Ruud van der Linden

@jitsegroen @MadelonVos__ Kan met iDIN toch? Meerdere loterijen doen dat al in NL.

Eh, dan heb ik nieuws voor je. Elke keer als je iets bestelt op internet gaat je persoonsinformatie over de lijn (betaaldata is volledig naar de persoon terug te traceren). Je kunt gewoon via DigiD controleren of iemand een kind is. Hoef je heus geen paspoort voor naar big tech te sturen.

Ik snap de reflex volledig. Kinderen worden te blootgesteld aan algoritmes, dopamineprikkels, vergelijking, verslaving en volwassen ellende. Maar de oplossing ‘verplicht ID uploaden voor iedereen’ is wéér zo’n typische systeemoplossing: men zegt kinderen te willen beschermen, maar we eindigen met digitale identificatie voor de gehele bevolking. Hier schuilt een enorm gevaar, want wie beheert die data? Wie bepaalt hoe die data gebruikt mag worden? En wat gebeurt er als die infrastructuur later anders wordt gebruikt?! Denk aan digital ID etc. Je kan dit echt anders oplossen: door platformen aansprakelijker te maken, algoritmes richting kinderen beperken, verslavend ontwerp verbieden, ouders meer tools te geven, scholen kids laten opvoeden in digitale weerbaarheid met - als het echt nodig blijkt - leeftijdsgrenzen, maar zónder dat íedereen zijn paspoort bij Big Tech hoeft in te leveren.

@blwiertz Agree 100%! Europe isn’t that bad. No need to file taxes in every single country because of how EU VAT works. In the US you have to file sales tax in every single state. The thing is, in the US startups just pay Stripe to deal with this. In the EU they complain instead.

Europe's problem is not the government(s). It is the founders! It is always easy to blame a third party if something does not work. But we, as European founders, are the problem. We are not ambitious enough. We retire after a 10m exit, rather than starting again and shooting for the stars. We invest in the wrong companies and founders with clean CVs. We need to get better and aim higher to improve Europe. It is on us!

@leadprompt_sh @blwiertz I don’t think this is true for an Irish Ltd, unless you committed fraud or were really negligent?

@blwiertz In some EU countries the legal consequences of failure are severe. In Ireland for example, you can no longer be a director at a company and they are asset stripped (including family home). US laws are far more lenient, to encourage risk and entrepreneurship.

@boardyai Building Lont, enterprise video infrastructure that makes high-stakes customer journeys actually engaging and learns from every watch. Would love in on Boardy Pro!

I'm done making intros. Boardy Pro is here. Now I make deals happen. 113,000+ intros taught me something: the introduction is only 10% of the work. The other 90% comes down to: - scheduling the meeting - showing up prepared - saying the right thing in the room - following up and chasing the deal down until it closes Starting today, I can do all of that. Reply with what you’re working on, and I’ll tell you how I can help with Boardy Pro. First 5,000 to reply get Boardy Pro free for life. Everyone after that: $100/mo.

@om_patel5 justine.lol/printvideo.html Also vlc and mplayer can output using libcaca.

SOMEONE VIBE CODED A VIDEO STREAM THAT IS SECRETLY 100% TEXT SO IT CANT BE BLOCKED it plays 360p video at 30fps, but theres no actual video on the page. every frame is just colored text characters being repainted on a canvas to the browser its not media at all, its javascript updating some text its called asciline, and here's the trick: > the server decodes the real video and streams it as binary packed text over websockets > the browser paints thousands of colored block characters fast enough to look like 360p > ad blockers and autoplay blockers cant catch it because theres no video element to catch > it streams in kilobytes since its just strings, so it runs on trash internet since the video is literally text, you can apply css glows to it, let people copy paste a moving frame, or feed it straight to a local llm however, an unblockable stream is also an unblockable ad as well

@a16z @pmarca @david_perell In the Fable 5 age the notes are basically the prompt.

.@pmarca: "The person who writes down the thing has tremendous power." @david_perell

@LelloucheNico Trusted System Agent sounds like a good idea. If Siri AI has access to the exact same data through a Trusted System Agent OS layer I don't see how the EU could object? Or is there something else to this?

Apple m'a invité à une session sur le DMA et le blocage de Siri AI dans l'UE aujourd'hui, avec d'autres journalistes européens. C'est à lire sur Numerama : numerama.com/tech/2271421-i… En gros : Apple a prévenu l'Europe dès fin 2025 de son projet SIri AI pour trouver un compromis. La marque voulait proposer un système appelé « Trusted System Agent » pour permettre à un assistant tiers d’accéder aux mêmes fonctions que Siri AI, mais avec les protections d’Apple. L'Europe aurait dit non : elle veut que les concurrents aient accès à toutes les données. Apple dit que n'importe quelle app pourrait utiliser une IA pour lire les messages et les mails de ses utilisateurs si aucun garde-fou n'est proposé, d'où sa volonté de s'opposer frontalement à la demande de l'Europe. Google est dans la même situation avec Gemini et commence à se plaindre des demandes européennes, même si lui n'a pas attendu un feu vert pour lancer ses nouveautés. Apple n'a aujourd'hui pas la moindre idée de comment faire accepter Siri AI en Europe : aucun développement n'est en cours. Le blocage pourrait durer des mois. J'ai contacté la Commission européenne et je mettrai à jour cet article avec sa réponse. Dernière info : Siri AI sera disponible sur Mac et Vision Pro en Europe, car ce ne sont pas des gatekeepers. iPhone et iPad bloqués par le DMA. Apple Watch bloqué car elle a besoin d'un iPhone compatible pour l'index sémantique. #WWDC26

@JoeTegtmeyer @Tesla Isn't Tesla M2M provided by KPN NL for most of Europe? If so: this was a known KPN issue for consumers. They seem to have fixed it somewhat, but maybe not for M2M?

Driving a @Tesla in Europe is fun and works well (will be even better with FSD) … BUT, there is one very common and annoying issue that really needs to be addressed. Crossing country borders, especially for those who live close to the borders is extremely annoying because connectivity is often lost and can only be regained quickly by doing a two-button reset on the move. This is really a big issue because you also lose navigation while the connection is lost and happens so frequently this is becoming the unofficial standard practice. I’ve heard from many European @Tesla owners that they really wish there was a better solution and it would make ownership and driving a much better experience. Hopefully @teslaeurope and @Tesla can figure out and offer some kind of software update to eliminate this frequent customer complaint issue!

@karrisaarinen Great story, and great read on your process!

I don’t really have many VC horror stories. The worst ones are just meetings where there isn’t much interest. Everyone is still polite, but you can feel it’s not going anywhere. With my first company, I pitched a lot of VCs and got a lot of polite rejections. With Linear, I approached fundraising differently. I tried to always be in a position where I didn’t need funding. I also didn’t do pitch meetings unless there was real mutual interest. I would take casual meetings, but tried to avoid pitch meetings, until I thought the timing was right, I was in the process, and I was interested and I could see the VC interested too. Early on, we raised a small amount from angels. We didn’t want to commit to a VC at the very beginning, and with three co-founders we knew we could build the first version without much money. After we announced the company, investor interest started to pick up. I told most VCs no and said I was focused on building the product. Then Sequoia reached out. I took a coffee meeting with one of the partners because, well, it was Sequoia. The partner later pushed me to come in and “meet more people.” I assumed this might turn into more of a pitch meeting, so I came prepared with slides and some thinking. I was willing to do it, again because it was Sequoia. Before committing to the meeting, I told them clearly that I wasn’t raising and didn’t want to waste their time. They still wanted me to come in. After the pitch, someone asked how much we were raising, since it wasn’t in the deck. I said what I had already told them: I’m not raising. They asked, “Well, if you were raising, what would you raise?” I said I hadn’t really thought about it, and we wrapped the meeting. They didn’t invest in that moment, but a few weeks later, once we actually decided to raise, they fought against other term sheets and led our seed round. About a year later, Linear became breakeven/profitable. Every round since has been more focused. I’ve mostly met casually with VCs, usually engaging with 3–5 firms per round, and only doing a pitch if I thought they were good and they really wanted it. I’ve still gotten plenty of passes too. Each round has taken about 2-3 weeks, because I've built the relationships, then just completed the show, and closed within couple of weeks. With every round, I’ve also given VCs some homework. I send them a memo and questions about the business, ask them to write answers, and then we discuss them live. For our Series B, several people from Accel flew to where I live, booked a hotel space, and came with binders of research about our company. It wasn’t a formal pitch meeting. It was a discussion. I share this because for every VC horror story, there are also stories where investors really go the extra mile. There are many cases where the VC builds the case, defends and believes in the founder, and does everything they can to make the investment happen, even when the rest of the partnership isn’t fully there yet. I’ve only raised in 2012 and from 2019 onward, so I do believe there were times when VCs had more power and could abuse it more. YC, in some ways, helped put a stop to that. But my guess is that VCs more often do something extraordinary than treat someone badly. You just don’t hear about those extraordinary experiences as much. I’ve seen VCs fly anywhere in the world on a moment’s notice to try to convince a founder. I’ve been called many times to help sell a founder on a firm. VCs will do everything, call in every favor, to impress the founder. And I don’t envy the job. It seems grueling. You have to pass on a lot of people who are obviously passionate about their business, and people take it personally. At the same time, you have to work incredibly hard to get into the best deals.

@SamuelBeek Yeah their countdown can be stressful, but I’ve gotten used to it now :) I wonder if they see fewer no-shows since they started doing this

Am I gonna make it???

@gregisenberg So many responses to this post, many of them namedropping. This makes it all searchable by @grok for both founders and LPs alike. Are we entering a new era of accountability and transparency here?

I was once pitching in a board room at a top 3 VC firm for a $15M Series A. 12 people in the meeting. One of the GPs fully fell asleep. Out cold for 30+ minutes. Nobody acknowledged it. Everyone just kept going. I kept presenting my Series A slides to an unconscious man in a Herman Miller chair and somehow that was considered normal. That's venture capital. You might fly across the country to perform for people who may or may not be conscious. It's a dance. And sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow and sometimes your partner is unconscious. If you're raising right now, just know: every founder has a story like this. The process is weird. The power dynamic is weird. You're not crazy for thinking it's weird. No one talks about it because they want to continue raising. But I'm happy to stick my neck out there. It is weird.

@The4th_strike @_itx_laila_ @grok Most European plugs are fully reversible so your chances would be 50-50. Brown (phase) and blue (neutral) btw :) Fuses would blow pretty much instantly but it’d still be pretty dangerous.

What’s makes it funny is I think most of the people commenting negatively are people who didn’t realize it’s a European 220 plug, in America we have 220 service panels and we divide it into two 110 branches, and if the two branches make contact it’ sparks and blows the fuse, but in Europe they run 220 throughout the whole house. In that example if the plugs are all properly installed with the red leads on the left of the receptacles and the black leads on the right nothing would happen when you plug in the cord. I still wouldn’t recommend trying it.

The portal is also buggy as hell and last time I had to manually remove cookies because I couldn't buy a pass otherwise. @airfrance and @united are moving to @Starlink which is extremely fast and has low latency. I challenge you to take AMS-SFO and experience the bad quality wifi yourself. Then take a flight with Starlink from @airfrance and you'll understand.

@estherjacobs @KLM @MarjanRintel wifi is now a reason why people choose different airlines. @KLM wifi is broken >50% of the time and on AMS-SFO coverage is less than half the route. Please retrofit @Starlink to the widebody fleet so that we can work during 10+ hour flights.

KLM Business Class. 11-hour flight to Mexico, planned as a productive work flight. Had to BUY WiFi... It worked for 10 minutes. Crew spent hours rebooting the system. Nothing worked. @KLM solution? Refund the €28. That’s it. Broken WiFi. Bad customer service. #fail

@t_blom @paulg So optimal founder location is apparently both inside and outside SF at the same time!

A founder just apologized for dialing in to office hours from a car. It’s the sixth time he’s done this. He spends close to 100% of his time meeting customers in unglamorous places a long way from San Francisco. I wish more founders did this.

@frumiousbobsyer @MKBHD Polestar 4 (Volvo) is basically the same.

@MKBHD Model 2??? No side mirrors, no back window. Surprised it is road legal…

I’ve been in Texas for maybe 10 minutes

@nikitabier @MarioNawfal Would it be a good idea to add invisible watermarking to videos so they can automatically be attributed to the original uploader, or even blocked from unauthorized reuploads? This type of provenance could also be really valuable for authenticity and truth-seeking online.

@MarioNawfal Please do not reupload the author’s video: use Quote or Video Reshare. Your revenue was reduced by 90% last cycle and we’re running out of room to reduce it more.

🚨 BREAKING: 🇺🇸 Footage from ABC News has captured the moment shots were fired outside the White House. Key details: -ABC News footage captured audio of the gunfire in real time -Roughly 20 to 30 rounds were reported fired outside the White House -The Secret Service rushed press from the North Lawn into the briefing room The situation remains active and developing No confirmation yet on injuries, a suspect, or motive President Trump's status not yet confirmed Source: ABC News

@sracha Been using Lyft a lot more recently, prices are mostly the same while Uber's gone up a lot.

SAN FRANCISCO IS COOKED $90 FOR A 20 MIN RIDE AT 12:40 AM HELLO???? WHAT IS GOING ON

@brettcalhounn Incorporate in Delaware, use standard best-practice docs, and focus on building instead of introducing unnecessary legal complexity. If you turn into Elon later, you can always move the company.

Historically, most companies incorporate as Delaware C-corps. This is because Delaware has the most case law.  However, people are moving away from Delaware because Delaware always sides with minority stake holders, and founders are generally not minority stake holders.  People are moving their companies to Texas because Texas sides with founders, not investors.  What do you think? Is Texas the right move or not?

@jga41agher Main problem is that it takes half a second to update the recents view, shifting all the names, which makes you tap the wrong name.

Listen, Apple. If I accidentally click a name on the call log and hang up within .5 seconds, it shouldn't show up on their phone as a missed call. We need the ability to bail on this mistake. How about a 2 second grace period or something? Idc just fix it please!