The Daily Index — Thursday, July 31, 2025 · TLDR Index

Across today’s newsletters

Today’s Index

TLDR

TIKTOK INTRODUCES COMMUNITY NOTES IN THE FORM OF FOOTNOTES, A NEW FACT-CHECKING TOOL

TikTok's Footnotes is officially rolling out in the US for users in the pilot program. There are around 80,000 users contributing to TikTok's version of Community Notes - all of them have had active TikTok accounts for at least six months, live in the US, haven't had community guidelines violations in the past six months, and are at least 18 years old. Footnotes will be moderated with a combination of automated moderation and human moderation. Users can report footnotes they think are untrue or break TikTok's rules.

mashable.com · 2 min

TLDR AI

OPENAI HITS $12 BILLION IN ANNUALIZED REVENUE

OpenAI has reached $12 billion in annualized revenue, roughly doubling its revenue in the first seven months of the year. The figure implies that OpenAI is generating $1 billion a month. The company has around 700 million weekly active users. OpenAI has increased its cash burn projection to roughly $8 billion in 2025, up $1 billion from its projection earlier in the year.

links.tldrnewsletter.com · 2 min

TLDR Web Dev

FLUID COMPUTE: HOW WE BUILT SERVERLESS SERVERS

Vercel's Fluid compute optimizes serverless computing by efficiently using resources, minimizing cold starts, and reducing costs. This approach uses a custom TCP-based protocol and Rust-based core to create secure tunnels between Vercel and AWS Lambda functions, turning on HTTP streaming. The system also routes requests to existing idle function instances, increasing resource utilization and breaking free from the traditional one-invocation-per-instance model.

vercel.com · 7 min

TLDR InfoSec

NEW LENOVO UEFI FIRMWARE UPDATES FIX SECURE BOOT BYPASS FLAWS

Lenovo is warning users about new high-severity BIOS flaws that could allow attackers to bypass Secure Boot on some IdeaCentre AIO and Yoga AIO models. The vulnerabilities may enable local attackers to execute arbitrary code in System Management Mode (SMM), a CPU mode that operates independently from the OS and hypervisor, allowing them to plant “undetectable” malware that bypasses OS-level defenses.

bleepingcomputer.com · 2 min

TLDR Crypto

SEC APPROVES IN-KIND REDEMPTIONS FOR CRYPTO ETFS

The SEC has approved in‑kind creation and redemption for all spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, allowing authorized participants to exchange ETF shares directly for BTC or ETH instead of cash, which will streamline liquidity management and reduce transaction costs. This marks the first major crypto‑friendly policy under new Chair Paul Atkins, who has prioritized a fit‑for‑purpose regulatory framework for digital assets. BlackRock, Fidelity, Ark Invest, and other issuers stand to benefit, having filed for this change earlier in the year. The SEC also raised position limits on options for BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust, further enhancing institutional flexibility for hedging and arbitrage.

coindesk.com · 5 min

TLDR

TESLA TAKES FIRST STEP IN SUNSETTING MODEL S AND X WITH DRASTIC MOVE

Tesla could be sunsetting the Model S and Model X as it has ended international orders. The two oldest cars in the company's lineup, the vehicles account for a very small portion of overall sales. Tesla doesn't make enough of the Model S or Model X units to justify the expensive logistics process of shipping custom orders overseas. It is possible the company may build a bunch of random configurations, send them overseas every few months, and let them sell before replenishing inventory.

teslarati.com · 3 min

TLDR

THE SCIENCE BEHIND REGROWING MISSING TEETH

Clinical trials for a drug that could eventually help people regrow missing or damaged teeth have begun in Japan. While humans typically grow two sets of teeth in their lifetime, the buds necessary to grow a third set still exist. The drug blocks a protein that limits tooth growth. The researchers hope to roll the drug out to the wider public by 2030.

theweek.com · 3 min

TLDR

HELION BREAKS GROUND ON WHAT COULD BE THE WORLD'S FIRST FUSION PLANT DESPITE SIGNIFICANT UNCERTAINTY

Helion Energy has started site work on its commercial fusion power plant. The company's first facility is scheduled to start operating in 2028. It is building a 50 megawatt reactor to power Microsoft's data centers in the region. The entire tech sector is scrambling for new clean energy sources to power the servers that support artificial intelligence. Helion has spent 12 years on research and development and building prototypes in preparation for this deployment.

links.tldrnewsletter.com · 3 min

TLDR

FAST

Fast software changes behavior. Fast eliminates cognitive friction and signals simplicity, which is rare in the world where code and content are commodities. Making software fast often requires stripping away non-essential features - the ultimate expression of respect in a world obsessed with adding rather than refining. It means the developer has thought deeply about what matters and eliminated everything else.

catherinejue.com · 4 min