.” (Frame it as a rule, not a request.)


“If you keep doing ____, I’ll have to ____.” (Set a consequence if needed.)


“I hope we can make this work.” (End on a positive note.) This works in every scenario—work, relationships, friendships, even family. Because the moment you start enforcing boundaries, you start teaching people how to treat you. 4️⃣ Be Kind, Not ‘Nice’ There’s a huge difference: Nice people avoid hard conversations to keep the peace. Kind people have hard conversations because they actually care. 🔹 A nice manager sugarcoats feedback to avoid hurt feelings. 🔹 A kind manager gives honest feedback because they want their team to improve. 🔹 A nice friend agrees with you even when you’re making bad decisions. 🔹 A kind friend calls you out because they don’t want you to wreck your life. Niceness is performative. Kindness is constructive. Be kind. And stop wasting your time being nice to people who don’t deserve it. 5️⃣ Normalize the ‘Gift of Goodbye’ You don’t owe loyalty to: ❌ Friends who drain your energy. ❌ Jobs that make you miserable. ❌ Relationships that make you feel small. If something isn’t adding to your life, it’s subtracting from it. High-value people walk away from things that don’t serve them. And the best part? You don’t need closure. You don’t need a long explanation. You just need to decide. "This no longer works for me." That’s all you need. How to Actually Stop People-Pleasing Say ‘No’ More Often → If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.


Learn to Say ‘No’ Gracefully → Polite, firm, and final.


Set Clear Boundaries → You teach people how to treat you.


Be Kind, Not ‘Nice’ → Honesty > Avoiding conflict.


Normalize Walking Away → You don’t owe anyone your time. Your job is not to be liked by everyone. Your job is to be true to yourself. If someone doesn’t respect your boundaries, your time, or your energy… they’re not your people. Final Thought “Don’t be afraid of losing people. Be afraid of losing yourself trying to please them.” You can’t make everyone happy. So you might as well start with yourself. Until next time, Ben Ever feel like you’re just an unpaid intern in everyone else’s life? You agree to things you don’t want to do. You feel guilty for setting boundaries. You say “yes” before you even realize what’s happening. Congratulations, you’ve been trapped in the People-Pleasing Vortex. People-Pleasing Vortex. And let me tell you from experience—it’s exhausting. For years, I thought being "nice" meant being agreeable, easygoing, and always available. Turns out, it just meant I was running on empty, filled with silent resentment, while everyone else walked away happy. "nice" So if you’re done bending over backward for people who wouldn’t lift a finger for you, let’s talk about how to stop people-pleasing and start prioritizing yourself. how to stop people-pleasing and start prioritizing yourself. The Real Cost of People-Pleasing The Real Cost of People-Pleasing There’s this chart I saw once that perfectly sums it up: 🟢 Work 🟢 Family 🟢 Friends 🟢 Social Obligations 🟢 Doing Favors for People Who Don’t Deserve It 🔴 Relaxing? Nowhere to be found. Relaxing? Nowhere to be found. That’s the life of a people-pleaser. You spend so much time making sure everyone else is happy that your own happiness gets bulldozed. You over-commit to things you don’t even want to do. You let people push your boundaries because confrontation feels scarier than being used. You end up exhausted, burned out, and wondering why no one ever considers your needs. You over-commit to things you don’t even want to do. You over-commit to things you don’t even want to do. You let people push your boundaries because confrontation feels scarier than being used. You let people push your boundaries because confrontation feels scarier than being used. scarier You end up exhausted, burned out, and wondering why no one ever considers your needs. You end up exhausted, burned out, and wondering why no one ever considers your needs. your The truth? When you prioritize everyone else’s happiness over your own, you’re not living—you’re just surviving. prioritize everyone else’s happiness over your own, you’re not living—you’re just surviving. So let’s fix that. 5 Ways to Stop Being a People-Pleasing Machine 5 Ways to Stop Being a People-Pleasing Machine 1️⃣ Make ‘No’ Your Default Setting Make ‘No’ Your Default Setting If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no. hell yes, It sounds harsh, but think about it: Every "yes" to something you don’t care about is a "no" to the things that actually matter. Every "yes" to something you don’t care about is a "no" to the things that actually matter. And let’s be real—most of the stuff you say yes to? You probably regret it later. 🔹 Extra work projects you don’t have time for? No. No. 🔹 Social events that drain you? No. No. 🔹 Helping someone move again when they never return the favor? Absolutely not. again Absolutely not. Early in your career, saying yes opens doors. Later in life, saying yes closes them. The more valuable your time becomes, the more ruthless you have to be with it. 2️⃣ How to Say ‘No’ Without Sounding Like an Asshole How to Say ‘No’ Without Sounding Like an Asshole Here’s a graceful rejection formula (steal this): graceful rejection formula Thank them for thinking of you. Acknowledge it sounds like a great opportunity. Say you’re overcommitted and can’t give it the attention it deserves. Wish them luck. Thank them for thinking of you. Thank them for thinking of you. Thank them for thinking of you. Acknowledge it sounds like a great opportunity. Acknowledge it sounds like a great opportunity. Acknowledge it sounds like a great opportunity. Say you’re overcommitted and can’t give it the attention it deserves. Say you’re overcommitted and can’t give it the attention it deserves. Say you’re overcommitted and can’t give it the attention it deserves. Wish them luck. Wish them luck. Wish them luck. Example: "Hey [Name], thanks for reaching out! This sounds like an amazing project, and I really appreciate you thinking of me. Unfortunately, I’m already stretched too thin, and I wouldn’t be able to give it the time it deserves. I know it’ll turn out great, and I’m excited to see where you take it!" "Hey [Name], thanks for reaching out! This sounds like an amazing project, and I really appreciate you thinking of me. Unfortunately, I’m already stretched too thin, and I wouldn’t be able to give it the time it deserves. I know it’ll turn out great, and I’m excited to see where you take it!" ✅ Respectful. ✅ No over-explaining. ✅ No guilt. The key? Don’t leave room for negotiation. Don’t leave room for negotiation. People respect clear boundaries. They walk all over vague ones. 3️⃣ Boundaries Are a Cheat Code for Sanity Boundaries Are a Cheat Code for Sanity There’s a quote I love: "Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments." "Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments." "Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments." "Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments." If someone keeps overstepping, it’s your job to make the boundary clear. your Here’s a 5-step boundary-setting script to use: 5-step boundary-setting script “Is now a bad time?” (This makes people more receptive.) “When you ____, I feel ____.” (State the issue calmly.) “I have a personal rule where I only allow/don’t allow ____.” (Frame it as a rule, not a request.) “If you keep doing ____, I’ll have to ____.” (Set a consequence if needed.) “I hope we can make this work.” (End on a positive note.) “Is now a bad time?” (This makes people more receptive.) “Is now a bad time?” (This makes people more receptive.) “Is now a bad time?” “When you ____, I feel ____.” (State the issue calmly.) “When you ____, I feel ____.” (State the issue calmly.) “When you ____, I feel ____.” “I have a personal rule where I only allow/don’t allow ____.” (Frame it as a rule, not a request.) “I have a personal rule where I only allow/don’t allow ____.” (Frame it as a rule, not a request.) “I have a personal rule where I only allow/don’t allow ____.” “If you keep doing ____, I’ll have to ____.” (Set a consequence if needed.) “If you keep doing ____, I’ll have to ____.” (Set a consequence if needed.) “If you keep doing ____, I’ll have to ____.” “I hope we can make this work.” (End on a positive note.) “I hope we can make this work.” (End on a positive note.) “I hope we can make this work.” This works in every scenario—work, relationships, friendships, even family. every Because the moment you start enforcing boundaries, you start teaching people how to treat you. teaching people how to treat you. 4️⃣ Be Kind, Not ‘Nice’ Be Kind, Not ‘Nice’ There’s a huge difference: Nice people avoid hard conversations to keep the peace. Nice people Kind people have hard conversations because they actually care. Kind people 🔹 A nice manager sugarcoats feedback to avoid hurt feelings. nice 🔹 A kind manager gives honest feedback because they want their team to improve. kind 🔹 A nice friend agrees with you even when you’re making bad decisions. nice 🔹 A kind friend calls you out because they don’t want you to wreck your life. kind Niceness is performative. performative. Kindness is constructive. constructive. Be kind. And stop wasting your time being nice to people who don’t deserve it. nice 5️⃣ Normalize the ‘Gift of Goodbye’ Normalize the ‘Gift of Goodbye’ You don’t owe loyalty to: ❌ Friends who drain your energy. Friends who drain your energy. ❌ Jobs that make you miserable. Jobs that make you miserable. ❌ Relationships that make you feel small. Relationships that make you feel small. If something isn’t adding to your life, it’s subtracting from it. adding to your life, High-value people walk away from things that don’t serve them. walk away from things that don’t serve them. And the best part? You don’t need closure. You don’t need a long explanation. You just need to decide. closure. long explanation. decide. "This no longer works for me." "This no longer works for me." That’s all you need. How to Actually Stop People-Pleasing How to Actually Stop People-Pleasing Say ‘No’ More Often → If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no. Learn to Say ‘No’ Gracefully → Polite, firm, and final. Set Clear Boundaries → You teach people how to treat you. Be Kind, Not ‘Nice’ → Honesty > Avoiding conflict. Normalize Walking Away → You don’t owe anyone your time. Say ‘No’ More Often → If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no. Say ‘No’ More Often → If it’s not a hell yes , it’s a no. Say ‘No’ More Often hell yes no. Learn to Say ‘No’ Gracefully → Polite, firm, and final. Learn to Say ‘No’ Gracefully → Polite, firm, and final. Learn to Say ‘No’ Gracefully Set Clear Boundaries → You teach people how to treat you. Set Clear Boundaries → You teach people how to treat you. Set Clear Boundaries Be Kind, Not ‘Nice’ → Honesty > Avoiding conflict. Be Kind, Not ‘Nice’ → Honesty > Avoiding conflict. Be Kind, Not ‘Nice’ Normalize Walking Away → You don’t owe anyone your time. Normalize Walking Away → You don’t owe anyone your time. Normalize Walking Away Your job is not to be liked by everyone. not Your job is to be true to yourself. be true to yourself. If someone doesn’t respect your boundaries, your time, or your energy… they’re not your people. they’re not your people. Final Thought Final Thought “Don’t be afraid of losing people. Be afraid of losing yourself trying to please them.” “Don’t be afraid of losing people. Be afraid of losing yourself trying to please them.” “Don’t be afraid of losing people. Be afraid of losing yourself trying to please them.” “Don’t be afraid of losing people. Be afraid of losing yourself trying to please them.” You can’t make everyone happy. So you might as well start with yourself. Until next time, Ben

You're Not a Doormat — So Stop Laying Down for Everyone

Jy is nie 'n doormat nie - so stop laying down vir almal

እርስዎ ለሁሉም መጫወት አይችሉም - ስለዚህ ለሁሉም መጫወት አይችሉም

Nejste doormat - tak přestaňte klást pro každého

You're Not a Doormat - Así que deje de colocar para todos

You're Not A Doormat - So Stop Laying Down Mindenkinek

You're Not a Doormat-So Stop Laying Down- ը բոլորի համար

You're Not a Doormat - So Stop Laying Down for Everyone (You're Not a Doormat - So Stop Laying Down for Everyone)

You're Not a Doormat - ដូច្នេះ Stop Laying Down សម្រាប់មនុស្សទាំងអស់

You're Not a Doormat - So Stop Laying Down for Everyone (당신은 도어마트가 아닙니다)

Nie ste doormat - tak prestaňte klásť pre všetkých

Wewe si Doormat - hivyo kuacha kuweka chini kwa kila mtu

You're Not a Doormat — So Stop Laying Down для всіх

The Outlaw of Torn by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . Chapter I The Outlaw of Torn Chapter I Here is a story that has lain dormant for seven hundred years. At first it was suppressed by one of the Plantagenet kings of England. Later it was forgotten. I happened to dig it up by accident. The accident being the relationship of my wife’s cousin to a certain Father Superior in a very ancient monastery in Europe. He let me pry about among a quantity of mildewed and musty manuscripts and I came across this. It is very interesting—partially since it is a bit of hitherto unrecorded history, but principally from the fact that it records the story of a most remarkable revenge and the adventurous life of its innocent victim—Richard, the lost prince of England. In the retelling of it, I have left out most of the history. What interested me was the unique character about whom the tale revolves—the visored horseman who—but let us wait until we get to him. It all happened in the thirteenth century, and while it was happening, it shook England from north to south and from east to west; and reached across the channel and shook France. It started, directly, in the London palace of Henry III, and was the result of a quarrel between the King and his powerful brother-in-law, Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. Never mind the quarrel, that’s history, and you can read all about it at your leisure. But on this June day in the year of our Lord 1243, Henry so forgot himself as to very unjustly accuse De Montfort of treason in the presence of a number of the King’s gentlemen. De Montfort paled. He was a tall, handsome man, and when he drew himself to his full height and turned those gray eyes on the victim of his wrath, as he did that day, he was very imposing. A power in England, second only to the King himself, and with the heart of a lion in him, he answered the King as no other man in all England would have dared answer him. “My Lord King,” he cried, “that you be my Lord King alone prevents Simon de Montfort from demanding satisfaction for such a gross insult. That you take advantage of your kingship to say what you would never dare say were you not king, brands me not a traitor, though it does brand you a coward.” Tense silence fell upon the little company of lords and courtiers as these awful words fell from the lips of a subject, addressed to his king. They were horrified, for De Montfort’s bold challenge was to them but little short of sacrilege. Henry, flushing in mortification and anger, rose to advance upon De Montfort, but suddenly recollecting the power which he represented, he thought better of whatever action he contemplated and, with a haughty sneer, turned to his courtiers. “Come, my gentlemen,” he said, “methought that we were to have a turn with the foils this morning. Already it waxeth late. Come, De Fulm! Come, Leybourn!” and the King left the apartment followed by his gentlemen, all of whom had drawn away from the Earl of Leicester when it became apparent that the royal displeasure was strong against him. As the arras fell behind the departing King, De Montfort shrugged his broad shoulders, and turning, left the apartment by another door. When the King, with his gentlemen, entered the armory he was still smarting from the humiliation of De Montfort’s reproaches, and as he laid aside his surcoat and plumed hat to take the foils with De Fulm, his eyes alighted on the master of fence, Sir Jules de Vac, who was advancing with the King’s foil and helmet. Henry felt in no mood for fencing with De Fulm, who, like the other sycophants that surrounded him, always allowed the King easily to best him in every encounter. De Vac he knew to be too jealous of his fame as a swordsman to permit himself to be overcome by aught but superior skill, and this day Henry felt that he could best the devil himself. The armory was a great room on the main floor of the palace, off the guard room. It was built in a small wing of the building so that it had light from three sides. In charge of it was the lean, grizzled, leather-skinned Sir Jules de Vac, and it was he whom Henry commanded to face him in mimic combat with the foils, for the King wished to go with hammer and tongs at someone to vent his suppressed rage. So he let De Vac assume to his mind’s eye the person of the hated De Montfort, and it followed that De Vac was nearly surprised into an early and mortifying defeat by the King’s sudden and clever attack. Henry III had always been accounted a good swordsman, but that day he quite outdid himself and, in his imagination, was about to run the pseudo De Montfort through the heart, to the wild acclaim of his audience. For this fell purpose he had backed the astounded De Vac twice around the hall when, with a clever feint, and backward step, the master of fence drew the King into the position he wanted him, and with the suddenness of lightning, a little twist of his foil sent Henry’s weapon clanging across the floor of the armory. For an instant, the King stood as tense and white as though the hand of death had reached out and touched his heart with its icy fingers. The episode meant more to him than being bested in play by the best swordsman in England—for that surely was no disgrace—to Henry it seemed prophetic of the outcome of a future struggle when he should stand face to face with the real De Montfort; and then, seeing in De Vac only the creature of his imagination with which he had vested the likeness of his powerful brother-in-law, Henry did what he should like to have done to the real Leicester. Drawing off his gauntlet he advanced close to De Vac. “Dog!” he hissed, and struck the master of fence a stinging blow across the face, and spat upon him. Then he turned on his heel and strode from the armory. De Vac had grown old in the service of the kings of England, but he hated all things English and all Englishmen. The dead King John, though hated by all others, he had loved, but with the dead King’s bones De Vac’s loyalty to the house he served had been buried in the Cathedral of Worcester. During the years he had served as master of fence at the English Court, the sons of royalty had learned to thrust and parry and cut as only De Vac could teach the art, and he had been as conscientious in the discharge of his duties as he had been in his unswerving hatred and contempt for his pupils. And now the English King had put upon him such an insult as might only be wiped out by blood. As the blow fell, the wiry Frenchman clicked his heels together, and throwing down his foil, he stood erect and rigid as a marble statue before his master. White and livid was his tense drawn face, but he spoke no word. He might have struck the King, but then there would have been left to him no alternative save death by his own hand; for a king may not fight with a lesser mortal, and he who strikes a king may not live—the king’s honor must be satisfied. Had a French king struck him, De Vac would have struck back, and gloried in the fate which permitted him to die for the honor of France; but an English King—pooh! a dog; and who would die for a dog? No, De Vac would find other means of satisfying his wounded pride. He would revel in revenge against this man for whom he felt no loyalty. If possible, he would harm the whole of England if he could, but he would bide his time. He could afford to wait for his opportunity if, by waiting, he could encompass a more terrible revenge. De Vac had been born in Paris, the son of a French officer reputed the best swordsman in France. The son had followed closely in the footsteps of his father until, on the latter’s death, he could easily claim the title of his sire. How he had left France and entered the service of John of England is not of this story. All the bearing that the life of Jules de Vac has upon the history of England hinges upon but two of his many attributes—his wonderful swordsmanship and his fearful hatred for his adopted country. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edgar Rice Burroughs (1995). The Outlaw of Torn. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/369/pg369-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

Here is a story that has lain dormant for seven hundred years

Skyscanner Engineering Post Mortem, shared That time a dormant bug came alive and everything went wrong at the same time. Illustration by Skyscanner’s Gavin Spence. By Dave Archer and Matt Hailey At we know that our technology or our processes will let us down at some point and that’s OK. , this is the second post in a series we hope to continue with in future. Skyscanner Having introduced our Post Mortem series Background We often roll out new features using configuration flags that can be set remotely. The web nodes, (known internally as the nodes) poll for these flags and their respective constraints (user in a particular market, served to a percentage of traffic, etc) and evaluate them on a per-request basis. scaffold Summary of the issue A long-time dormant bug in our scaffold codebase surfaced when we tried to roll out a change that would replace the provider we use for web crawler detection. The remote configuration flag was enabled, the evaluation of which triggered an infinite loop in request execution. This overloaded all our nodes causing the entire fleet to fall over. During production incidents, our process usually starts with reverting recent changes (including remote configuration flags), but this proved to be problematic for a few reasons: We didn’t roll back the offending configuration correctly in the first instance, meaning we ended up chasing our tails for a few hours Our scaffold servers run under IIS. With this kind of catastrophic failure, IIS shuts down the application pool after seeing too many consecutive errors, meaning the nodes did not automatically pick up changes we were trying to make to remote configuration flags Eventually the offending configuration was correctly reverted, nodes restarted and order restored. During the incident The root cause of this issue is outlined in its own section below. What is more interesting with this issue in particular is the sequence of events during the incident that lead to this being one of our longest-lived outages. For brevity, the sequence is listed here in point form. ‘Crawler detection provider’ flag enabled for 1% of requests * Web nodes crash as they pick up the new configuration and evaluate the flag ‘Crawler detection provider’ incorrectly rolled back. The flag value was set from TRUE to FALSE but the constraints were left in place**. This was the point after which we were investigating based on false assumptions Incorrect assumption was made that the nodes were struggling to start up and fetch the updated remote configuration (see the section below ‘ Why did it take so long…’ ) Attempts were made to protect the servers from traffic to allow them to start up with the updated remote configuration Manually copied updated configuration to a portion of nodes. Issue still persisted, indicating the problem was within the configuration itself Fully rolled back the remote configuration setup Nodes begin to recover and serve traffic successfully * The 1% flag is evaluated on all requests on all nodes, but the feature is only activated for 1% of requests ** The issue was not with the new code path, but rather the evaluation of constraints Additional factors contributed to the time to fully diagnose and resolve the issue, including: The configuration UI was unavailable during the outage. It had not yet been removed from the monolithic scaffold codebase (though the underlying service had). All dashboards were unavailable due to an unrelated, but unfortunately timed, issue with our data platform. Attempts to drain individual data centres at the Akamai (our CDN) level didn’t have the desired effect; drained data centres continued to receive traffic. The root cause of which is out of scope for this report, though a separate investigation was launched. Root Causes As mentioned above, we were in the process of changing providers for crawler detection. Wanting to do this safely, we chose to put the switch behind a configuration flag and use an ‘experiment’(term is used very lightly here) constraint to slowly ramp up traffic to the new provider. To identify a request as a web crawler, the Scaffolding must evaluate the configuration flag to choose a between the two crawler detection providers Evaluation requires checking all constraints defined in Config Service; in this case the experiment constraint was of particular interest To avoid a network call, allocation to experiment variants is performed by a fat client of our Dr Jekyll (our experiment platform) based on selected request attributes One attribute indicates whether request originated from a crawler However, because of a similar flag related to this roll out, determining whether a request is from a crawler again depends on experiment allocation data, which leads to a circular dependency: crawler information requires experiment data, which is evaluated based on crawler information Allocation parameters are calculated once per website request inside a critical section defined by a mutually-exclusive, request-scoped lock. Recurrent evaluation of parameters triggered by crawler information request lead to IIS application pools being stopped. Time to Detect Target is , actual was while Time to Resolution — Target is , actual was . Our detection centres raised the bug through automated reports, our internal slack channel for employees to report issues flagged this, while we also received user reports through our user satisfaction team and our Twitter channels. 15 mins four mins 60 mins 215 mins The impact? On our web products, travellers visiting the web site were served the Houston error page. For our mobile apps, users redirecting to partners are sent via browser, meaning travellers using our apps could not complete any bookings. We also saw an impact to SEO within one hour of the bug surfacing. Our Houston error page Questions Why wasn’t this issue detected before impacting production? The new feature was fully enabled in pre-prod via configuration flag. However, it wasn’t enabled with an experiment as a constraint; it was switch from 0% to 100% via config only. Up until this incident, this was relatively standard practise for us. Automated test coverage was also missing the production case of both configuration and experiment constraint enabled. Why did it take so long to fix when the cause was detected early on? The configuration update was identified as the trigger early on. To attempt to fix it, the entry was changed from TRUE to FALSE. However, (we now know) the root issue was caused by the constraint, which still existed. When the team attempted to bring Scaffold servers back online (by restarting the IIS app pool) they immediately fell over again. The (incorrect) assumption at the time was that the Scaffold servers weren’t picking up the latest config before falling over. The team then copied the latest config file to Scaffold boxes before restarting (to bypass the polling mechanism in Scaffold). However, the Scaffold servers still fell over when restarted. With this new knowledge, the config entry was fully deleted (Scaffold has safe defaults to fall back on when no config available). The app pools were restarted and this time the Scaffold servers picked up the new config and stayed online. Key Learnings Test the combination of config + experimentation safely prior to production (config had been tested, but not with a backing experiment) Revert erroneous config/experiment value if identified as cause of issue rather than fix forward Separate systems as much as possible to limit impact of an outage (Scaffold + Config UI, in this case) Fully understand and consider blast radius of changes — limit where ever possible Site stability likely causes such an impacton user performance metrics (time between searches because of quick bounces) and impact SEO Feedback from the team Regardless of the specifics of this incident, we needed to ensure we limited the blast radius and fault domain of any release in future. Our mechanism for limiting traffic to the 1% mentioned above was a software-based decision where it should have been physically limited to code running on a subset of nodes. We needed to freeze other experiments during outages to prevent a snowball effect and confusion around root causes. We needed to understand the blast radius and limiting it and how to experiment in future without such a big risk. All of the above has now been addressed. What do you think? Comment below or tweet us with your theories, comments and thoughts. Like what you hear? Work with us We do things differently at Skyscanner and we’re on the lookout for more Engineering Tribe Members across our global offices. Take a look at our for more vacancies. Skyscanner Jobs Skyscanner Jobs About the authors Hi, I’m Matt and I’m an Engineering Manager at Skyscanner, working alongside Dave and the rest of our core web team. Working on the front-line, there’s never a dull day. We juggle our time between maintaining the website and developing new systems that are fundamental to our success as we continue to scale across the globe. Working for a travel company, it comes as no surprise that I like to travel — China is next on the list! Matt Hailey, Skyscanner

That time a dormant bug came alive and everything went wrong at the same time

What Happens When Hackers Get Your DNA Data? Ask 23andMe

ЕРБ: Што для вас азначае быць вольным?

¿Qué sucede cuando los hackers obtienen tu ADN?

Mitä tapahtuu, kun hakkerit saavat DNA: n? kysy 23andMe

ハッカーがあなたのDNAを取得するとどうなる? 23andMe

Kas atsitinka, kai įsilaužėliai gauna jūsų DNR?

यदि यी चीज परिवर्तन गरेर पनि समस्या हटेन भने चिकित्सक कहाँ तुरुन्तै जानुहोस् ।

O que acontece quando os hackers obtêm seu DNA?

Что происходит, когда хакеры получают вашу ДНК? спросите 23andMe

ஹேக்கர்கள் உங்கள் DNA கிடைக்கும் போது என்ன நடக்கிறது?

Що відбувається, коли хакери отримують вашу ДНК? запитати 23andMe

جب ہیکرز آپ کے ڈی این اے کو حاصل کرتے ہیں تو کیا ہوتا ہے؟ 23andMe پوچھیں

Điều gì xảy ra khi hacker nhận được DNA của bạn?

“Always be closing.” The hard-nosed sales mantra from Glengarry Glen Ross became shorthand for relentless improvement. In the same spirit (but with much less swearing), a good engineer should always be refactoring. Here’s why. Glengarry Glen Ross always be refactoring To Clean or Not to Clean It’s generally agreed that clean code is easier to understand, cheaper to maintain, and much more extensible. At its core, refactoring is cleaning up existing code without altering its perceived functionality. A common objection to refactoring is that there isn’t time to actually do it. Teams see it as a luxury. The relentless drive for new features simply doesn’t allow for refactoring, especially because refactoring changes nothing from an external point of view. That can be a hard sell to your product owner. But clean code makes your life easier. Clean code pays for itself and slows the accumulation of technical debt. So sneak it in. That’s right. I’m suggesting a slight bit of subterfuge. A little misdirection even. Why not clean up a few things in every pull request? Be Vigilant A good engineer has a vision of where the codebase should be heading. It might take a while to get there, but you know the messy parts, the backlog, the roadmap, the technical debt, the security holes, and the documentation gaps. As you go about your regular feature development, be on the lookout for refactorings that can advance your larger agenda. Like one of those hyper-observant TV show detectives surveying a crime scene, pay close attention to all the code you stumble across. When you notice a code smell or something slightly off near your current focus, alarm bells should go off: “Don’t let this opportunity pass!” Take a few minutes and fix it now, before inspiration fades. “Don’t let this opportunity pass!” Don’t say it’s not your problem. Don’t pretend you can unsee it. Just roll up your sleeves and get it done. A Simple Example Refactoring doesn’t necessarily mean changing thousands of lines of code. It can be just a small chunk of code here and there. These little micro-refactorings add up over time. In fact, the more you get into the habit of constant cleanup, the less you will need to do major refactorings in the future. To illustrate micro-refactoring, let’s look at an “extract method” Golang example. Let’s say you are tackling a feature that requires knowing how many days it has been since a user last logged in. You notice an existing method that determines if a user is dormant by using that same information: func IsDormant(user User, asOf time.Time) bool {
  days := int(asOf.Sub(user.LastLogin).Hours() / 24)
  return days >= 8
} func IsDormant(user User, asOf time.Time) bool {
  days := int(asOf.Sub(user.LastLogin).Hours() / 24)
  return days >= 8
} You want to re-use the last login calculation instead of copying and pasting it, so you take the internal variable, days, and extracting it into a separate method, DaysSinceLastLogin: days DaysSinceLastLogin func IsDormant(user User, asOf time.Time) bool {
  return DaysSinceLastLogin(user, asOf) >= 8
}

func DaysSinceLastLogin(user User, asOf time.Time) int {
  return int(asOf.Sub(user.LastLogin).Hours() / 24)
} func IsDormant(user User, asOf time.Time) bool {
  return DaysSinceLastLogin(user, asOf) >= 8
}

func DaysSinceLastLogin(user User, asOf time.Time) int {
  return int(asOf.Sub(user.LastLogin).Hours() / 24)
} This allows the last login logic to be tested and reused. If you write a unit test, you’ll spot an edge case that should be handled (a potential panic if a user has never logged in). It also makes future enhancements easier. For example, it might make sense to make IsDormant and DaysSinceLastLogin methods on the User struct instead of being standalone. Likewise, consider replacing the hard-coded value 8 with something more descriptive like DormantDaysThreshold. IsDormant DaysSinceLastLogin User 8 DormantDaysThreshold This is a simple example, just a few lines of code. But that’s the beauty. It shows a small refactoring can add value by revealing a potential bug and pointing towards future improvements. To learn more about the craft of refactoring and see all the small ways to improve your code, check out online resources such as the refactoring catalog from Martin Fowler’s book or the Refactoring Guru. To learn more about the craft of refactoring and see all the small ways to improve your code, check out online resources such as the refactoring catalog from Martin Fowler’s book or the Refactoring Guru. refactoring catalog Refactoring Guru A Refactoring Mindset Having a vision for your codebase is easy. Knowing how to get it there is harder. Spotting refactoring opportunities takes practice. One way to get started is to consider which categories of refactoring are necessary to transform your code. Here are some common refactoring themes to think about: 🧹 Remove Duplication — Collapse copy and pasted logic into a single function. 🧹 Remove Duplication 🧰 Extract Shared Utility or Library — Move common logic out of per-service implementations. Normalize integrations (e.g., all services use the same auth client). Extract Shared Utility or Library 🧱 Add Common Infrastructure — Introduce observability (logging, tracing, metrics). Centralize error handling or retries. Add Common Infrastructure ⚙️ Make Code More Testable — Break apart tightly coupled logic. Extract interfaces so dependencies can be mocked or stubbed. Make Code More Testable 🔄 Prepare for a Feature Change — Flatten complex conditionals or nested logic. Reorganize files or classes to fit new responsibilities. Prepare for a Feature Change 🏗️ Support a New Architecture — Break apart a monolith. Introduce event-driven patterns, dependency injection, or async processing. Support a New Architecture 🚦 Reduce Cognitive Load — Split giant files or classes into logical, focused units. Reduce Cognitive Load 🔐 Improve Security or Compliance — Centralize access control logic. Refactor insecure patterns (e.g., manual SQL concatenation → parameterized queries). Improve Security or Compliance 🚀 Improve Performance — Replace naive algorithms with optimized ones. Reduce memory churn or unnecessary computation in hot paths. Improve Performance 👥 Ease Onboarding or Handoff — Refactor code that only “Pat” understands into something team-readable. Introduce docs/comments/test coverage as part of structural cleanup. Ease Onboarding or Handoff The 20% Some might object that surely not all refactorings can be snuck in. I’ll grant you that. Let’s apply the 80–20 rule and stipulate that 20% of refactorings need to be done on the up-and-up. These should be an easier sell, however, because when you get to the point where you need a full, honest-to-goodness refactor, it is most definitely going to be in service of some larger goal. For example, before working on a performance improvement ticket, you first need to add tracing and metrics so you can develop a finer picture of current performance and identify hotspots. Refactoring Starts with Testing It is probably self-evident, but I must point out that refactoring is much easier (and less nerve-racking) if your codebase has an accompanying suite of tests that pass before and after the refactoring. Having tests is also valuable for a bunch of other reasons. If your project doesn’t have strong testing, then add some tests first to unlock future refactorings. bunch of other reasons Code Review Considerations My advice in this article runs counter to the standard guideline to not mix refactoring work and regular feature development. The objection is that it makes it harder for the team to do code reviews if unrelated changes are included. That’s a fair point. When refactoring during feature work, keep it small and (ideally) related to the main thrust of the change. A good rule of thumb for any pull request is to limit it to 500 lines of code changes. A second rule of thumb is that ancillary refactoring changes should be no more than 20% of the PR. When you do have dedicated refactoring PRs, keep it focused and around this size. Sometimes a PR has to be greater than 500 lines of code, especially when working on a repo-wide refactor. In those cases, coordinate well with your colleagues to prepare them for the change and to minimize merge conflicts. Make Every Commit Count Every time you touch the codebase, you have a choice: leave it a little better, or leave it a little worse. Refactoring doesn’t have to be a grand event. Small improvements (extracting methods, renaming confusing variables, breaking apart long methods, etc.) add up over time. They prevent technical debt from piling up and make future changes easier and safer. If you see something, fix something. Always be refactoring!

Good Programmers Always Be Refactoring

Dobří programátoři jsou vždy refactoring

Οι καλοί προγραμματιστές είναι πάντα αναπαραγωγικοί

Los buenos programadores siempre son refactores

A jó programozók mindig refactoring

優秀なプログラマーは常にリファクタリング

Labie programmētāji vienmēr ir pārveidojoši

сайн програмууд нь үргэлж Refactoring байх

Pemrograman yang baik sentiasa diubahsuai

Хорошие программисты всегда рефлексируют

โปรแกรมเมอร์ที่ดีมักจะ refactoring

Ask any cloud engineer how many applications are running across their environment, and you’ll get a ballpark number. Ask again five minutes later, and they might double it. Not because they’re being evasive, but because they just don’t know the exact number. It’s hard to believe, but between CI/CD pipeline redeployments, zombie workloads, legacy apps in obscure corners of infrastructure, and too many identity providers (IdPs) to count, it’s easy to lose track. When you don’t know what’s running, you can’t manage and secure it. What this isn’t: a governance problem reserved for IAM compliance checklists. What it is: a real-time security gap. Orphaned apps without MFA, apps still relying on legacy authentication, or workloads redeployed by an outdated script are easy prey for bad actors. IAM compliance IAM compliance With everything else becoming continuous — from integration to deployment — discovery should be too. The fragmentation issue In a typical enterprise today, apps are deployed across AWS, Azure, GCP, and maybe a private cloud or two. Even within a single cloud provider, there’s sprawl. Using Google Cloud Platform (GCP) as an example, an application can be deployed in multiple ways . You’ve got options that include App Engine, Cloud Run, Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine, and Apigee Gateway. Other cloud platforms like Azure and Amazon Web Services similarly have many deployment options for application workloads. Some are similar, like Kubernetes support, but other technologies could be unique to that cloud platform. Without a central discovery mechanism, some of these apps can easily fall through the cracks. Even infrastructure-as-code (IaC), like Terraform, doesn’t always capture the whole picture, especially when developers bypass templates for manual deployments or forget to update tags. Of course, there is a similar sprawl for the Identity systems that control access to these application environments. Enterprises can have a mix of Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, and Amazon Cognito, as well as on-premises Active Directory or legacy web access management products, legacy SiteMinder instances, and on-prem Active Directory, often coexisting. Fragmented identity Apps might authenticate against different IdPs depending on when or where they were deployed. For example, a team might choose Okta for internal apps, while customer-facing systems rely on Microsoft Entra ID or Cognito. Entra ID Entra ID The result is a sprawling mesh of credentials, policies, and access patterns that make it nearly impossible to audit consistently. Even knowing whether MFA is turned on for a given app becomes a research project. This level of identity fragmentation is certainly inconvenient, but worse, it’s dangerous. Attackers don’t need to compromise your crown jewels; they just need to find that unguarded door. When apps are deployed without adequate visibility and controls, you are leaving doors wide open. identity fragmentation identity fragmentation Why traditional audits don’t cut it One audit model example involves bringing in a Big Four consultancy, running an audit, generating a report, and calling it a day. The report was already out of date the moment it was emailed. CI/CD pipelines might redeploy decommissioned apps. A dev team might spin up something new without informing security. Or worse, a dormant app with a loose SiteMinder policy might still let anyone with an @company.com email walk right in. What’s more troubling, these audits are inherently narrow in scope. They capture a point-in-time snapshot of a system that is constantly changing. Any meaningful discovery is siloed to the people involved in the audit process and often stored in static documents that nobody revisits until the next round. There’s no continuity, no automation, and no assurance that the data remains accurate beyond the day it was collected. Dollars and security sense Let’s not forget the cost. These assessments often take weeks of effort and hundreds of thousands of dollars. The result is a pretty-looking presentation, with charts and bullet points that look great in a boardroom. But what value do they bring to an engineer trying to track down which IdP governs access to a containerized app running on a forgotten GCP cluster? Meanwhile, attackers aren’t waiting for your next audit cycle. They’re scanning your attack surface, looking for endpoints that your spreadsheet didn’t catch. That’s why the shift to continuous discovery is a necessity today. What does continuous discovery look like? Many security teams are stuck playing blindfolded whack-a-mole with application visibility. They discover one shadow app only to find three more hiding in the cracks. The problem isn’t due to laziness or lack of tooling, it’s that environments are constantly shifting. Between dev teams spinning up new services, CI/CD pipelines redeploying old ones, and infrastructure evolving by the week, maintaining a static inventory is impossible. That’s why continuous discovery scales. It shifts visibility from something you do once a quarter to something you build into the fabric of your operations. Here's what that means: **Cloud-native scanning:**Call into APIs across cloud platforms (GCP, Azure, AWS) to list deployments across services: App Engine, ECS, Lambda, Cloud Run, etc. Identity correlation: Map each app to its IdP, verify MFA enforcement, and catalog authentication patterns (SAML, OIDC, LDAP, header-based, etc.). Identity correlation CI/CD monitoring: Catch apps that reappear after being decommissioned because a pipeline didn’t get the memo. CI/CD monitoring Tagging and classification: Apply metadata to organize by compliance scope (e.g., PCI apps), department, or data sensitivity. Tagging and classification Continuous discovery provides the connective tissue between your infrastructure and your identity architecture. It sets the stage for real-time security posture management, proactive compliance, and efficient incident response. Without it, the next application-related breach may not come from a sophisticated exploit, but instead, something your team didn’t even know was running. Instead of periodic fire drills, continuous discovery treats application visibility as a live process. Real-world use case: The 2,500 vs. 4,500 app guess In one Fortune 500 company, a newly appointed CTO was asked a seemingly straightforward question: "How many applications are in your environment?" "2,500," she answered confidently. Then paused. "Wait, we just acquired another company about the same size. Let’s call it 4,500." That answer didn’t come from a system of record. It was a guess, based on acquisition headcount and a rough assumption of parity. There was no application inventory to consult, no dashboard to confirm the total — just back-of-the-envelope math. And this wasn’t a junior IT analyst. This was a top executive being asked a foundational question about the organization's digital footprint. Scenarios like this are telling because they highlight the absence of a reliable, continuously updated application registry. Without one, companies are forced to rely on memory, manual spreadsheets, and tribal knowledge — all of which fail in dynamic, cloud-based environments. It also uncovers the operational and security risks of uncertainty. If the leadership team can’t quantify the number of apps in play, how can they be sure those apps are secure, compliant, and properly governed? Why should engineers and IAM teams care? Untracked apps are low-hanging fruit for attackers. If you’re managing IAM, and an app is still using basic authentication without MFA, that’s on you, whether you knew about the app or not. And if you’re responsible for keeping things compliant, that six-month-old spreadsheet won’t protect you when an auditor asks for current access and authentication details. With continuous discovery: You know what’s out there
You know who has access
You know if it’s secure You know what’s out there You know who has access You know if it’s secure And you can prove it. The way to keep up with a world of changes Discovery goes far beyond compiling a list. It plays a critical role in surfacing hidden risks—those dark corners of your cloud estate where legacy applications, misconfigured services, or unauthorized deployments may still be running quietly and unnoticed. Overlooked systems can become attack vectors, compliance liabilities, or sources of unexpected cost. Continuous discovery closes the loop, giving security and identity teams a real-time map of their application landscape—what’s running, how it’s secured, and who has access — so they can take decisive action before issues escalate. (As noted, Gerry Gebel is professionally affiliated with a company operating in the identity management and security space. His views reflect his expertise and experience in the industry.) (As noted, Gerry Gebel is professionally affiliated with a company operating in the identity management and security space. His views reflect his expertise and experience in the industry.)

Cloud Sprawl Is Real. Continuous Discovery Is Your Best Defense

Cloud Sprawl is werklik. Kontinuïteuse ontdekking is jou beste verdediging

Cloud Sprawl حقيقي.الجدول الزمني هو أفضل الدفاع الخاص بك

Cloud Sprawl е реална. непрекъснатото откриване е най-добрата ви защита

Cloud Sprawl és real. El descobriment continu és la teva millor defensa

Cloud Sprawl es real. El descubrimiento continuo es tu mejor defensa

Cloud Sprawl é real. Descubrimento continuo é a súa mellor defensa

Cloud Sprawl הוא אמיתי. Continuous Discovery הוא ההגנה הטובה ביותר שלך

「Cloud Sprawl Is Real. Continuous Discovery Is Your Best Defense」

Pamba la Pamba la Pamba la Pamba la Pamba la Pamba la 100%

Cloud Sprawl е реална. Континуирано откривање е вашата најдобра одбрана

Cloud Sprawl Энэтхэг юм. Өнгөрсөн олборлолт таны хамгийн сайн хамгаалах юм

Cloud Sprawl 是真实的 持续发现是你最好的防御

Hiding in Plain Sight: The Future of Automotive UX Through Shytech

Partner Marketing is still a relatively new field. For a long time, it sat under Demand Gen or Growth — sometimes owned by whoever had capacity, sometimes a shared effort across departments. But in the last couple of years, that’s changed quickly. “Partnerships and Alliances” is now a formal revenue category in many companies, including startups. Most fast-growing tech businesses now have dedicated Partnerships teams, and increasingly, Partner Marketing is becoming one of the most strategic levers in Go-to-Market. Partner Marketing I’ve led Partner Marketing at a fast-scaling B2B company, growing the channel from zero to millions of euros pipeline and revenue over a year. This article shares how I built that (and learnings obtained along the way) — I will talk about the campaigns structure, mindset shifts, and cross-functional enablement that helped make it work. Start with ecosystem fit — not logo hype Start with ecosystem fit — not logo hype Start with ecosystem fit — not logo hype This is where most Partner Marketers go wrong from the start. They prioritise brand name over real alignment. Instead, begin by looking at your ICP and mapping your ecosystem around it. Ask: Who already sells to the same audience?


Who solves a different problem in the same buying journey?


Who has similar sales cycles and GTM motion? It’s tempting to chase big names, but if your buyers don’t overlap, you won’t see results — no matter how many co-branded assets you ship. Who already sells to the same audience? Who already sells to the same audience? Who solves a different problem in the same buying journey? Who solves a different problem in the same buying journey? Who has similar sales cycles and GTM motion? It’s tempting to chase big names, but if your buyers don’t overlap, you won’t see results — no matter how many co-branded assets you ship. Who has similar sales cycles and GTM motion? It’s tempting to chase big names, but if your buyers don’t overlap, you won’t see results — no matter how many co-branded assets you ship. Use data to prioritise projects, you won’t move far with guesswork Use data to prioritise projects, you won’t move far with guesswork Use data to prioritise projects, you won’t move far with guesswork Once you have a list of potential partners, it’s time to bring in the data. There are tools that integrate yours and partner’s CRMs and help  surfacing actual customer overlap, open opportunities, and exciting new prospects in the partner’s database. When I started prioritising partners based on real account data, it changed everything — campaign outcomes, partner relationships, internal buy-in. I stopped guessing who we should work with and started proving it. Build together or don’t bother (much) Build together or don’t bother (much) Build together or don’t bother (much) Here’s something I learned the hard way: if one side is doing all the work, it’s not a partnership — it’s outsourced content. If you want a campaign to perform, co-create it. That means: Building messaging together


Aligning on goals and follow-up


Sharing the lift across both teams
The best partners treat campaigns like internal launches. They loop in Sales, enable CS, share outcomes, and invest time. If they’re not up for that — it’s probably not worth your time either. Building messaging together Building messaging together Aligning on goals and follow-up Aligning on goals and follow-up Sharing the lift across both teams
The best partners treat campaigns like internal launches. They loop in Sales, enable CS, share outcomes, and invest time. If they’re not up for that — it’s probably not worth your time either. Sharing the lift across both teams The best partners treat campaigns like internal launches. They loop in Sales, enable CS, share outcomes, and invest time. If they’re not up for that — it’s probably not worth your time either. Move fast and learn as you go Move fast and learn as you go Move fast and learn as you go There’s no such thing as a perfect first campaign. My first partner GTM content was approved in a very short term as soon as the partnership was given a green light. We knew it wasn’t too polished, but we shipped it  — and used the feedback to tighten everything we did after. Momentum builds trust. Once Sales sees you’re doing things that bring them the engaged leads, the work you do will get more validation internally. Track revenue and pipeline, not just leads Track revenue and pipeline, not just leads Track revenue and pipeline, not just leads Forget about the leads. Shift your mind to: Pipeline sourced
Opportunities opened
But even if you are not measured on it, keep your eyes on: Revenue closed Pipeline sourced Opportunities opened But even if you are not measured on it, keep your eyes on: Revenue closed In my case, Partner Marketing was directly tied to Sales targets, not vanity metrics. This really helps for Leadership to care, for Marketing to lean in, for Sales to open up their time and resources. This led to this meme shared in our internal channel because interest in leveraging Partnerships internally was growing together with the numbers: Think of Partner Marketing as of an amplifier Think of Partner Marketing as of an amplifier Think of Partner Marketing as of an amplifier Partner Marketing doesn’t replace your Strategic Partnerships team — it supports and scales their work. It makes Partner Managers’ work not just about referral volume. A solid partner marketing motion helps you: Activate customers who aren’t showing intent signals yet;
Re-engage dormant accounts across both ecosystems;
Move from passive referrals to a structured GTM play. Activate customers who aren’t showing intent signals yet; Re-engage dormant accounts across both ecosystems; Move from passive referrals to a structured GTM play. But you need the right GTM playbook. If your partners sell to SMB, your campaigns will look very different from those targeting enterprise buyers with 18-months sales cycles. In those cases, you’ll need a shared ABM strategy and tight alignment between marketing and partnerships on content sequencing and touchpoints. But you need the right GTM playbook Cross-functional buy-in isn’t optional — it’s a must Cross-functional buy-in isn’t optional — it’s a must Cross-functional buy-in isn’t optional — it’s a must None of this works in a vacuum. To run Partner Marketing well, you need Sales, CS and Marketing on board. That means: Sales sees how you help source or accelerate deals;


CS understands how this impacts expansion and retention (and both CS and Sales give back, too, as Partnerships and Partner Marketing is about giving back to the Partner!);


Marketing is willing to resource campaigns — even when they didn’t own the original idea.
Sales buy-in is usually easier. They want warm leads and credible entry points into accounts. Marketing is the trickiest one from my own experience. Marketing is already running toward their own OKRs. Until your leadership team builds the target and attribution structure that doesn’t make teams to compete against each other, you’ll struggle to scale. It doesn’t mean you can’t take things in your own hands and challenge the status quo — using the data. Sales sees how you help source or accelerate deals; Sales sees how you help source or accelerate deals; CS understands how this impacts expansion and retention (and both CS and Sales give back, too, as Partnerships and Partner Marketing is about giving back to the Partner!); CS understands how this impacts expansion and retention (and both CS and Sales give back, too, as Partnerships and Partner Marketing is about giving back to the Partner!); Marketing is willing to resource campaigns — even when they didn’t own the original idea.
Sales buy-in is usually easier. They want warm leads and credible entry points into accounts. Marketing is the trickiest one from my own experience. Marketing is already running toward their own OKRs. Until your leadership team builds the target and attribution structure that doesn’t make teams to compete against each other, you’ll struggle to scale. It doesn’t mean you can’t take things in your own hands and challenge the status quo — using the data. Marketing is willing to resource campaigns — even when they didn’t own the original idea. Sales buy-in is usually easier. They want warm leads and credible entry points into accounts. Marketing is the trickiest one from my own experience. Marketing is already running toward their own OKRs. Until your leadership team builds the target and attribution structure that doesn’t make teams to compete against each other, you’ll struggle to scale. It doesn’t mean you can’t take things in your own hands and challenge the status quo — using the data. Final thoughts Final thoughts Partner Marketing works — but only when it’s treated as a function, not a favour. Done right, it creates leverage across your entire GTM engine. It helps you tap into warm networks, generate real pipeline, drive revenue, and build trust inside and outside the business. If you’re just starting, map your ICP, prioritise based on data, and get to your first campaign quickly. If you’re already running partner campaigns, ask yourself: are we aligned across functions, and are we tracking what really matters? Because when it clicks — it’s a channel like no other.

Partner Marketing Works Only If You Treat Is as a Function, and Not a Favor

When you think of energy infrastructure, you probably imagine towering smokestacks, old power lines, cramped industrial parks, and lengthy coal trains. Once virtual power plants enter the picture, this could change. With a decentralized system stabilizing supply and demand, energy infrastructure goes from dirty and industrial to clean and welcoming. The Emerging Faults in Energy Infrastructure As data centers are built nationwide to support artificial intelligence and cloud computing technologies, electricity demand increases exponentially. However, energy infrastructure is not keeping pace. In the United States, most transmission lines and transformers are at least 50 years old — they have reached their planned life expectancy. Engineers are beginning to replace them, but the process will cost trillions and take years. In the meantime, peak load — the period when electricity demand is at its highest — is hitting an all-time high. If the grid can’t compensate, blackouts are likely. To avoid this outcome, operators use supplemental gas-fired peaker plants that remain dormant unless consumption is unusually high. Consumers Pay Operators Millions Operators often get millions of dollars to ensure the grid remains operational during peak load. For instance, two Southern England station operators will receive $15.5 million after supplying just three hours of electricity in January 2025. A combination of freezing weather and low wind speeds raised market prices, leading to payouts worth over 50 times the market value. Problems like this will only worsen as the grid ages and power demand increases. While these operators provide an essential service, there are undoubtedly more efficient — and less costly — alternatives. What if people didn’t have to pay surge pricing? What if, instead of relying on a centralized system, they generated their own supply? With virtual power plants (VPPs), this future might be possible. The Role of VPPs in the Clean Energy Future A VPP is a collection of small-scale distributed energy resources like solar panels, plugged-in electric vehicles, and air conditioners. What makes this system virtual if it relies on physical devices? Each electrified, interconnected node wirelessly communicates, constantly sharing information about production, consumption, and storage. When hundreds, thousands, or even millions of small-scale DERs are bundled with a control system, citizens can call on them to supply or store electricity when demand fluctuates. Unlike conventional coal or gas power plants, they can ensure stability without raising prices or contributing to climate change. However, they provide the same reliability and economic value. The Benefits of Leveraging VPPs Virtual plants help stabilize the grid by compensating for fluctuations in generation and consumption. Plus, since they don’t need a centralized physical space, they enable more integration with renewables. A typical solar farm would need around 1.88 million solar panels to produce 1 gigawatt, which takes up a lot of space. Instead of clearing out a local ecosystem to make room, civil engineers can use the existing built environment — homeowners’ rooftops. Moreover, this solution increases durability. Even if existing infrastructure could handle record-breaking peak loads, it is not resilient — few traditional power systems are designed to handle unlikely high-impact events like natural disasters or extreme weather events. Thanks to a VPP’s distributed nature, physical damage isn’t nearly as much of a threat. Can We Count on Consumers for a Solution? Since this technology relies on citizens instead of a centralized operator, some concerns about reliability exist. However, people who are a part of the system don’t get to pick and choose the rate at which electricity is produced, consumed, or stored. Further, communities have risen to the occasion in similar circumstances, proving they can be trusted. In 2022, Californians experienced a scorching, lasting heat wave. The California Independent System Operator’s electricity demandreached a record high of 51,426 megawatts at 4:55 p.m. on September 6. Around one hour later, the operator sent an emergency text alert to appeal for conservation. Consumption immediately dropped off, reaching 35,000 megawatts within six hours. Consumers demonstrated their ability to coordinate and follow through. Using VPPs in Urban and Rural Areas While this solution may be more effective in urban areas due to higher population density, it can still work in rural locations since peak loads will be considerably lower there. As long as enough consumers bundle their devices in a virtual plant, they can improve electricity production, consumption, and storage, eliminating the need for peaker plants and improving the rate of local renewable usage. Although many people don’t understand the inner workings of energy infrastructure, most pay an electricity bill monthly. Even if they have their own solar panels, renewables can’t produce power as consistently as fossil fuels. For this reason, many have to rely on the grid to some extent. If they joined a VPP, they could improve their resilience and sustainability. When Will VPPs Go Beyond Conceptualization? Today, towering smokestacks and fields of photovoltaic panels come to mind when considering energy infrastructure. As VPPs become more prevalent, this decades-old standard may soon change. The U.S. Department of Energy already plans to increase VPP capacity to 160 GW by 2030, up from 80 GW today, according to the MIT Technology Review. That’s the equivalent of eliminating roughly 160 future fossil fuel plants. If the U.S. DOE does this, it would address 10% to 20% of peak demand by the decade's end. While virtual plants have already been successfully deployed, they haven’t become widespread yet. If the DOE follows through, it could become a substantial part of the nation’s modern infrastructure in a few years. The Future of Clean Energy Powered by VPPs With virtual plants, a world where neighbors lend power to each other and dense urban areas prevent rolling blackouts could exist. This technology can incentivize homeowners to install solar panels, drive electric vehicles, and embrace electrification. As smart homes grow smarter and electricity demand rises, this technology may be the most effective solution. When you think of energy infrastructure, you probably imagine towering smokestacks, old power lines, cramped industrial parks, and lengthy coal trains. Once virtual power plants enter the picture, this could change. When you think of energy infrastructure, you probably imagine towering smokestacks, old power lines, cramped industrial parks, and lengthy coal trains. Once virtual power plants enter the picture, this could change. With a decentralized system stabilizing supply and demand, energy infrastructure goes from dirty and industrial to clean and welcoming. The Emerging Faults in Energy Infrastructure The Emerging Faults in Energy Infrastructure As data centers are built nationwide to support artificial intelligence and cloud computing technologies, electricity demand increases exponentially. However, energy infrastructure is not keeping pace. In the United States, most transmission lines and transformers are at least 50 years old — they have reached their planned life expectancy. Engineers are beginning to replace them, but the process will cost trillions and take years. are at least 50 years old are at least 50 years old In the meantime, peak load — the period when electricity demand is at its highest — is hitting an all-time high. If the grid can’t compensate, blackouts are likely. To avoid this outcome, operators use supplemental gas-fired peaker plants that remain dormant unless consumption is unusually high. Consumers Pay Operators Millions Operators often get millions of dollars to ensure the grid remains operational during peak load. For instance, two Southern England station operators will receive $15.5 million after supplying just three hours of electricity in January 2025. A combination of freezing weather and low wind speeds raised market prices, leading to payouts worth over 50 times the market value. Problems like this will only worsen as the grid ages and power demand increases. will receive $15.5 million will receive $15.5 million While these operators provide an essential service, there are undoubtedly more efficient — and less costly — alternatives. What if people didn’t have to pay surge pricing? What if, instead of relying on a centralized system, they generated their own supply? With virtual power plants (VPPs), this future might be possible. The Role of VPPs in the Clean Energy Future A VPP is a collection of small-scale distributed energy resources like solar panels, plugged-in electric vehicles, and air conditioners. What makes this system virtual if it relies on physical devices? Each electrified, interconnected node wirelessly communicates, constantly sharing information about production, consumption, and storage. When hundreds, thousands, or even millions of small-scale DERs are bundled with a control system, citizens can call on them to supply or store electricity when demand fluctuates. Unlike conventional coal or gas power plants, they can ensure stability without raising prices or contributing to climate change. However, they provide the same reliability and economic value. The Benefits of Leveraging VPPs Virtual plants help stabilize the grid by compensating for fluctuations in generation and consumption. Plus, since they don’t need a centralized physical space, they enable more integration with renewables. A typical solar farm would need around 1.88 million solar panels to produce 1 gigawatt, which takes up a lot of space. Instead of clearing out a local ecosystem to make room, civil engineers can use the existing built environment — homeowners’ rooftops. around 1.88 million solar panels around 1.88 million solar panels Moreover, this solution increases durability. Even if existing infrastructure could handle record-breaking peak loads, it is not resilient — few traditional power systems are designed to handle unlikely high-impact events like natural disasters or extreme weather events. Thanks to a VPP’s distributed nature, physical damage isn’t nearly as much of a threat. few traditional power systems few traditional power systems Can We Count on Consumers for a Solution? Since this technology relies on citizens instead of a centralized operator, some concerns about reliability exist. However, people who are a part of the system don’t get to pick and choose the rate at which electricity is produced, consumed, or stored. Further, communities have risen to the occasion in similar circumstances, proving they can be trusted. In 2022, Californians experienced a scorching, lasting heat wave. The California Independent System Operator’s electricity demand reached a record high of 51,426 megawatts at 4:55 p.m. on September 6. Around one hour later, the operator sent an emergency text alert to appeal for conservation. Consumption immediately dropped off, reaching 35,000 megawatts within six hours. Consumers demonstrated their ability to coordinate and follow through. reached a record high of 51,426 megawatts reached a record high of 51,426 megawatts Using VPPs in Urban and Rural Areas While this solution may be more effective in urban areas due to higher population density, it can still work in rural locations since peak loads will be considerably lower there. As long as enough consumers bundle their devices in a virtual plant, they can improve electricity production, consumption, and storage, eliminating the need for peaker plants and improving the rate of local renewable usage. Although many people don’t understand the inner workings of energy infrastructure, most pay an electricity bill monthly. Even if they have their own solar panels, renewables can’t produce power as consistently as fossil fuels. For this reason, many have to rely on the grid to some extent. If they joined a VPP, they could improve their resilience and sustainability. can’t produce power as consistently can’t produce power as consistently When Will VPPs Go Beyond Conceptualization? Today, towering smokestacks and fields of photovoltaic panels come to mind when considering energy infrastructure. As VPPs become more prevalent, this decades-old standard may soon change. The U.S. Department of Energy already plans to increase VPP capacity to 160 GW by 2030, up from 80 GW today, according to the MIT Technology Review. That’s the equivalent of eliminating roughly 160 future fossil fuel plants. increase VPP capacity to 160 GW increase VPP capacity to 160 GW If the U.S. DOE does this, it would address 10% to 20% of peak demand by the decade's end. While virtual plants have already been successfully deployed, they haven’t become widespread yet. If the DOE follows through, it could become a substantial part of the nation’s modern infrastructure in a few years. 10% to 20% of peak demand 10% to 20% of peak demand The Future of Clean Energy Powered by VPPs With virtual plants, a world where neighbors lend power to each other and dense urban areas prevent rolling blackouts could exist. This technology can incentivize homeowners to install solar panels, drive electric vehicles, and embrace electrification. As smart homes grow smarter and electricity demand rises, this technology may be the most effective solution.

The Role of Virtual Power Plants in the Future of Clean Energy

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