Web, Payments, Bytes & Ventures

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Explainers

Practical explanations of the systems behind everyday technology and money.

Card payments ·

Interchange Fee Explained: Where a Card Payment Fee Goes

Interchange fee explained: one processing fee on the statement, three payments to three different parties.

Conceptual illustration of a laptop separated from paper envelopes by a translucent divider.
AI agents ·

Before You Give an AI Agent Access to Your Inbox

Reading mail and sending it are different permissions. Start with the job you actually want done.

Editorial diagram: 10 People Shaping Fintech
Fintech people ·

10 People Shaping Fintech

Ten people whose work helps explain where payments, digital banking and financial infrastructure are going.

Editorial diagram: How Funding Changes a Software Product
Bootstrapping ·

How Funding Changes a Software Product

Customer cash and outside investment create different room to hire, price and wait for growth.

Editorial diagram: Why AI Services Need More Than Powerful Chips
AI infrastructure ·

Why AI Services Need More Than Powerful Chips

Memory, networking, storage and scheduling determine whether expensive processors stay busy.

Editorial diagram: Ethereum Layer 2s: What Gets Cheaper?
Ethereum ·

Ethereum Layer 2: what gets cheaper?

Moving execution changes the cost of a transaction. It also adds details about bridges, withdrawals and trust.

Editorial diagram: Passkeys: Setup, Sync and Recovery
Passkeys ·

Passkeys: Setup, Sync and Recovery

A passkey can simplify signing in. Before replacing a password, check how you will recover access.

Editorial diagram: Why Revenue Per User Can Mislead at an AI Startup
AI startups ·

Why Revenue Per User Can Mislead at an AI Startup

Two customers can pay the same subscription and generate very different computing and support costs.

Editorial diagram: What a VPN Can Hide, and What It Cannot
VPNs ·

What a VPN Can Hide, and What It Cannot

Changing the route of your traffic changes who can observe it. It does not erase your account or browser.

Editorial diagram: Stablecoin Payments: Where the Fees Come From
Stablecoins ·

Stablecoin Payments: Where the Fees Come From

A low network fee is only one part of moving money from a customer's wallet to a merchant's bank.

Editorial diagram: Why an AI Benchmark Win May Not Help With Your Work
AI models ·

Why an AI Benchmark Win May Not Help With Your Work

A leaderboard measures a test. Your workflow adds documents, tools, delays and costly mistakes.

Editorial diagram: Before You Move Your Notes, Test the Export
Note-taking apps ·

Before You Move Your Notes, Test the Export

A readable file is a good start. Links, attachments and dates decide whether your notes survive a move.

Editorial diagram: What You Approve When You Connect a Crypto Wallet
Wallet permissions ·

What You Approve When You Connect a Crypto Wallet

A connection, a signature and a spending permission can appear in similar popups but have different effects.

Editorial diagram: What a Startup Funding Round Does Not Tell You
Startup funding ·

What a Startup Funding Round Does Not Tell You

The amount raised and the valuation are a starting point. The terms, revenue and cash needs tell another story.

Editorial diagram: Why One Cloud Outage Can Break Unrelated Apps
Cloud infrastructure ·

Why One Cloud Outage Can Break Unrelated Apps

Different logos can sit on the same DNS, login, storage or hosting service.

Editorial diagram: Why a Cross-Border Transfer Can Still Take Days
Cross-border payments ·

Why a Cross-Border Transfer Can Still Take Days

The international message can arrive quickly while the recipient's money waits in the last mile.

Editorial diagram: Local-First Apps: What Works Without the Internet?
Local-first software ·

Local-First Apps: What Works Without the Internet?

Offline editing, syncing and backing up solve different problems. A local copy does not guarantee all three.

Editorial diagram: Running AI on Your Laptop: What to Check First
Local AI ·

Running AI on Your Laptop: What to Check First

Memory, model files and cloud settings matter more than a screenshot of a local chat window.

Illustration of a plain card held above a payment terminal, with contactless signal arcs.
Card payments ·

What Happens After You Tap Your Card?

The terminal's approval is one step in a longer journey from a payment request to settled funds.

Editorial diagram: A Crypto Wallet Stores Keys. Where Are the Coins?
Crypto wallets ·

A Crypto Wallet Stores Keys. Where Are the Coins?

Your balance belongs to a network's records. The wallet helps you prove which actions you may authorize.

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