Maxime Morin
@engineeringnotesbymaxime.substack.com
Tech lead writting about software, AI, infrastructure, and the political economy of tech.
Substack: engineeringnotesbymaxime.substack.com
Substack: engineeringnotesbymaxime.substack.com
In the U.S., the regulator mental model is paperwork.
The FCC (the agency that licenses satellite systems) approves deployments and sets conditions.
The FCC (the agency that licenses satellite systems) approves deployments and sets conditions.
February 1, 2026 at 12:16 PM
In the U.S., the regulator mental model is paperwork.
The FCC (the agency that licenses satellite systems) approves deployments and sets conditions.
The FCC (the agency that licenses satellite systems) approves deployments and sets conditions.
In a crowded LEO shell, collision avoidance sounds like a feature.
In practice it’s a queueing system.
Close-approach warnings come in, you triage, you decide, you burn propellant, you move, you log.
When the queue rate rises, you either spend more fuel, accept more risk, or shorten mission life.
In practice it’s a queueing system.
Close-approach warnings come in, you triage, you decide, you burn propellant, you move, you log.
When the queue rate rises, you either spend more fuel, accept more risk, or shorten mission life.
January 31, 2026 at 3:36 PM
In a crowded LEO shell, collision avoidance sounds like a feature.
In practice it’s a queueing system.
Close-approach warnings come in, you triage, you decide, you burn propellant, you move, you log.
When the queue rate rises, you either spend more fuel, accept more risk, or shorten mission life.
In practice it’s a queueing system.
Close-approach warnings come in, you triage, you decide, you burn propellant, you move, you log.
When the queue rate rises, you either spend more fuel, accept more risk, or shorten mission life.
Low Earth orbit (the band where most satellites fly) used to feel “safe” because there were fewer things up there.
That slack is gone.
Starlink alone is operating nearly 9,400 satellites, and avoidance maneuvers are now normal ops, not a weird edge case you run once a year.
That slack is gone.
Starlink alone is operating nearly 9,400 satellites, and avoidance maneuvers are now normal ops, not a weird edge case you run once a year.
January 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM
Low Earth orbit (the band where most satellites fly) used to feel “safe” because there were fewer things up there.
That slack is gone.
Starlink alone is operating nearly 9,400 satellites, and avoidance maneuvers are now normal ops, not a weird edge case you run once a year.
That slack is gone.
Starlink alone is operating nearly 9,400 satellites, and avoidance maneuvers are now normal ops, not a weird edge case you run once a year.
Email ping-pong is a control system. It’s engineered.
Day 0: regulator asks for dataset X, defined in a way the platform understands.
Day 14: platform replies with “need clarification on scope” and asks 6 questions.
Day 21: regulator answers.
Day 0: regulator asks for dataset X, defined in a way the platform understands.
Day 14: platform replies with “need clarification on scope” and asks 6 questions.
Day 21: regulator answers.
January 30, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Email ping-pong is a control system. It’s engineered.
Day 0: regulator asks for dataset X, defined in a way the platform understands.
Day 14: platform replies with “need clarification on scope” and asks 6 questions.
Day 21: regulator answers.
Day 0: regulator asks for dataset X, defined in a way the platform understands.
Day 14: platform replies with “need clarification on scope” and asks 6 questions.
Day 21: regulator answers.
A lot of “platform safety” gets handled like PR. Big statements, softer words, shiny policy pages.
Meanwhile the product team keeps shipping the same mechanics: rewards loops, nudges, default settings that push sharing, and recommendation systems tuned for time spent.
Meanwhile the product team keeps shipping the same mechanics: rewards loops, nudges, default settings that push sharing, and recommendation systems tuned for time spent.
January 30, 2026 at 4:28 PM
A lot of “platform safety” gets handled like PR. Big statements, softer words, shiny policy pages.
Meanwhile the product team keeps shipping the same mechanics: rewards loops, nudges, default settings that push sharing, and recommendation systems tuned for time spent.
Meanwhile the product team keeps shipping the same mechanics: rewards loops, nudges, default settings that push sharing, and recommendation systems tuned for time spent.
The EU can directly supervise the biggest platforms once they pass a massive user threshold (tens of millions of people in Europe).
That’s why you see flashy cases against household names.
That’s why you see flashy cases against household names.
January 30, 2026 at 12:03 PM
The EU can directly supervise the biggest platforms once they pass a massive user threshold (tens of millions of people in Europe).
That’s why you see flashy cases against household names.
That’s why you see flashy cases against household names.
Imagine a regulator office trying to enforce platform rules while procurement takes 12 weeks, hiring takes two quarters, and every request for tooling needs three approvals.
That’s how you get “Europe cracked down” headlines and zero day-to-day change for users.
That’s how you get “Europe cracked down” headlines and zero day-to-day change for users.
January 29, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Imagine a regulator office trying to enforce platform rules while procurement takes 12 weeks, hiring takes two quarters, and every request for tooling needs three approvals.
That’s how you get “Europe cracked down” headlines and zero day-to-day change for users.
That’s how you get “Europe cracked down” headlines and zero day-to-day change for users.
Look at how some countries staff these regulator roles.
The job ads ask for a unicorn: 10+ years experience, technical depth, policy background, legal drafting, crisis comms, stakeholder management, all for public-sector pay.
The job ads ask for a unicorn: 10+ years experience, technical depth, policy background, legal drafting, crisis comms, stakeholder management, all for public-sector pay.
January 29, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Look at how some countries staff these regulator roles.
The job ads ask for a unicorn: 10+ years experience, technical depth, policy background, legal drafting, crisis comms, stakeholder management, all for public-sector pay.
The job ads ask for a unicorn: 10+ years experience, technical depth, policy background, legal drafting, crisis comms, stakeholder management, all for public-sector pay.
In 2024, the EU opened major cases against AliExpress (March), Meta’s Facebook and Instagram (May), and pushed on X (July).
Those are real moves.
They also highlight the split: Brussels can run top-tier cases, but the rest depends on whether each country’s regulator can actually function.
Those are real moves.
They also highlight the split: Brussels can run top-tier cases, but the rest depends on whether each country’s regulator can actually function.
January 29, 2026 at 7:54 AM
In 2024, the EU opened major cases against AliExpress (March), Meta’s Facebook and Instagram (May), and pushed on X (July).
Those are real moves.
They also highlight the split: Brussels can run top-tier cases, but the rest depends on whether each country’s regulator can actually function.
Those are real moves.
They also highlight the split: Brussels can run top-tier cases, but the rest depends on whether each country’s regulator can actually function.
DSA enforcement depends on national politics.
That’s the weak link.
That’s the weak link.
January 28, 2026 at 6:29 PM
DSA enforcement depends on national politics.
That’s the weak link.
That’s the weak link.
Here’s the corporate move that beats regulation:
“We take this seriously.”
“We’re cooperating.”
“We’ll schedule a workshop.”
Then come the extensions, the definition fights, the “we need more time” emails, and the bet that regulators will run out of staff before the platform runs out of lawyers.
“We take this seriously.”
“We’re cooperating.”
“We’ll schedule a workshop.”
Then come the extensions, the definition fights, the “we need more time” emails, and the bet that regulators will run out of staff before the platform runs out of lawyers.
January 28, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Here’s the corporate move that beats regulation:
“We take this seriously.”
“We’re cooperating.”
“We’ll schedule a workshop.”
Then come the extensions, the definition fights, the “we need more time” emails, and the bet that regulators will run out of staff before the platform runs out of lawyers.
“We take this seriously.”
“We’re cooperating.”
“We’ll schedule a workshop.”
Then come the extensions, the definition fights, the “we need more time” emails, and the bet that regulators will run out of staff before the platform runs out of lawyers.
If you want to understand why EU tech rules often feel toothless, ignore the speeches and look for the office.
Literally: a national regulator team with a budget, a case queue, and the authority to demand data.
When that office is five people and a shared inbox, the law becomes a poster.
Literally: a national regulator team with a budget, a case queue, and the authority to demand data.
When that office is five people and a shared inbox, the law becomes a poster.
January 28, 2026 at 8:28 AM
If you want to understand why EU tech rules often feel toothless, ignore the speeches and look for the office.
Literally: a national regulator team with a budget, a case queue, and the authority to demand data.
When that office is five people and a shared inbox, the law becomes a poster.
Literally: a national regulator team with a budget, a case queue, and the authority to demand data.
When that office is five people and a shared inbox, the law becomes a poster.
The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) fine cap is up to 6% of global revenue.
Sounds scary until you realize it mostly buys regulators a seat at the product roadmap.
I broke down how this works in practice:
open.substack.com/pub/engineer...
Sounds scary until you realize it mostly buys regulators a seat at the product roadmap.
I broke down how this works in practice:
open.substack.com/pub/engineer...
Europe’s Big Tech Crackdown Is Starting to Look Fake
How national politics pulled the plug
open.substack.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:20 PM
The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) fine cap is up to 6% of global revenue.
Sounds scary until you realize it mostly buys regulators a seat at the product roadmap.
I broke down how this works in practice:
open.substack.com/pub/engineer...
Sounds scary until you realize it mostly buys regulators a seat at the product roadmap.
I broke down how this works in practice:
open.substack.com/pub/engineer...
In December 2025, the EU fined X €120 million. People treated it like a “Europe finally woke up” moment.
The part that matters more is what happens everywhere else: the EU can hit the giants directly, but most enforcement still relies on national regulator offices that can be delayed or blocked.
The part that matters more is what happens everywhere else: the EU can hit the giants directly, but most enforcement still relies on national regulator offices that can be delayed or blocked.
January 27, 2026 at 12:42 PM
In December 2025, the EU fined X €120 million. People treated it like a “Europe finally woke up” moment.
The part that matters more is what happens everywhere else: the EU can hit the giants directly, but most enforcement still relies on national regulator offices that can be delayed or blocked.
The part that matters more is what happens everywhere else: the EU can hit the giants directly, but most enforcement still relies on national regulator offices that can be delayed or blocked.
Execs who point at “AI strategy” as the reason to stop hiring juniors should name the specific plan: who trains new workers, who does first-pass analysis, who writes the docs, who owns the handoffs.
January 27, 2026 at 7:17 AM
Execs who point at “AI strategy” as the reason to stop hiring juniors should name the specific plan: who trains new workers, who does first-pass analysis, who writes the docs, who owns the handoffs.
If Challenger’s tracking is right and 2025 cleared one million announced U.S. job cuts, that rewrites what “normal staffing” means inside companies.
January 26, 2026 at 6:47 PM
If Challenger’s tracking is right and 2025 cleared one million announced U.S. job cuts, that rewrites what “normal staffing” means inside companies.
Recruiters who send “we decided to move forward with candidates whose experience more closely aligns” after 200 applications should say what that sentence means in plain English: “We want someone already trained, and we don’t want to pay for the training.”
January 26, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Recruiters who send “we decided to move forward with candidates whose experience more closely aligns” after 200 applications should say what that sentence means in plain English: “We want someone already trained, and we don’t want to pay for the training.”
Musk’s orbital internet now threads 300,000 near misses a year just to keep 9.2 million paying customers online.
Let’s celebrate billionaire tech bros treating Earth’s orbit like a junkyard stocked by their own egos.
Let’s celebrate billionaire tech bros treating Earth’s orbit like a junkyard stocked by their own egos.
January 25, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Musk’s orbital internet now threads 300,000 near misses a year just to keep 9.2 million paying customers online.
Let’s celebrate billionaire tech bros treating Earth’s orbit like a junkyard stocked by their own egos.
Let’s celebrate billionaire tech bros treating Earth’s orbit like a junkyard stocked by their own egos.
20M Copilot users, 230k orgs, 84% adoption in the pipeline, and execs still sell it like free productivity.
Only 2% say AI output needs no revision while 58% burn 3+ hours a week fixing vendor slop they already paid for.
Source: Microsoft Annual Report
Only 2% say AI output needs no revision while 58% burn 3+ hours a week fixing vendor slop they already paid for.
Source: Microsoft Annual Report
January 24, 2026 at 6:06 PM
20M Copilot users, 230k orgs, 84% adoption in the pipeline, and execs still sell it like free productivity.
Only 2% say AI output needs no revision while 58% burn 3+ hours a week fixing vendor slop they already paid for.
Source: Microsoft Annual Report
Only 2% say AI output needs no revision while 58% burn 3+ hours a week fixing vendor slop they already paid for.
Source: Microsoft Annual Report
Autodesk fires 1,000 people to redirect cash into AI, then executives will sell it as progress with a straight face.
AI job ads jump 130% while junior dev employment sinks ~20%.
They are strip-mining labor, starving the pipeline, and calling the wreckage strategy.
Sources: Reuters, IHL, SDEL
AI job ads jump 130% while junior dev employment sinks ~20%.
They are strip-mining labor, starving the pipeline, and calling the wreckage strategy.
Sources: Reuters, IHL, SDEL
January 24, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Autodesk fires 1,000 people to redirect cash into AI, then executives will sell it as progress with a straight face.
AI job ads jump 130% while junior dev employment sinks ~20%.
They are strip-mining labor, starving the pipeline, and calling the wreckage strategy.
Sources: Reuters, IHL, SDEL
AI job ads jump 130% while junior dev employment sinks ~20%.
They are strip-mining labor, starving the pipeline, and calling the wreckage strategy.
Sources: Reuters, IHL, SDEL
U.S. households paid 30% more for electricity in 2025 than in 2020, and Virginia’s wholesale power costs rose 44% in 2025 in the data-center zone (Financial Times).
Data centers were only ~4% of U.S. demand in 2024, so the bill’s already ugly before the AI buildout really hits.
Data centers were only ~4% of U.S. demand in 2024, so the bill’s already ugly before the AI buildout really hits.
January 23, 2026 at 6:42 PM
U.S. households paid 30% more for electricity in 2025 than in 2020, and Virginia’s wholesale power costs rose 44% in 2025 in the data-center zone (Financial Times).
Data centers were only ~4% of U.S. demand in 2024, so the bill’s already ugly before the AI buildout really hits.
Data centers were only ~4% of U.S. demand in 2024, so the bill’s already ugly before the AI buildout really hits.
Amazon’s aiming to cut 30,000 corporate jobs, nearly 10% of its white-collar workforce, then says it’s about “culture” and “too many layers” (Reuters).
Sure. Nothing fixes bureaucracy like firing the people who can’t expense it.
Sure. Nothing fixes bureaucracy like firing the people who can’t expense it.
January 23, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Amazon’s aiming to cut 30,000 corporate jobs, nearly 10% of its white-collar workforce, then says it’s about “culture” and “too many layers” (Reuters).
Sure. Nothing fixes bureaucracy like firing the people who can’t expense it.
Sure. Nothing fixes bureaucracy like firing the people who can’t expense it.
Job postings demanding “AI agent” skills are up 1,587% (Reuters).
Employers are thrilled (95% forecast growth) while workers are not (51% agree), because everyone can see where the “efficiency” goes.
Employers are thrilled (95% forecast growth) while workers are not (51% agree), because everyone can see where the “efficiency” goes.
January 22, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Job postings demanding “AI agent” skills are up 1,587% (Reuters).
Employers are thrilled (95% forecast growth) while workers are not (51% agree), because everyone can see where the “efficiency” goes.
Employers are thrilled (95% forecast growth) while workers are not (51% agree), because everyone can see where the “efficiency” goes.
€752.4M
That’s the antitrust fine Italy still wants Amazon to pay for squeezing e-commerce logistics.
Amazon says it should be zero.
Sure. When the moat prints cash, the fine is just a line item.
That’s the antitrust fine Italy still wants Amazon to pay for squeezing e-commerce logistics.
Amazon says it should be zero.
Sure. When the moat prints cash, the fine is just a line item.
January 21, 2026 at 1:22 PM
€752.4M
That’s the antitrust fine Italy still wants Amazon to pay for squeezing e-commerce logistics.
Amazon says it should be zero.
Sure. When the moat prints cash, the fine is just a line item.
That’s the antitrust fine Italy still wants Amazon to pay for squeezing e-commerce logistics.
Amazon says it should be zero.
Sure. When the moat prints cash, the fine is just a line item.
Randstad reviewed 3M+ job postings across 35 markets and says vacancies asking for “AI agent” skills jumped 1,587%.
Employers slap “agent” on roles to reprice labor, dodge headcount optics, and offload training costs onto applicants while vendors trap teams in their toolchains.
Employers slap “agent” on roles to reprice labor, dodge headcount optics, and offload training costs onto applicants while vendors trap teams in their toolchains.
January 20, 2026 at 12:55 PM
Randstad reviewed 3M+ job postings across 35 markets and says vacancies asking for “AI agent” skills jumped 1,587%.
Employers slap “agent” on roles to reprice labor, dodge headcount optics, and offload training costs onto applicants while vendors trap teams in their toolchains.
Employers slap “agent” on roles to reprice labor, dodge headcount optics, and offload training costs onto applicants while vendors trap teams in their toolchains.