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The Asia Pacific region faces all kinds of such as , home network threats, finance-related phishing scams, and attacks. In the circle of vulnerability are not just business organizations but also home networks. sophisticated cyberattacks QSnatch According to a report by cloud company , 10-16% of organizations globally encounter command and control (C2) traffic in their network in any given quarter, indicating the possibility of an attack or breach in progress. In APAC, Akamai observed about 15% of affected devices reaching out to Initial Access Brokers (IABs) domains. These are cyber-criminal gangs that sell unauthorized access to breached networks to other cybercriminals, such as ransomware groups. Akamai Technologies, Inc. According to Akamai’s data, between 10% and 16% of organizations globally encounter command and control (C2) traffic in their network in any quarter. The presence of C2 traffic indicates the possibility of an attack in progress, or a breach, and threats range from information-stealing botnets to Initial Access Brokers (IABs) who sell unauthorized access to breached networks to other cyber criminals. As Asia Pacific continues to accelerate its evolution as a global hub for economic and digital transformation, it is thus no surprise that attackers continue to explore any way to attack enterprises for financial gain Reuben Koh, Director of Security Technology and Strategy, APJ at Akamai Reuben Koh, Director of Security Technology and Strategy, APJ at Akamai, says, “As Asia Pacific continues to accelerate its evolution as a global hub for economic and , it is thus no surprise that attackers continue to explore any way to attack enterprises for financial gain. Akamai’s latest findings not only highlight the most prevalent attacks in each region, but also that multi-stage attacks have become a staple of the modern cyber landscape in our region. digital transformation “Threat actors are finding increased success when they work together or when they can combine various tools in a single attack. A C2 infrastructure is pivotal in the success of these attacks as they can be used for communication as well as to facilitate downloading a payload and the next-stage malware to move the attack onward,” “It is crucial that organizations stay ahead of bad actors because of the detrimental impact that multi-stage attacks can have on their businesses. More than the immediate impacts of direct financial loss, and loss of customer confidence and trust, there is also the long-term costs to recover compromised infrastructure, such as legal, reimbursement and clean-up costs”. QSnatch According to the report, QSnatch has become the largest APAC botnet threat. This malware that specifically targets QNAP, a type of network-attached storage (NAS) device used for backups or file storage by businesses, was by far the largest botnet threat in enterprise environments in APAC in 2022. Almost 60% of affected devices in APAC were infected with QSnatch, making this region second only to North America in terms of devices with QSnatch infections globally. Highest Home Network Threats Also, APAC suffers the highest home network threats globally. Already, an FBI report says that of the devices on the market are unprotected. While attackers often have their sights on enterprises because it presents a bigger payoff when they successfully breach their networks, home users are often an easier and quicker target as their networks are not as secure as a corporate environment. Attackers are seeking to abuse not only traditional devices like computers, but also mobile phones and Internet of Things devices. 40% According to Akamai’s data, APAC had the highest number of queries flagged in relation to the home network threats in the second half of 2022. The region had twice the number as compared to North America – the second most region with flagged queries. In APAC, more than 350 million queries related to Pykspa were observed, a threat that spreads through Skype by sending malicious links to the affected users’ contacts. Its to connect to a remote system and execute arbitrary commands such as download files, terminate processes, and propagate through various means, including mapped drives and network shares. backdoor capabilities allow an attacker Finance-Related Phishing Scams & Attacks Phishing campaigns are also actively targeting financial brands in APAC to lure in unsuspecting consumer phishing victims. Akamai’s research found that over 40% of all phishing campaigns were focused on financial services customers, resulting in close to 70% of all victims suffering from finance-related phishing scams and attacks. This clearly indicates that attacks against financial services and their customers were highly effective in 2022. It is unsurprising that we are seeing the rise of such attacks in our region, with Asia Pacific accounting for over 1.2 billion people accessing mobile internet services today, and with IoT spending forecasted to reach $436 billion in 2026. The continuing increase in mobile and smart device use and adoption in the region is likely to foreshadow the increase in such attacks, which requires home users to be on high alert to avoid falling victim to cyberattacks “Beyond the personal consequences that home users face of potentially losing all their data when their networks are compromised, there are far more insidious consequences if their devices become part of a massive botnet with attackers mobilizing zombie devices to perform cybercriminal activities without the user’s knowledge, like spamming and even launching DDoS attacks against organizations,” said Koh. “It is unsurprising that we are seeing the rise of such attacks in our region, with Asia Pacific accounting for over 1.2 billion people accessing mobile internet services today, and with IoT spending forecasted to reach $436 billion in 2026. The continuing increase in mobile and smart device use and adoption in the region is likely to foreshadow the increase in such attacks, which requires home users to be on high alert to avoid falling victim to cyberattacks,” he continued. Advice to Business & Home Users Following an analysis of the DNS landscape, Akamai shares the following guidance to business and home users: : Remain proactive in ensuring optimal cyber hygiene practices for all your digital assets and users Organizations should start by attaining visibility of all software and hardware assets and mapping out all critical vulnerabilities across every step of the organization’s data journey and the controls required to do so, such as DDoS protection, malware attacks and scrapping as well as lateral movement and exfiltration. Best practices include keeping all systems and software up to date, implementing Anti-Malware and Multi-factor Authentication and enforcing least privileged access for users and devices at all times. For larger organizations or those requiring more complex requirements, engage a specialist provider for help, but remain proactive in monitoring performance and for anomalous events concurrently. : Foster good security practices from home Homeowners should take proactive steps in securing all their devices by ensuring software updates are done regularly, installing Anti-Malware software and by using WPA2 AES or WPA3 encryption for their home WIFI networks. They should also be on high alert for any potential suspicious websites, downloads and messages via email or text message. As the threat landscape widens to not just business organizations, but also home networks, it’s time to become savvier about all the devices we use at home and how to protect them. This article was originally published by on Navanwita Bora Sachdev The Tech Panda.

APAC Business Entities and Household Networks Confront Advanced Cyberthreats

Government officials, utility providers, cybersecurity analysts and everyone in between are questioning the ability of the U.S. power grid to handle proposed plans. Objectives to decarbonize and adopt novel technologies feel lofty, as an overhaul’s financial and logistical burdens feel too much to bear. However, legislation is in place because fewer problems are more pressing than expanding clean energy access and dependability in a tech-dependent world. The State of the U.S. Power Grid The severity of the climate crisis yields catastrophic natural disasters and dismantles existing energy structures. Meanwhile, cybercriminals are honing their skills and using them to tackle critical infrastructure for lucrative payouts. International conflict creates even more opportunities for energetic interruptions. Today’s grid faces more antagonistic influences and it sits vulnerable. The U.S. power grid is ill-prepared to be resilient against new threats, causing more outages, public health crises and economic disruptions than ever. Additionally, most of the transmission lines, circuit breakers, fuses and more and haven’t received adequate attention , as equipment and machinery approach the end of their expected life spans. since the 1960s and 70s Issues compound as outdated grid tech cannot supply the output to meet the demands of a more consumptive and increased population. A carbon-friendly, energy-efficient future may need of electrical generation capacity before 2050 to energize the nation without complications. up to 27 terawatt hours more Extreme heat waves and cold snaps quickly exacerbate a national health and safety issue if homes cannot regulate temperature safely. Power suppliers operate less effectively in extreme temperatures, so they need assistance from an empowered distribution grid to provide more consistent and robust utilities. Overcoming Stagnation With Upgrades It’s apparent the best time to upgrade the grid is now. Grid improvements manifest as innovation, legislation and then installation. The energy revolution has created myriad tools that have entered the power sector in the last 60 years, such as electric heat pumps, battery energy storage solutions, upgraded solar panels and EVs, to name a few. These are a result of countless tech, energy and construction workforces that pooled to create viable solutions, leading to informed legislative action. In October 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration inspired by the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP) program investments and efforts from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Here are the highlights of how funds will catalyze grid modernization and boost economic and energetic resilience: announced a $3.5 billion plan It will create many well-paying union jobs, assisting underserved communities. There will be greater access to renewable energy sources. Plans include natural hazard prevention tech. Microgrids will appear in more communities. Funds are spread across 44 states and 58 projects. These projects will install a range of technology and infrastructure enhancements. In Louisiana, one focus is installing battery backups and hardening existing transmission lines to be less prone to outages. The number of hurricanes and high winds is increasing in the state, making it a targeted priority. The Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project covers states prone to ravaging fires and will implement fire-resistant tech, like underground transmission lines. Additionally, not every aspect of grid modernization has to be 100% new and fresh — sometimes retrofits and refurbishing for timely and sustainable delivery. For example, transformers are an essential component of grid operations. Communities can opt for reconditioned transformers with intensified durability and quality control to reduce climate impact and hasten lead times. are the best options The Byproducts of Modernization The advantages of beginning grid modernization now are far-reaching. These projects will take time, but what rewards will the nation reap as the power grid develops? Fewer Cyberattacks Enhanced cybersecurity is a monumental bonus of upscaling the grid. While the U.S. needs a digitized future, it comes at the cost of more holistic defenses. The intensity of , and the digital transformation of mass infrastructure leaves infinite backdoors and vulnerabilities for the world’s savviest hackers. modern cyber warfare is unparalleled While upgrades may allow threat actors to infiltrate, cyberspaces are more protected than legacy systems that lack integration with today’s cybersecurity standards. Reinforced Economy Other boons include economic boosts and job stability. Reducing the frequency of cyberattacks on the power grid alone will save anywhere in damage. between $243 billion and $1 trillion However, expanding the potential of the power grid opens more job opportunities in other tangential sectors, like renewable energy installation and urban design. Fewer federal losses occur while communities rise in financial and career stability. For every $1 million put into a green grid, the nation that fosters rural communities. The allocation will tighten wage and class gaps nationwide. gets $1.5 million in value Strong Disaster Guards Another reason grid upgrades are so urgent is because of intense weather events. Barriers that prevent worst-case scenarios, like outages and structural damage, allow the planet to heal more productively. Debris from destroyed infrastructure and hazardous waste spread becomes less common, primarily as and emergency services thrive. Disaster remediation and recovery expedites because the consequences are less extreme. battery energy storage keeps lights on Reliable, Clean Energy The most prominent impact modernization produces is decarbonization. Renewable power’s reputation will soar when the grid can finally sustain its needs. Eventually, the grid will manage tech like smart meters and IoT to obtain data and optimize systems while dispersing resources on demand. This could reduce electricity costs, congestion problems and peak-time inefficiencies. At the same time, it balances clean energy discourse. More trustworthy systems mean less worrying about the consistency of solar panels or wind power because energy storage solutions carry enough juice to shoulder the population. Public and corporate buy-in will increase to maximize deployment to reach climate targets. Maintaining Momentum The nation must recognize valiant efforts up to this point to adapt the national grid to renewable energy and smart technologies to keep morale elevated. Simultaneously, there is still a noticeable gap between promised performance metrics and reality that must inspire more dedication to modernizing than ever. Collaboration between researchers, tech experts, builders and governments is central to centralizing assets and smartly allocating resources for streamlined implementation.

The U.S. Is in Desperate Need of Power Grid Modernization

For anyone who has interacted with both, a typical experience in decentralized finance (DeFi) can be significantly more complicated than in traditional finance. Even the savviest technophiles would admit to not always having the smoothest of experiences in the world of smart contracts and intricate plugins. The Interface Problem A walkaround in traditional finance would look like this: you sign up on Robinhood, deposit a few bucks, leverage their network of market makers to buy those Gamestop shares, and ride those shares to the moon (and back). Easy peasy, one would say. However, the landscape in decentralized finance is different. To buy some BONK on Solana, you would need to sign up on a wallet – say Sollet – write out your key phrase, and tuck it away from everyone. You then need to deposit some SOL by copying a long string of numbers and letters from Sollet and pasting it on your funding platform – often, a centralized crypto exchange. With this SOL, you would connect your wallet on Sollet to Raydium, where you can swap your SOL for some BONK. The process is more delicate than this, but you get the message. User interfaces and experiences in traditional are way more user-friendly than those of its DeFi competition. The Problem of Security Let's say you are not like me and find it relatively easy to navigate all of this complexity or have built the muscle memory for it on years of running a shitcoin hedge fund. There is always the issue of security waiting on the other end. You might be able to protect yourself against all targeted exploit attacks, but you are not exactly sure your wallet provider can. Last week, Ledger's DeFi connector was compromised. A hacker had attacked the front end of multiple decentralized applications (dApps) on the wallet service. The exploiter breached major dApps whose APIs had been conveniently plugged into Ledger's interface, such as SushiSwap, Phantom, and Revoke, and stole at least $484,000 in digital assets. Ledger's post-mortem admitted that the exploit resulted from a former employee falling victim to a phishing attack, which allowed the hacker to upload a malicious file to a javascript code stack Ledger shared with dApps. And Ledger is not alone in this worrying situation. In recent times, Electrum, Trezor, Trust Wallet, and even Metamask have had issues with protecting user assets. In simple terms, the message they are unknowingly passing is that you might be able to guard yourself properly but still lose money because they mistakenly forgot how to guard themselves properly. This is a strange place to be in, given that you left centralized platforms on the back of "not your keys, not your coins," only to lose those coins still because someone sold a weak lock to you. The Problem with Fiat On and Off Ramping Since non-custodial wallets are built to offer a gateway to decentralized finance, there would always be a problem of getting conventional money in and out of these wallets. Centralized platforms have filled in this gap for so long, but what happens if one – in the true ethos of the blockchain – wants to plug out completely from the world of intermediaries? How can one get money on the blockchain without hitting a Paypal or Visa API where all their details must be KYC'd beforehand? How can one swap their USDt to USD without being required to integrate their Sendwave account? For Ledger users who were affected by the issue, the bad news is that they might not get their lost assets back. The good news is that they can explore a few other great options elsewhere. Alternative Options for Self-Custody Users Komodo Wallet: Komodo is an interesting choice for one main reason – fiat on-ramps – and two other exciting reasons – a cross-chain DEX integration and a multi-blockchain bridge. Users on the Komodo wallet can easily put their cold currencies in bank accounts to work on red-hot DeFi platforms by utilizing third-party platforms like Ramp and Banxa, which are directly built into the wallet. Ramp is a platform that is available in 150+ countries and regions and currently supports over 40 fiat currencies and 90 cryptocurrencies. At the same time, Banxa is a similar option that has been trusted with approximately $3 billion in transactions to date. Getting money on DeFi became a whole lot easier. Get money off without using centralized exchanges? Crickets for now. As mentioned earlier, Komodo offers two other support services, which are important for interoperability, an area that has proven to be a serious headache for the industry over time. On Komodo, users have access to a DEX that sources liquidity across multiple blockchain networks and returns great prices for assets, whereas the bridge aids transfer across these different blockchains. This feature does not only significantly save costs for traders but also improves capital efficiency across DeFi as a whole. If you are new to the industry or an OG exploring options, you might want to check out Komodo. Blockchain.com: If you were to think of a wallet service provider that has been around for a while but has not been involved in major scandals, Blockchain.com will immediately come to mind. The company started by providing a blockchain explorer in 2011 but soon built a wallet that accounted for over 28% of all Bitcoin transactions between 2012 and 2020. One of the wallet’s unique propositions is an easy integration with its in-house centralized exchange to help with fiat off-ramps (for those who want it). It also provides a smooth fiat on-ramp service with its Blockchain.com Pay and has exhibited a relatively long history of resilience and security. Blockchain.com is a good option for crypto owners. Cold Storage Options: For users who do not actively need access to their coins or investors who have their skin in the long game, cold storage alternatives could be great choices. Ledger, Safepal, and even Trezor's hardware wallets have proven resilient for a while now and could be considered. The walk to financial industry-grade security and ease of use for non-custodial wallets has been slow. This is mostly due to the complexities involved in design and implementation. However, it is a necessary one given how much that would aid wider adoption and solidify the goals of DeFi to disrupt today’s financial services industry effectively. At the current pace of innovation, I believe the breakthrough point is close, as we should continue to support companies who are putting in the smart work.

A Crypto User’s Guide to Self-Custody

When hearing about the behemoth " " podcasts may be among the last things to cross your imagination. After all, it's not hours-long, stuffed dialogues that get the viewer through a dozen various emotions that fueled the platform's unmatched popularity and catapulted it among the top apps with the most considerable penetration rates. TikTok The short-form videos condensed the whole meaning and purpose of the piece of content in a matter of sentences and hooked users by delivering information in the most straightforward and captivating ways. Through its appeal and mainstreamness, TikTok can reach more than adults monthly. It sees its popularity going nowhere anytime soon, especially now that podcasters are getting a taste of the benefits it can deliver. 1 billion TikTok has lately embraced new purposes and become a thriving ecosystem for podcasters to have a louder voice and connect with the categories of internet users they're targeting. And because of Monolith, the large-scale, real-time recommendation system embedded in TikTok's algorithm made it such a reliable platform for those desiring content tailored to their needs and preferences, podcasters or aspiring podcasters can conduct their work with more support. And as seasoned podcasters are well aware, the journey to a thriving audience involves a multifaceted strategy. TikTok, coupled with niche tools and services designed to , excels beyond compare among social media platforms. help content creators in their quest for audience growth So, how can a platform designed and aggrandized for briefly summarized content become such a haunted tool for the opposite type of video? And what are some examples of world-famous podcasters who nailed it? Gen Z looks at podcasts as a leading source of information. Gen Z unearths fresh podcasts at a speed rate incomparable with any other generation, being the first ones flocking to the platform and slowly leaving others such as heavyweight Facebook and Instagram behind. Longing for a piece of the pie represented by the booming popularity of TikTok podcast viewing, quick-on-the-uptake platforms have mobilized in their attempt to meet the changing demands of this growing watcher category through features and options similar to those of TikTok. Spotify, the most revered music platform at the moment, has long expanded beyond its initial scope of allowing independent artists in their developmental stages and giant record labels to upload content, fairly paying each contributor for their share. Spotify is now a platform where podcasters are at home, and more and more look to it to boost their content's popularity and reach. Yet, it's premature and rushed to claim that Spotify will go as far as TikTok succeeded in the podcast game and build such a kingdom. Podcast creators are migrating to TikTok for its unparalleled potential Creators can use numerous ways to promote their channels and content on TikTok. Probably one of the most straightforward and accessible methods is to take the route of comments. That section allows users to share their thoughts, which often take the form of means to make one's digital offerings acknowledged. Undoubtedly, TikTok couldn't have made it among the myriad platforms aimed at publicizing podcasts without a specifically designed feature. In light of an increasingly refined user base, the " " section is precisely what a podcaster or any other type of long-format content creator needs to grow their following and gain notoriety based on their exact type of content. This focal point of the platform wins organic growth for any type of podcaster because it recommends videos after analyzing the user interests instead of how large the account's following is. Genuine effort is at play here! Those searching for videos on human evolution shouldn't be obscured by content speculating on the world's state a century from now. For Your Feed Celebrity Memoirs Book Club – one of the most successful stories to look to With over 305k followers at the moment and a growing cohort of viewers familiar with this podcast, Celebrity Memoirs Book Club has grown from serving a small user base of several hundred to a score that doesn't stop rising. This weekly podcast began over three years ago and has built a passionate following ever since on their platform. What fueled its ascension to popularity are the topics approached, serving as a fantastic means to help those with tight schedules learn the highlights in the celebrity world. After all, who wouldn't want to skip the part where they consume endless hours of content just to extract an essential that could have otherwise been delivered more succinctly and less boringly? Not to mention the pandemic of deceptive clickbait and misleading headlines that are the bane of today's online world. Celebrity Memoirs Book Club is the channel where today's internauts repelled by lengthy memoirs can elevate their knowledge about celebrities, famous individuals, and everything noteworthy. By looking at the hosts' ways of delivering their message and having watchers glued to their displays, more podcasters aspiring to achieve tremendous fame can take their efforts to the next level. Diary of a CEO – another example of a well-done job For the business world has always been one of the hottest (and most complex) topics; having interested parties wrap their heads around it, the podcasters approaching this topic in the savviest and cleverest ways are on the path to achieving unmatched success. Diary of a CEO is where collections abounding in wisdom catch the interest of individuals of any age category. The hosts approach subjects of both failure and triumph, making viewers feel empowered and optimistic about their future. There's something inescapable about content that tackles the ins and outs of such a complex topic and shades light on the most intricate aspects, whether it's about how the or how everyone can tap into their unearthed persuasive talker. rich evade taxes The wrap-up TikTok, conceived with the exact opposite thought in mind rather than dishing out minutes-long videos, has managed to meet more than its original purpose. Now, podcasters find a great ally in its technology and potential, and users flock from different podcast-based platforms to their competitor, TikTok, for numerous reasons, whether it’s the pursuit of entertainment or a thirst for education.

TikTok's Podcast Revolution: A Surprising Ally for Creators and Audiences

The contactless payment industry has taken off in recent years, offering customers an easy, secure way to pay without holding up the line at the grocery store. Tapping a card or phone on a terminal is much safer than swiping or using a chip reader. However, like any payment method, it’s still susceptible to tampering. Industry-wide cooperation among card reader companies, credit card networks, and issuers can make the practice safer. How Do Contactless Payments Work? Contactless payments use near-field communication (NFC) or radio frequency identification (RFID) to complete transactions. It’s the same technology behind unlocking a hotel door using a plastic room key. Within a credit or debit card, tiny plastic wires function as antennas to transmit the radiofrequency signal between the card and the reader. A card reader only picks up radiofrequency signals at a very short range, allowing you to hover or tap your card over the screen to pay. The reader requests more payment information — which is stored in the card’s shiny, metallic chip — when it detects a card in the area. The chip contains static data, which includes a card’s account number and expiration date. When you swipe your card or use a contactless payment app, the chip transmits static data along with a cryptogram — a unique numeric code issuers use to verify your device. The card reader sends this encrypted information to its servers. Then, the servers transmit the data to companies like Visa or American Express that send it to the issuer. Finally, the issuer approves the data and sends it back the way it came. All this happens in the amount of time it takes to read your card. The Rise of Touchless Payments Contactless payments are growing in popularity. A 2020 poll were using the method, with the pandemic spurring many people to stop paying with cash. The trend appears to be here to stay — and merchants are trying to keep up. found 79% of respondents worldwide According to a 2022 survey, a good checkout experience influences their decision to buy from that merchant again, so many stores have begun offering touchless card readers and payment app options for the first time. 91% of shoppers said However, as contactless payments become more common, so are the methods used to exploit them. Potential Security Issues Although contactless payments are generally safe, they still carry certain risks. For example, since you don’t need a PIN, anyone who steals your credit card or phone can potentially use it to make payments. It’s also possible for a bad actor to hack into your phone without physically lifting it. Because many of these purchases won’t come with a receipt, tracking them — and proving they’re fraudulent — can be tricky. Another technique hackers use to steal data is card skimming. Thieves employ specialized devices that intercept your card’s RFID information when they’re standing nearby. Once they have the data from your card, they can replicate it and create a cloned card. Thankfully, mobile wallets are virtually immune to these attacks since they use NFC to transmit data within an extremely close range of another device. Downloading potentially exposes your phone to man-in-the-middle attacks where hackers can access your data. Threat actors can collect information like your usernames, passwords, Social Security number, or bank account number. a mobile payment app Finally, there’s always the risk of a privacy breach. Contactless payment apps and cards collect a lot of data, and someone could potentially use that information to track you. Collaborating to Fight Crime Card reader companies, credit card networks, and issuers should work together to tackle these security issues. They can prevent contactless payment fraud by consistently adopting strong security controls, sharing threat information with each other, and creating more uniform guidelines across the sector. Projects like the Secure Payments Task Force — which the Federal Reserve created in 2016 and wrapped up two years later — can go a long way toward advancing payment security. Headed by payment industry experts, the Secure Payments Task Force worked across industry segments to identify ongoing challenges and potential solutions in data protection, payment identity management, and information sharing related to fraud. As companies release new products and services, they should integrate them with existing tools and risk assessment frameworks for a seamless transition into the payment system. The payment sector should also create frameworks to identify and secure sensitive data from different payment types to protect a diverse group of payment stakeholders. Strengthening Security Contactless payment is already one of the safest ways to complete a transaction. However, as it becomes more commonplace, hackers will get savvier, making it imperative to have strong safeguards in place. By collaborating, companies across the payment industry can make contactless payment even more secure, affirming its status as one of the most hacker-proof ways to buy a latte.

Why Industry Collaboration Is Key to Advancing Contactless Payment Security

Starting your own business is always a challenge. Moving to another country is often a leap of faith. Doing both at the same time is a warp jump that deserves admiration, and respect – but also requires a lot of careful planning. As the world got more and more disrupted with pandemics, war, and consequent economic turmoil, more people started to consider moving abroad to start a new business and a new life. Choosing the best destination has become a hot topic in the startup community. There are many approaches to untying this knot, let me share mine with you. Welcome to the fair visas are probably the oldest type there is. But as the tech industry grew in importance on labor markets and tax revenues, the governments had to adjust their immigration policies with tech in mind. Historically, an entrepreneur visa eligibility was more about the wallet size of a founder, rather than anything else, as most countries required hundreds of thousands of [insert currency] in “investment”. Entrepreneur However, as immigration officials were becoming savvier in tech entrepreneurship, they finally started to realize the damage such a barrier of entry does to a national startup environment. If you make the visa program money-only, you miss out on all soon-to-be-discovered innovative ideas - you attract exclusively well-established companies looking to expand, but not founders looking to build from scratch. It is idea & team first, money second. Thus, dedicated startup immigration programs finally commenced around 2010, . Building a tech startup hub promises great returns noticeable at the national economy scale, as proven by the US in Silicon Valley. pioneered by Chile, Ireland and the UK Consider Estonia for instance, a relatively small economy with vastly developed digital and startup infrastructure and a favorable tax environment. The country introduced startup visas in 2019. In 2022 alone, startups that used this type of visa for relocating or hiring talent generated , equal to 4.4% of the country’s GDP (36.2 bln euros). During the same year, they contributed . These combined make up about 2% of the central government budget ( ), almost as much as the government’s property income for 2022 (282 mln euros). Moreover, the average gross salary in those startups totaled 3,240 euros, 2.1 times the Estonian average salary. s 1.6 bln euro 136.4 mln euros in government taxes and a further 131.6 mln euros in employment taxes 13.9 bln euro In other words, talent seeks new places, but countries also seek talent. bring innovation, jobs, and tax revenues to the places they choose as their new base. Governments, in turn, offer and adjust their infrastructure, legal and tax environments. This is not charity and ideally, it should be a fair trade for both sides. So let’s take this as a foundation for our research. You know what you have to offer and now you need to choose from the opportunities you can have in different countries. Think of it in familiar terms. For instance, the process may be similar to looking for a property to buy or rent. Let’s get on! Startups Step 1: Study the offers When you look for a property, you would naturally want to study the neighborhood and the building quality, and know more about the construction company and maybe the architect who designed the project. It is the same with countries. Each of them (being different in so many ways) offers a different set of visa requirements, economic environment, and living conditions. Finding the right combination may be tricky. The demand for advice brings a plethora of articles, reviews, and ratings. Sources differ vastly, from insurance providers to specialized expat resources, and so do their methodologies. Here is a small selection of examples just to give you an idea of some approaches to selecting the top-5 best countries for foreign startups: Expatica, an expat info hub StartupBlink, a startup research centre William Russel, an international insurance provider New Zealand Singapore Hong Kong UK Denmark USA UK Israel Canada Sweden Ireland Switzerland UAE Singapore USA Data sources: World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index; the U.S. News Quality of Life ranking; WEF global competitiveness report; OECD Better Life Index Data sources: The Global Startup Ecosystem Index, a proprietary methodology mostly focusing on innovation, investment, R&D, and startup infrastructure Data sources: Data Commons, PwC, StartupBlink Of course, there are many more of those top-fives and top-tens of all sorts. With all due respect to their authors, most of such rankings share at least one (or more) of the following flaws: First, many of them are a compilation of data from different sources. Most often, authors just select top countries from different rankings (one best country for doing business, one best for quality of living, etc.) without directly comparing them. Also, data on one given criterion across several countries can be patchworked from different sources, making them hardly comparable. Thus, there can be little to no clear comparison and ranking methodology. Second, popular media not dedicated to research on this specific topic may use startup destination rankings as clickbait and SEO tools without really caring much about fair comparisons. Third and most important, there is simply no ranking that’s good for everyone. Some startup founders have families, others do not. Some might have health issues, others don’t. All these factors may drastically affect the choice. Don’t get me wrong. I fully understand that sometimes country choice may be pre-determined by factors like having your family, friends, or investors there to support you. Or it could be just a matter of being in love with a particular place on Earth. If you are already settled with your destination, a proper search prompt can probably fetch you a rating that will list your country of choice somewhere comfortably high. But if you are still in doubt, I would advise you to look at sources based on solid research and a clear methodology. Choosing with your heart is a great idea for a holiday destination. But it is unlikely to be just as good for choosing a home for yourself, your business, and possibly your family. Recently I spotted a by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Of course, their study is limited to 38 OECD member states. On one hand, it narrows the country's long list. But on the other hand, you will have a chance to visit more exotic destinations as a tourist as you succeed with your main goal. Besides, OECD is represented in both Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Oceania, an area wide and diverse enough to satisfy most preferences. The research is based on the OECD Indicators of Talent Attractiveness, developed by the organization with support from the Bertelsmann Stiftung think tank. The paper itself is a comprehensive analysis of immigration policies in 22 OECD countries offering startup-specific visa programs and provides the following 5 best destinations for startup talent: research paper Canada USA France UK Ireland The good thing about this rating is its multidimensionality. It is based on eight factors, each supported by a number of parameters __(__38 in total!). Finally, OECD designed a that allows adjusting the rating to your personal preferences of all the major dimensions. It is worth noting that tweaking these parameters mostly affects the bottom part of the rating, while the leaders mostly remain the same. Try playing with it and build your own country shortlist. handy tool Step 2: Study the feedback What is the second most important thing you want to know when you are going to buy something expensive and important, be it a house, a car, or just a rare and pricey gadget? That’s right: you want to know what other people say about the seller and the property or item you are after. So the next thing you need to do is find a platform where you could crowdsource some more information. One of the best-known resources for this is Nomad List, a platform with almost a decade of history. It a 5+ million user base and 10K+ active community members and has a myriad of city rankings from air quality and cost of living to internet speed and LBGTQ+ friendliness. claims You are absolutely free to play with these but do not get too carried away. When it comes to big statistics, Nomad List mostly relies on the same data from the United Nations, World Bank, etc. as everyone else. In some cases, data flaws are obvious, especially when it comes to parameters related to hazards. For instance, has quite a few Syrian cities on top, reflecting gaps in official statistics rather than tranquillity and happiness in that particular country. In my opinion, Nomad List’s most valuable asset is the data reported by people. Of course, you have to be careful with places that get suspiciously high or low scores based on just a handful of reviews. Just stick to common sense and the rules of thumb you would use at any online marketplace and you will be fine. this blood-chilling ranking There may be countless more personal factors that you might consider. Just do your best to maintain awareness and be rational, as this decision will certainly affect a significant part of your life. Good luck and thanks for reading!

A Handy Tool Kit for Choosing Your Startup Destination

Hey Hackers! You have probably heard about this hot thing called Microservices Architecture but feel totally lost trying to make sense of what it actually is? You're not alone. All this tech jargon can make even the savviest of us feel like we've been dropped into a maze of acronyms and buzzwords with no map to navigate our way out. I'm going to explain Microservices in simple terms using real-world examples that anyone can understand. Let's Dive in! Why Microservices? Real-World Examples You'll Relate To Microservices are all the rage these days, but what exactly are they and why should you care? Let's look at a few real-world examples to understand why companies are adopting this new architecture. Have you ever used ? Uber Their mobile app connects you with nearby drivers to get you where you need to go. Under the hood, Uber's system is built using microservices. There are microservices to manage drivers, riders, payments, map routes, and more. If there's a problem with the map service, the rest of the app still works. This means faster fixes and more stable apps for you. Ever stream movies on ? Netflix Netflix also uses microservices. There are microservices for memberships, streaming content, recommendations, and payments. By breaking up its system this way, Netflix can make changes and add new features faster while keeping everything running smoothly. Their microservices architecture enables you to get new shows and movies quicker! How about Disney+? Their streaming service is powered by microservices too. Separate microservices handle content management, recommendations, playbacks, and user profiles. This modular architecture helps Disney deliver magical, personalized experiences to viewers like yourself. In summary, companies are using microservices to build flexible, reliable applications and services. By breaking down big systems into small, independent parts, microservices make it easier for organizations to innovate and scale to meet demand. The end result? Better apps and services for you and me. What Exactly Is a Microservice? Explained in Plain English So what exactly is a microservice? In simple terms, it's a small, independent service that works together with other microservices to make up a larger application. Rather than building one huge monolith app, you break it up into tiny, specialized services that each do one thing well. For example, say you're building an e-commerce site. Instead of cramming the product catalog, cart, payments, shipping, and everything else into a single app, you'd split them out into separate microservices: A product catalog microservice to manage the product listings A cart microservice to handle shopping cart functions Payments microservice to process payments A shipping microservice to calculate shipping rates and print labels Each microservice is deployed and operated independently. They communicate with each other through APIs to handle the overall workflow. Some key benefits of microservices are: : Microservices are highly modular, so you can organize and scale them independently. You can rewrite or replace one without impacting the others. Modularity : Microservices give you the flexibility to use different languages, frameworks, and data stores for each service. You're not locked into any one tech stack. Flexibility : You can scale microservices independently based on demand. So if your product catalog gets a ton of traffic, you can scale just that service. The other services can stay as is. Scalability : Issues are isolated to individual microservices. A problem with the payments service won't bring down the product catalog or shipping services. Fault isolation : Microservices enable continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD). You can develop and release updates to each service independently on its own schedule. Continuous delivery : Microservices are highly reusable. You can reuse the same shopping cart or payment service across multiple applications. Reusability Of course, microservices also introduce complexity. There are more moving parts to manage, and distributed systems are hard. But for many companies, the benefits of microservices far outweigh the costs. They enable faster development and scalability, which is key for modern, customer-centric software. Designing a Microservice Architecture: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide Designing a microservice architecture is easier than it sounds. By following a few simple steps, you'll be building nimble, scalable applications in no time. 1. Define business capabilities The first step is to identify the key capabilities of your business. For an e-commerce site, . Each capability will likely become its own microservice. this could be things like product catalog, cart, checkout, payment, shipping, etc 2. Determine service boundaries Now determine how to split these capabilities into separate services. A good rule of thumb is the Single Responsibility Principle - each service should do one thing well. For example, split the product catalog into product information and product ratings services. Keep services as decoupled and independent as possible. 3. Choose a technology stack Next, decide on a technology stack for building your microservices. Some popular options are: Spring Boot / Java Node.js Python / Flask Ruby on Rails You'll want to choose a stack that is lightweight, scalable, and suited for web services. For most microservice architectures, the services are deployed separately, so they can even be developed in different languages and frameworks. 4. Define service contracts Now define how your services will communicate with each other through APIs. The most common approaches are REST over HTTP or messaging over a broker like RabbitMQ. For example, the product catalog service exposes a REST API that returns product info. The cart service calls this API to retrieve product data. 5. Implement service discovery With many independently deployed services, we need a way to keep track of them. Service discovery tools like Consul, Zookeeper or Netflix Eureka can register services and allow other services to lookup locations and API info. Our services can query the discovery tool to find the product catalog API, for example. 6. Add resilience Microservices architectures need to be resilient to failure. Add techniques like circuit breakers, bulkheads, timeouts and retries to your services. For example, if the product catalog service fails, the cart service should have a fallback and temporarily use cached data. 7. Monitor your system Finally, you need to monitor your microservices to ensure high performance and availability. Metrics, logging, tracing and alerting are essential for observability. Monitor things like request rates, latencies, error rates and resource usage for each service. By following these steps, you'll be designing and building a robust microservices architecture in no time! Common Challenges With Microservices and How to Overcome Them Microservices architecture is gaining popularity, but it does come with its own set of challenges. Here are some common issues you may encounter with microservices and tips to help you overcome them. 1. Communication between services Microservices are independent, so they need to communicate with each other. This can get tricky when you have many microservices talking to each other. Make sure you have a solid API gateway in place to handle all the communication and routing between services. Use lightweight messaging protocols like REST or gRPC to make communication fast and efficient. 2. Managing data Since your data is distributed across many services, data management and consistency can be difficult. Make sure each service has its own dedicated database so there are no dependencies between services. Use eventual consistency, where data will become consistent over time as it is updated, to handle data that spans multiple services. Have a data governance policy in place to prevent issues. 3. Deployment challenges Deploying many small services introduces complexity. Use automated deployment pipelines to make the process quick and error-free. Deploy services independently so you can update one service without impacting others. Have a rollout plan in place in case something goes wrong with a new deployment. Use techniques like or to minimize risk. blue-green deployment canary releases 4. Monitoring and logging With many moving parts, monitoring microservices can be challenging. Send logging data from all your services to a centralized logging system. Set up distributed tracing to follow a request as it travels through the system. Monitor services for key metrics like response time, traffic, and error rates. Monitor the overall architecture and how services communicate to catch issues early. Microservices offer a lot of benefits when built and managed properly. FAQs About Microservices: Answers to Questions You're Too Afraid to Ask So you want to learn about microservices but don’t know where to start? No worries, we’ve got you covered. Here are some common questions about microservices answered in plain English: Why use microservices? Microservices have a lot of benefits: They are easy to develop and deploy since they are small in size. They can be maintained by small teams since each microservice is simple. They are flexible and can be updated independently without affecting other services. They can be scaled individually based on demand. What are some examples of microservices? Some common examples of microservices are: Handles user-profiles and accounts User profile service: Product catalog service: Manages product listings and details : Allows users to add items to a shopping cart Cart service : Processes payments and shipping for orders Checkout service : Allows customers to leave reviews for products Review service How do microservices communicate? Microservices communicate with each other over a network using protocols like: Uses HTTP requests to GET, POST, PUT and DELETE data. REST (Representational State Transfer): (Google Remote Procedure Calls): Uses HTTP/2 for fast, scalable communication. gRPC Uses event-driven architecture with message queues to communicate asynchronously. Async APIs: Are microservices right for my application? Microservices work great for large, complex applications, especially if: You have a large team of developers working on the app. You expect certain areas of the app to change frequently. You want to scale certain parts of the app differently. You prefer loosely coupled, independent components. However, microservices also introduce complexity. For a small, simple app, a monolith might be easier to build and maintain. Consider your needs and team size before deciding on an architecture. Conclusion And that's the basics of microservices in a nutshell. Remember, start simple and build up gradually. Focus on creating small, independent services that do one thing well. Build APIs to allow them to communicate. Start small, and happy microservices building! Must Read Building Microservice Architecture With ASP.NET Core Building Java Microservices from Scratch The Complete Microservice Tutorial: Introduction [Part 1] Creating Microservices: Key Principles and Concepts

Microservices for Humans: A No-Nonsense Introduction

Consumers today can interact with businesses in more ways than ever before. That gives companies many options when reaching out to new and returning customers, but the savviest marketers don’t just choose one or two options. They capitalize on all of them through omnichannel customer experiences. The rise of e-commerce has also made it easier to sell to a broader market. As a result, competition has grown fierce in many markets, so businesses have to do all they can to stand out. An effective omnichannel strategy is an excellent way to do just that. What Is an Omnichannel Customer Experience? An omnichannel marketing approach creates a consistent experience across all available channels. Whether people interact with a company on their phones, computers, TVs, or brick-and-mortar stores, they’ll get the same experience. Some channels may be more effective than others — email marketing is still the — but not every user uses every channel. Some people may exclusively see a brand on social media, others will only interact through the official website and more may use a mix of everything. Making the experience the same across all platforms ensures everyone gets the same message and journey regardless of these differences. best method for making sales Omnichannel provides more data to understand the market and helps businesses reach more customers, create , and boost customer loyalty. Companies today can’t afford to overlook those benefits. a familiar and clear brand image How to Optimize Omnichannel Of course, omnichannel marketing’s effectiveness depends on how well businesses can use it. Making a great omnichannel experience may be a little more complicated than other methods, but here’s how marketers can optimize theirs. 1. Know Your Customers Knowing the target market is the first step in creating an omnichannel strategy. The whole point of omnichannel is to create a consistent brand image and experience, so if this image doesn’t gel with customers, the plan is doomed from the start. If a business already has a customer base, it should poll them. Ask what they like about the brand, their experience, and where they think it could improve. Brands underestimate how often customers have bad experiences by , so this first-hand feedback is invaluable. an average of 38% Looking at data outside of customer surveys is important, too. Companies should examine how much time their customers spend on different channels to learn which areas may yield the best results. Similarly, look at how users interact with various content types across channels. 2. Map Out the Customer Journey As businesses look at their customers and how they act across different channels, they should outline the customer journey. Pay attention to where users are and what they do at key sales funnel stages. Knowing this will inform more effective content at each phase. The journey may look different from user to user, but some overall trends should emerge. Brands can then adapt their marketing materials on each channel to fit the stage of the funnel customers typically are in when engaging with content on that channel. Every stage of the customer journey needs attention, but experts agree in marketing. Mapping these journeys will reveal what channels and behaviors on those platforms typically coincide with these first impressions. Companies can then focus their efforts here to ensure success from the beginning. first impressions matter the most 3. Keep Content Consistent But Not Identical Omnichannel experiences should be seamless across every step of the customer journey on any channel. Someone should be able to interact with the brand on social media on their phone, then pick up right where they left off in a physical store. However, there is such a thing as too much consistency. Each channel has unique strengths and weaknesses, so marketing materials should lean into these. That means content can’t be identical across every channel in every instance. It should provide a consistent image and experience but vary slightly depending on what the specific platform enables. Taking the brand’s TV ad and posting it on social media provides a consistent but unoptimized experience. A better strategy would take advantage of social media’s interactive nature. Instead, a company could use the same graphics and themes from the TV ad but try a live-streamed version or poll the audience to give them control over future content with the same characters. 4. Capitalize on Technology Managing content across multiple channels is complicated — especially when adapting it to each channel’s unique features. However, businesses can work around that complication by embracing newer technologies. Automation and AI are some of the most helpful, as they save time in many areas. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT or draft social media posts to let companies push this communication out faster. Email marketing tools can automatically reply to different interactions to keep potential customers engaged. can create personalized customer interactions Chatbots are another helpful tool — especially chatbot platforms that can pull data from multiple channels. Feeding omnichannel data into chatbots will let them provide the same help to customers even when they talk to them on different platforms, boosting the omnichannel experience. 5. Keep Up With Changing Trends It’s also crucial to remember an omnichannel experience should be dynamic. Businesses can’t set a strategy once and leave it alone. An effective omnichannel experience changes with its customers, adapting to new trends and old shortcomings. The secret to doing this effectively lies within the omnichannel strategy itself. When brands interact with customers across multiple channels, they’ll have a much wider range of user data to pull from. The world generates more than a year, offering plenty of information to show what users do and prefer. 64 zettabytes of data Businesses should routinely gather data from all channels and use this information to review their omnichannel strategy’s efficacy. Remember that what works well today may not work tomorrow. If a once-effective method starts declining, it’s okay to change it — evolving with the times will ensure a better customer experience. Just be sure to change consistently across all channels. Businesses Today Need Omnichannel Experiences People today rarely see and interact with companies on just one platform. Even if they did, everyone has unique habits, so only focusing on one channel means missing out on huge market segments elsewhere. In today’s hyper-connected world, marketing strategies need to be similarly connected. Following these steps to create an effective omnichannel customer experience is crucial to staying competitive in modern markets.

How to Improve Your Omnichannel Customer Experience

I’m Pavel, the CEO of a no-code company called Directual. Here, I’ll share my view on the latest on the AI frontier, as seen by a no-code platform that is integrated very tightly with OpenAI. The whole AI shebang isn’t new. It’s just that after OpenAI released and Dall-E things really started to spiral out of control. Now, you get some groundbreaking AI news every other day at the very least. ChatGPT Since Directual is a no-code platform tightly integrated with OpenAI, we also observe news headlines with bated breath. After all, who knows what will happen next? Is it the end of no-code platforms, as it could be for a whole gazillion businesses and jobs out there? Or is it the other way around? Anyway, let’s see what’s happening so far instead. What’s up on the AI frontier? Plenty! Investments in AI so far The world of generative AI is heating up faster than yet another Kardashian feud. High costs, ambitious goals, and external pressures have set the stage for a wild investment spree. It's like everyone's competing in the Olympics, except instead of medals, they're aiming for that sweet, sweet funding. All this is happening during times when venture capital isn’t exactly thriving. Interest rate have sent tech valuations into a nosedive. To make matters worse, tech companies have been laying off workers left and right, with over in 2023 alone. hikes by the Federal Reserve 185,000+ jobs axed Investors are flocking to the generative AI sector like moths to a flame, however, drawn in by its immense potential. And boy, have there been some massive funding rounds lately: OpenAI scored a ridiculous from in January. In fact, OpenAI's funding alone exceeded the entire investment in generative AI companies for 2022, according to CB Insights. Talk about making it rain! $10 billion Microsoft Jasper bagged in October and is now worth $1.5 billion. Not too shabby. $125 million Character.ai collected . $150 million Stability AI snagged and hit a $1 billion valuation. $101 million No wonder, really. Building a model like that is EXPENSIVE. According to Mike Volpi, a partner at Index Ventures, you're gonna need at least to develop a large language model like the one powering ChatGPT. A great lot of it is spent on computing power. That $10 billion investment into OpenAI by Microsoft? About half of it will go into Microsoft Azure. $500 million It’s also a big reason why the number of players in the AI market are likely to remain low—good luck getting into this kind of market unless you have a fat stack of cash laying around doing absolutely nothing else. So, if you're feeling FOMO, don't worry, there's still time to get in on the action in terms of investments into the frontrunners. Just like the tech sector during COVID-19, it seems that AI companies are set to be prize winners for many denizens of Robinhood and the like. Regulations rolling in Thanks for this by OpenAI’s CEO, if someone wasn’t scared of what AGI will do, they certainly are now. For legislators around the globe, AI is also about to become a tremendous headache. How do you secure the job market? How do you ensure private data stays private? So many different avenues to tackle, and so little time. totally-not-doomsaying post The European Union is stirring up the pot with ( ) and deployment, and it looks like OpenAI and other companies may have to cough up information about their use of copyrighted materials in training their AI. The EU's AI Act will also classify different AI technologies according to the risks they pose, and some chatbots could be slapped with a "high-risk" label. Figures, really. new regulations on AI development how about some irony: let ChatGPT give you a summary of this act. Wouldn’t that be a laugh? Recent debates over chatbot regulations suggest that the AI Act won't be finalized until at least 2024, but EU member states are already making their own policies in the meantime. This means companies like OpenAI will need to be extra careful as they navigate a tangled web of governance criteria. That may be a reasonable explanation for why Reddit users are complaining that ChatGPT is getting “ ” with every single update (although you can still try to into telling you what you want). nerfed gaslight it Hilarious! Akhem, anyway… Lawmakers are also proposing that chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT should disclose to users that they're not human, while also requiring AI platforms to provide greater transparency on the training of their models. In short, EU lawmakers are cracking down on the rise of generative AI technology, which is great news for people but not so much for companies like OpenAI. In fact, Italy banned ( ) ChatGPT at the beginning of April. OpenAI was given 20 days to sort this out, and they did. They announced that its banned chatbot is finally allowed to come back online, thanks to a few privacy-related changes made. and then unbanned The changes include a new article that explains how the bot collects and uses data, an opt-out form for EU users, a more visible privacy policy, and a tool to verify users' ages in Italy. A call for a standstill Slightly old news, but nonetheless. Over a thousand people, including Elon Musk and some big-shot researchers, have signed warning that the risks of AI are imminent if we don't slow down. They're calling for a six-month pause in all "giant AI experiments". an open letter In other words, they want to put a hold on developing powerful AI systems until we're sure they won't ruin everything. Because let's face it, we've hit pause on other potentially catastrophic technologies before (ozone layer destruction saga, anyone?). And right now, it seems like we're in an "out-of-control race" to create digital minds that we can't even control. It’s so bad, right?...right? It is rumored, however, that all of these big people signing the open letter and pushing the agenda to pause AI development are doing it to stall OpenAI’s progress, which is vastly outpacing everyone else at the moment. Because…my oh my, Elon has his in the works! own AI Time will only tell if everyone was right, but 2023 is bound to be a wild year for sure. NVidia’s text-to-video…wow. The nutty professors over at Nvidia created a Latent Diffusion Model that can make high-quality videos up to 4.7 seconds long, all from text. What’s more, they went ahead and used open source Stable Diffusion model and DreamBooth to tune it up even more! This just proves that we're barely scratching the surface of what's possible on this front. I mean… . just look at it AI music setting the whole industry on fire..figuratively and literally Universal Music Group (UMG) is playing whack-a-mole with AI-generated songs that imitate the voices of Drake and The Weeknd. The company filed a copyright infringement complaint resulting in the removal of "Heart on My Sleeve," a viral AI-generated song from streaming platforms, which gained over 15 million streams. Drake himself slammed the track on Instagram, calling it "the final straw," but legal experts are questioning UMG's claim since generative AI isn't explicitly addressed in copyright law. The original used to be , RIP. here Here’s a version that is still alive. It kinda slaps! , it appears to have selective outrage as it remains mum on other AI-generated songs that feature its artists, such as a cover version of Ice Spice's "Munch (Feelin' U)" and Beyoncé's "Cuff It" remix. While UMG is trying to take the moral high ground The end of the job market is nigh Seems like executives are not sure what to make of generative AI just yet. On one hand, of them believe it will have a big impact on their companies, but on the other hand, nearly the same percentage thinks it's still too early for that impact to happen. 65% Almost 4 in 10 of these executives are afraid that generative AI could turn their employees into social outcasts, decreasing social interactions and human connections. And while some are still on the fence, corporations like PwC are not wasting any time, investing a whopping $1 billion in AI over the next 3 years. Looks like they're taking the "go big or go home" approach when it comes to AI investments. The layoffs have already begun, and the most common topic on the OpenAI subreddit is “Are we going to see a shortage of jobs or not”. Or the likes of it. Opinions vary since some say it’s the biggest thing since the industrial revolution, and others don’t believe anything drastic will happen. I mean, look at the government systems. Germany still sends faxes. Computers are still on Windows XP. We’ll be fine, for the most part, yeah? What does it mean for no-code platforms? So, will no-code platforms like Directual be out of a job because of the rise of AI? In short, hell no. No-code platforms are only getting stronger, especially when they . Don't believe me? Let's take a closer look. integrate with AI First off, let's talk about the learning curve. Even the savviest programmers may struggle to interact properly with AI, and getting it to do what you want is like playing a game of 20 questions. With no-code platforms, however, you can just stack pre-made blocks together like Lego and your app will magically work. Coding with AI also means you'll be constantly copying and pasting snippets of code, testing them out, and praying they work. Not to mention, you'll need a lot of documentation to make sure everything's running smoothly. With no-code platforms, everything's already laid out for you in a single workflow, and templates can help you get started in just ten minutes. Just like that. I swear I didn’t write this entire article just to arrive at this video. What happens when you need to scale, though? That’s the big thing. AI has its limits in terms of memory and response length (even the likes of GPT4), which means you might end up with a headache trying to break up your problem into smaller chunks. Plus, if you need to copy logic from one scenario to another, good luck. AI will likely make errors or drift off into space. With no-code platforms, you can reliably stack everything together and scale your app without hitting any roadblocks. Thus, no-code platforms will be just fine, for one reason: you should be using both them and AI. No-code platforms can help you create apps faster and refine your processes, while AI can give your app advanced chat-based functionality and help with more complex tasks. Just make sure to say “thank you” to your AI overlord after you’re done with your query. No such requirements from us. Afterword The world of AI will keep on accelerating faster. Who knows what we’ll see tomorrow: a utopia where no one needs to work (machines go in, men go out!), or will it be Skynet eradicating humans like the little noxious pests that they are? For the time being, one thing is certain: you’ll be wise to invest into AI, and keep a close eye on what’s happening with it. Future-proof your job, your projects, and your company, because the competition’s landscape may look very different, very quickly. Cheerio.

What’s Up at the AI and No-Code Frontier?

As users become savvier and less responsive to traditional banner ads, publishers struggle to maintain revenue. In response, the advertising industry is constantly evolving as both advertisers and publishers look for new ways to improve ROI and diversify revenue. One option that has been gaining traction recently is interstitial ads, which have very high viewability and click-through rates (CTRs). However, these ads are intrusive and hamper UX, giving them a mixed reputation among publishers. In this article, I will give you an overview of interstitial ads and discuss a new study that shows how you can implement them while still maintaining user experience. What Are Interstitial Ads? Interstitial ads are full-screen advertisements that pop up between the user's current page and the page they intend to navigate to. These ads are hard to overlook and require users to take action in order to proceed to their intended destination. This feature makes them an excellent tool to grab users' attention and encourage them to engage with the ad. As user engagement increases, advertisers are willing to pay higher (cost-per-mille, or, cost per one thousand impressions), resulting in higher RPMs for publishers. CPMs Advantages For advertisers, engagement is the name of the game. The goal of digital advertisers is to have users see, click, and eventually purchase their product or service. Due to the incredibly high viewability of interstitial ads, more users click on them, which is why advertisers are willing to pay so much. For publishers, it is a simple matter of supply and demand. There is a large demand among advertisers for interstitial ads, but not a large supply because publishers need to limit them (more on this below). Given this situation, publishers can charge advertisers very high CPMs for interstitial ads. Disadvantages Given their high eCPM (effective cost per mille, or, how much the publisher receives per one thousand impressions), one may wonder why not all publishers use interstitial ads. The main drawback of interstitial ads is their effect on user experience (UX). The intrusive nature of the ads hampers UX, which can result in lower traffic. In addition, if implemented incorrectly, interstitial ads can lead to slower loading times and penalties for misuse. That is why publishers must implement frequency capping to ensure that the ads don’t appear too often. New Study Shows How to Boost Revenue and Maintain UX It’s pretty evident to everyone in the industry that interstitial ads yield more revenue for publishers than traditional banner ads. However, a by the ad monetization company Adnimation quantified just how effective the ads are. recent study According to the study, the average eCPM of interstitial ads was more than 4,000% higher than regular banner ads. This means that if your average eCPM for banner ads is $1, the eCPM of your interstitial ads would be $41. The study analyzed data from 50 random publishers, with half based in the United States and half based in Europe, for a duration of 3 months. According to the study, the effectiveness of interstitial ads was nearly identical for US and European traffic. A key takeaway from the study is that the high eCPMs of these ads can enable publishers to decrease the number of regular banner ads and improve UX, while still generating more revenue. In other words, due to the fact that eCPMs for interstitial ads are so high, publishers can now afford to improve the overall UX of their site by reducing the number of regular banner ads. This is great news for publishers who are on the fence about implementing this strategy due to UX concerns. That is not to say that interstitial ads don’t affect UX. They still do. However, their high value can allow you to offset the costs of showing fewer overall banner ads on your site. There’s a Catch Of course, there’s a catch, there always is. But in this case, the catch is simple: do it right! As noted above, incorrect implementation can lead to penalization. In fact, Google has for interstitial ads, and the last thing you want is to be penalized by Google. strict guidelines Given this, you need to ensure that interstitial ads are placed correctly, have a frequency cap, and feature a clear 'X' or close button. In addition, you need advanced ad-serving technology and ongoing management to maximize the prices. Don't just implement the ads and hope for the best. Yes, your revenue will improve, but you won’t get the most you can from the ads. For the best results, make sure to actively monitor the ads and make real-time decisions on when and to whom to show the ads based on the relevant data. Lead Image: Myriam Jessier Also published here.

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