Maxime Morin
@engineeringnotesbymaxime.substack.com
Writing about AI, infrastructure, security, and system failures we pretend won’t happen.
Substack: engineeringnotesbymaxime.substack.com
Substack: engineeringnotesbymaxime.substack.com
So what does “no breach” mean if an external party can spam Instagram password reset emails at scale?
Meta says the issue is fixed and you can ignore the emails, while Malwarebytes says data tied to 17.5 million accounts was for sale, including addresses and phone numbers.
Meta says the issue is fixed and you can ignore the emails, while Malwarebytes says data tied to 17.5 million accounts was for sale, including addresses and phone numbers.
Instagram says it fixed the issue that sent password reset emails
Instagram says it fixed the issue that sent password reset emails and that there was no breach of its systems.
www.theverge.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:56 AM
So what does “no breach” mean if an external party can spam Instagram password reset emails at scale?
Meta says the issue is fixed and you can ignore the emails, while Malwarebytes says data tied to 17.5 million accounts was for sale, including addresses and phone numbers.
Meta says the issue is fixed and you can ignore the emails, while Malwarebytes says data tied to 17.5 million accounts was for sale, including addresses and phone numbers.
Lego says the Smart Brick’s microphone doesn’t record audio.
Cool, but the Verge says it still ships with Bluetooth mesh, NFC tags, sensors, and app-updatable firmware inside a 2×4 brick.
Doesn’t record is scope laundering when the real issue is a child’s toy becoming a networked computer.
Cool, but the Verge says it still ships with Bluetooth mesh, NFC tags, sensors, and app-updatable firmware inside a 2×4 brick.
Doesn’t record is scope laundering when the real issue is a child’s toy becoming a networked computer.
Lego announces Smart Brick, the ‘most significant evolution’ in 50 years
Starting with Lego Star Wars.
www.theverge.com
January 11, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Lego says the Smart Brick’s microphone doesn’t record audio.
Cool, but the Verge says it still ships with Bluetooth mesh, NFC tags, sensors, and app-updatable firmware inside a 2×4 brick.
Doesn’t record is scope laundering when the real issue is a child’s toy becoming a networked computer.
Cool, but the Verge says it still ships with Bluetooth mesh, NFC tags, sensors, and app-updatable firmware inside a 2×4 brick.
Doesn’t record is scope laundering when the real issue is a child’s toy becoming a networked computer.
So when Elon Musk says X will “open source” its new recommendation algorithm in seven days, what are we actually auditing?
Reuters says he’s publishing the code for organic and ad recommendations, not the data, labels, enforcement rules, or the knobs advertisers pay for.
Reuters says he’s publishing the code for organic and ad recommendations, not the data, labels, enforcement rules, or the knobs advertisers pay for.
Musk's X to open source new algorithm in seven days
Elon Musk said on Saturday that social media platform X will open to the public its new algorithm, including all code for organic and advertising post recommendations, in seven days.
www.reuters.com
January 11, 2026 at 2:45 PM
So when Elon Musk says X will “open source” its new recommendation algorithm in seven days, what are we actually auditing?
Reuters says he’s publishing the code for organic and ad recommendations, not the data, labels, enforcement rules, or the knobs advertisers pay for.
Reuters says he’s publishing the code for organic and ad recommendations, not the data, labels, enforcement rules, or the knobs advertisers pay for.
OpenAI and SoftBank each put $500M into SB Energy to fund a 1.2-gigawatt data center in Texas under “Stargate”.
Read that unit. Gigawatts. This is an energy buildout with an AI label slapped on it because the compute race ran into electricity.
Read that unit. Gigawatts. This is an energy buildout with an AI label slapped on it because the compute race ran into electricity.
OpenAI, SoftBank invest $1 billion in SB Energy as Stargate buildout expands
OpenAI and SoftBank Group will invest $500 million each in SB Energy to expand data center and power infrastructure for their Stargate initiative, SB Energy said on Friday.
www.reuters.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:05 PM
OpenAI and SoftBank each put $500M into SB Energy to fund a 1.2-gigawatt data center in Texas under “Stargate”.
Read that unit. Gigawatts. This is an energy buildout with an AI label slapped on it because the compute race ran into electricity.
Read that unit. Gigawatts. This is an energy buildout with an AI label slapped on it because the compute race ran into electricity.
Nvidia is demanding full upfront payment for H200 orders in China, with no cancellations, refunds, or configuration changes.
Orders are reported above 2 million chips against about 700,000 units of inventory, at roughly $27,000 each. That’s not a normal purchase flow but risk transfer.
Orders are reported above 2 million chips against about 700,000 units of inventory, at roughly $27,000 each. That’s not a normal purchase flow but risk transfer.
Exclusive: Nvidia requires full upfront payment for H200 chips in China, sources say
Nvidia is requiring full upfront payment from Chinese customers seeking its H200 artificial intelligence chips, hedging it against ongoing uncertainty over Beijing's approval of the shipments, said tw...
www.reuters.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:05 PM
Nvidia is demanding full upfront payment for H200 orders in China, with no cancellations, refunds, or configuration changes.
Orders are reported above 2 million chips against about 700,000 units of inventory, at roughly $27,000 each. That’s not a normal purchase flow but risk transfer.
Orders are reported above 2 million chips against about 700,000 units of inventory, at roughly $27,000 each. That’s not a normal purchase flow but risk transfer.
xAI is investing over $20B in a Mississippi data center, targeting 2GW, with operations expected to start in Feb 2026.
Two gigawatts is the headline. This stopped being a software startup story a while ago, and the spending proves it.
Two gigawatts is the headline. This stopped being a software startup story a while ago, and the spending proves it.
Musk's xAI to invest over $20 billion in Mississippi data center
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI is investing more than $20 billion to build a data center in Southaven, Mississippi, state Governor Tate Reeves said in a statement on Thursday, as a bo...
www.reuters.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:59 PM
xAI is investing over $20B in a Mississippi data center, targeting 2GW, with operations expected to start in Feb 2026.
Two gigawatts is the headline. This stopped being a software startup story a while ago, and the spending proves it.
Two gigawatts is the headline. This stopped being a software startup story a while ago, and the spending proves it.
Poland is rewriting grid-connection rules because developers requested 130GW of data center connections while projected demand growth is 1.2GW by 2034.
Read that gap again.
Raising fees and speeding firm agreements is basic triage for a queue that’s been turned into a speculation instrument.
Read that gap again.
Raising fees and speeding firm agreements is basic triage for a queue that’s been turned into a speculation instrument.
Polish cabinet backs energy law changes to speed grid connections
The Polish cabinet has approved an overhaul of the energy law to speed up grid connections, stop developers from ordering capacity they never use, and make the process of connecting to the grid more t...
www.reuters.com
January 9, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Poland is rewriting grid-connection rules because developers requested 130GW of data center connections while projected demand growth is 1.2GW by 2034.
Read that gap again.
Raising fees and speeding firm agreements is basic triage for a queue that’s been turned into a speculation instrument.
Read that gap again.
Raising fees and speeding firm agreements is basic triage for a queue that’s been turned into a speculation instrument.
The EU extended its retention order on X: Grok-related documents kept until 31 Dec 2026.
If you need Brussels to order you to keep your own records, you’re not operating in good faith. The whole point is to stop the “we can’t reproduce it” defense before it starts.
If you need Brussels to order you to keep your own records, you’re not operating in good faith. The whole point is to stop the “we can’t reproduce it” defense before it starts.
EU orders X to keep Grok documents for longer amid sexualised AI photos furore
The European Commission has ordered Elon Musk's X to retain all documents relating to its AI chatbot, Grok, for longer while the bloc ensures compliance with its rules after condemning it for producin...
www.reuters.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:07 AM
The EU extended its retention order on X: Grok-related documents kept until 31 Dec 2026.
If you need Brussels to order you to keep your own records, you’re not operating in good faith. The whole point is to stop the “we can’t reproduce it” defense before it starts.
If you need Brussels to order you to keep your own records, you’re not operating in good faith. The whole point is to stop the “we can’t reproduce it” defense before it starts.
Congress wants 90,000 robotaxis on the road under federal exemptions.
Cap jumps from 2,500 to 90,000 per automaker per year. Some drafts even drop requirements for steering wheels and rear-view mirrors.
If this passes, the public is the test fleet.
Cap jumps from 2,500 to 90,000 per automaker per year. Some drafts even drop requirements for steering wheels and rear-view mirrors.
If this passes, the public is the test fleet.
US House panel to consider legislation that could speed self-driving car deployment
A U.S. House of Representatives committee will hold a hearing on January 13 on legislation that aims to make it easier to deploy autonomous vehicles without human controls.
www.reuters.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Congress wants 90,000 robotaxis on the road under federal exemptions.
Cap jumps from 2,500 to 90,000 per automaker per year. Some drafts even drop requirements for steering wheels and rear-view mirrors.
If this passes, the public is the test fleet.
Cap jumps from 2,500 to 90,000 per automaker per year. Some drafts even drop requirements for steering wheels and rear-view mirrors.
If this passes, the public is the test fleet.
“Policy certainty” is a joke.
Ørsted says Sunrise Wind was meant to start generating by October 2026.
Now it’s frozen by a Dec 22 suspension order targeting five offshore wind projects.
They’ve spent and committed billions and had to run to court.
This is how you sabotage grids.
Ørsted says Sunrise Wind was meant to start generating by October 2026.
Now it’s frozen by a Dec 22 suspension order targeting five offshore wind projects.
They’ve spent and committed billions and had to run to court.
This is how you sabotage grids.
January 8, 2026 at 9:31 AM
“Policy certainty” is a joke.
Ørsted says Sunrise Wind was meant to start generating by October 2026.
Now it’s frozen by a Dec 22 suspension order targeting five offshore wind projects.
They’ve spent and committed billions and had to run to court.
This is how you sabotage grids.
Ørsted says Sunrise Wind was meant to start generating by October 2026.
Now it’s frozen by a Dec 22 suspension order targeting five offshore wind projects.
They’ve spent and committed billions and had to run to court.
This is how you sabotage grids.
Data centers just spiked the biggest US grid’s power bill by $6.5B and the invoice isn’t going to the people bragging about “AI”.
PJM’s December auction did it.
You’re paying power-market charges so someone else can run racks 24/7.
PJM’s December auction did it.
You’re paying power-market charges so someone else can run racks 24/7.
Data Centers Added $6.5 Billion to Secure Power for Big US Grid
Data centers tied to the biggest US grid just tacked on another $6.5 billion to the cost of procuring power supplies, adding to concerns the artificial intelligence boom is worsening energy inflation.
www.bloomberg.com
January 7, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Data centers just spiked the biggest US grid’s power bill by $6.5B and the invoice isn’t going to the people bragging about “AI”.
PJM’s December auction did it.
You’re paying power-market charges so someone else can run racks 24/7.
PJM’s December auction did it.
You’re paying power-market charges so someone else can run racks 24/7.
$24 billion in six days. But sure, tell me again how markets are pricing risk.
January 7, 2026 at 4:00 PM
$24 billion in six days. But sure, tell me again how markets are pricing risk.
Agree, the question should be: safer for who, where, and under what constraints, and what happens when those constraints are violated.
Much has been written about potential safety benefits of AVs. Given the lack of AV data transparency, I cannot speak to whether, or to what degree, AVs are safer than an average human driver. What I can say:
This is the wrong question.
🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
This is the wrong question.
🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
We Still Don’t Know if Robotaxis Are Safer Than Human Drivers
And even if self-driving technology proves to be less dangerous, there are many better ways to improve traffic safety and prevent fatal crashes.
www.bloomberg.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Agree, the question should be: safer for who, where, and under what constraints, and what happens when those constraints are violated.
Stop calling this “AI growth” like it’s clean. It’s pipelines and compressors sold as progress.
Energy Transfer plans $5.0B–$5.5B in 2026 capex for gas networks. Investors win fast. Locals get noise, emissions, risk. Bills go up anyway.
Energy Transfer plans $5.0B–$5.5B in 2026 capex for gas networks. Investors win fast. Locals get noise, emissions, risk. Bills go up anyway.
January 7, 2026 at 12:01 PM
Stop calling this “AI growth” like it’s clean. It’s pipelines and compressors sold as progress.
Energy Transfer plans $5.0B–$5.5B in 2026 capex for gas networks. Investors win fast. Locals get noise, emissions, risk. Bills go up anyway.
Energy Transfer plans $5.0B–$5.5B in 2026 capex for gas networks. Investors win fast. Locals get noise, emissions, risk. Bills go up anyway.
“Spicy mode”. That’s the label X used while Grok cranked out sexualised images of women and kids.
A product name for harm. Someone approved it. Someone shipped it. And now they’ll hide behind “oops” like this wasn’t the point.
A product name for harm. Someone approved it. Someone shipped it. And now they’ll hide behind “oops” like this wasn’t the point.
January 7, 2026 at 8:13 AM
“Spicy mode”. That’s the label X used while Grok cranked out sexualised images of women and kids.
A product name for harm. Someone approved it. Someone shipped it. And now they’ll hide behind “oops” like this wasn’t the point.
A product name for harm. Someone approved it. Someone shipped it. And now they’ll hide behind “oops” like this wasn’t the point.
Microsoft just took control of the Midwest grid and won’t say what it costs 42 million people.
Big Tech profits while you burn in blackouts and pay every damn bill.
Big Tech profits while you burn in blackouts and pay every damn bill.
Microsoft works with major US electric grid operator to modernize the Midwest power system
The U.S. Midwest grid has teamed up with Microsoft , it said on Tuesday, in the latest instance of Big Tech turning to collaboration to help ensure the massive amounts of electricity needed for artifi...
www.reuters.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Microsoft just took control of the Midwest grid and won’t say what it costs 42 million people.
Big Tech profits while you burn in blackouts and pay every damn bill.
Big Tech profits while you burn in blackouts and pay every damn bill.
An 827-acre land grab for a data center is a fun way to learn what “AI industrial policy” looks like on the ground. Sand Springs leaders annexed farmland, did the talks in secret, and then got swarmed at town meetings.
The data center rebellion is here, and it’s reshaping the political landscape
Backlash over the proliferation of data centers has entered the national political conversation and could affect voters of all political persuasions in this year’s midterm elections.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:54 PM
An 827-acre land grab for a data center is a fun way to learn what “AI industrial policy” looks like on the ground. Sand Springs leaders annexed farmland, did the talks in secret, and then got swarmed at town meetings.
Investors are finally noticing the AI boom has an inflation bill, but they are acting like it is someone else’s problem.
AI-driven inflation is 2026's most overlooked risk, investors say
For 2026, waves of government stimulus as well as the AI boom are expected to refuel global growth.
www.reuters.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:55 PM
Investors are finally noticing the AI boom has an inflation bill, but they are acting like it is someone else’s problem.
AI load growth has Duke Energy filing nuclear paperwork for 2036 and acting like that’s a plan. They just submitted an early site permit application near Belews Creek, which can reserve the site for up to 20 years. Translation: lock up options now, and socialize the carrying costs.
Duke Energy seeks early site permit for potential nuclear project in North Carolina
Duke Energy has submitted an early site permit application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a site near the Belews Creek power plant in North Carolina, the utility said on Tuesday.
www.reuters.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:34 AM
AI load growth has Duke Energy filing nuclear paperwork for 2036 and acting like that’s a plan. They just submitted an early site permit application near Belews Creek, which can reserve the site for up to 20 years. Translation: lock up options now, and socialize the carrying costs.
The AI boom’s climate story is mostly accounting tricks and missing meters. You’ve got “guesstimates” of ~0.2 to 3 Wh for a simple text query, a study putting AI computing at ~0.1–0.2% of global emissions and rising, and then the same industry bragging Google cut data-center cooling by 40%.
‘Just an unbelievable amount of pollution’: how big a threat is AI to the climate?
Defenders say AI can do good to fight the climate crisis. But spiralling energy and water costs leave experts worried
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:11 PM
The AI boom’s climate story is mostly accounting tricks and missing meters. You’ve got “guesstimates” of ~0.2 to 3 Wh for a simple text query, a study putting AI computing at ~0.1–0.2% of global emissions and rising, and then the same industry bragging Google cut data-center cooling by 40%.
Britain went hard on wind and solar and then discovered the grid is a physical object. WSJ says hookups can take five to ten years and National Grid is spending about $40bn on upgrades. Paying wind farms not to generate is what you get when policy stops at generation.
Britain Pushed Ahead With Green Power. Its Grid Can’t Handle It.
An aging power infrastructure threatens the ability of the U.K. and other countries to capitalize on the AI boom.
www.wsj.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:13 AM
Britain went hard on wind and solar and then discovered the grid is a physical object. WSJ says hookups can take five to ten years and National Grid is spending about $40bn on upgrades. Paying wind farms not to generate is what you get when policy stops at generation.
AI-accelerated crime is about to jump a gear. One European bank got hammered with 18,000 unique LLM-written phishing emails in a single day (2025). Credential-stealing phishing is up 703% in H2 2024, and voice cloning works off roughly five seconds of audio.
open.substack.com/pub/engineer...
open.substack.com/pub/engineer...
The Coming Explosion of AI-Accelerated Crime
When crime learns to think faster than we can.
open.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:34 AM
AI-accelerated crime is about to jump a gear. One European bank got hammered with 18,000 unique LLM-written phishing emails in a single day (2025). Credential-stealing phishing is up 703% in H2 2024, and voice cloning works off roughly five seconds of audio.
open.substack.com/pub/engineer...
open.substack.com/pub/engineer...
X “resolved” an AI agents lawsuit and the case got dismissed with prejudice. Terms undisclosed, of course. Reuters says Eliza claimed X pulled them in for “collaboration,” then launched competing stuff and tried to squeeze them on licensing. This is the platform pattern: extract, outmuscle.
Musk's X resolves Eliza Labs lawsuit over AI agents
Artificial intelligence software developer Eliza Labs has ended its lawsuit accusing billionaire Elon Musk’s X Corp of extracting valuable information from the company before launching copycat AI prod...
www.reuters.com
January 4, 2026 at 8:04 PM
X “resolved” an AI agents lawsuit and the case got dismissed with prejudice. Terms undisclosed, of course. Reuters says Eliza claimed X pulled them in for “collaboration,” then launched competing stuff and tried to squeeze them on licensing. This is the platform pattern: extract, outmuscle.
Barron’s is basically admitting the AI boom hits physics this year. Data centers “nearing one gigawatt,” grid hookups that drag for years, and the workaround is gas turbines that are already sold out through 2029. So the “software revolution” becomes a waiting list for combustion hardware.
For the AI Trade, 2026 Is a Make-or-Break Year
There are many things that can upend the AI data center trade. Chief among them is power supply.
www.barrons.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Barron’s is basically admitting the AI boom hits physics this year. Data centers “nearing one gigawatt,” grid hookups that drag for years, and the workaround is gas turbines that are already sold out through 2029. So the “software revolution” becomes a waiting list for combustion hardware.
Caterpillar is an “AI play” now. Read that again. $8.4B in quarterly sales from energy and transportation, $1.7B profit, plus $725M to expand a big engine center because data centers keep showing up with blank checks. We’re building fossil-heavy backup at scale and calling it progress.
Caterpillar Stock Is an Unlikely AI Play as Data Center Power Demand Surges
The maker of yellow dump trucks and excavators has seen explosive growth in its energy business.
www.barrons.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Caterpillar is an “AI play” now. Read that again. $8.4B in quarterly sales from energy and transportation, $1.7B profit, plus $725M to expand a big engine center because data centers keep showing up with blank checks. We’re building fossil-heavy backup at scale and calling it progress.