#108 - Amazon Lawsuit, Breakthroughs in 2023, and Rumi!
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In the News
🧂 This new solar powered desalination device could produce potable water wherever it’s needed for a fraction of the cost of current methods.
⚡️ New super powerful EV chargers are rolling out in Arizona
💼 17 states and the FTC are suing Amazon. We think it’s way overdue.
🧬 2 of the scientists who helped lay the groundwork for the discovery of mRNA vaccines will (unsurprisingly) receive a Nobel prize. The foundations that they built ultimately led to the development of Covid vaccines that helped save millions of lives.
Opportunities
Anthropic is looking for a research engineer in their responsible scaling policy evals team. This is a junior position based in the Bay Area. Research Engineers will join a team that is focused on national security threats – evaluating whether models increase the likelihood or consequence of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear risks (CBRN) risks, and whether models make sophisticated offensive cyber capabilities available to unsophisticated actors. Important stuff, people!
Both Yale and Princeton are running fellowships for people hoping to specialize in information technology. Yale’s is more geared towards law, while Princeton’s is more focused on tech and engineering, but both are honing in on the need for more scientists and engineers in the halls of power where policy decisions are being made. Check them both out on their respective sites: Yale, Princeton.
Plan C’s small but mighty team of veteran reproductive health advocates, researchers, and digital strategists are working toward a shared vision: a world in which the ability to end an early pregnancy is always in easy reach of those who need it. They are seeking a Webflow designer + developer to help them maintain and update the Plan C website. The position is remote.
Global Giving helps non-profits fundraise efficiently, and they curate a list of meaningful donation opportunities for people looking to make a difference with their philanthropy. They’re seeking an engineering lead who will help guide their team of 10 engineers on a suite of new initiatives. Remote or in DC.
Khan Academy is looking for a SWE intern. In their words: “Our students, teachers, and parents come from all walks of life, and so do we. Our team includes people from academia, traditional/non-traditional education, big tech companies, and tiny startups. We hire great people from diverse backgrounds and experiences because it makes our company stronger. We value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as necessary to achieve our mission and impact the communities we serve. We know that transforming education starts in-house with learning about ourselves and our colleagues. We strive to be world-class in investing in our people and commit to developing you as a professional.” We love Khan Academy, and we think you should too! Apply here.
What We’re Watching
Anthropic published a post about how LLMs can be broken down into more understandable components.
Rest of World wrote an article about how generative AI models are reinforcing our biases.
MIT Technology Review released their top 10 breakthrough technologies of 2023. It’s one of our favorite yearly posts that they produce.
What would happen if we all stopped eating meat?
Quotes We Love
“If you want what visible reality can give, you're an employee. If you want the unseen world, you're not living your truth. Both wishes are foolish. But you'll be forgiven for forgetting that what you really want is love's confusing joy.”
-Rumi
That’s all for now! See you in your inbox in another 2 weeks!