When does “slow and steady” AI progress suddenly turn into something that looks like human-level intelligence? In this episode, we kick off with the viral “Horses” essay on why AI progress feels linear—right up until it doesn’t—and how that framing is reshaping Hacker News debates about timelines, safety, and what “equivalence” even means. From there we jump into the hardware trenches with Rivian’s new custom silicon and lidar roadmap, exploring how vertical integration and autonomy platforms are becoming table stakes for EV players.
We also dive into a some AI platform power moves: Disney’s partnership with OpenAI’s Sora and what it means for creators and streaming, and why Apple’s seemingly slow and cautious AI rollout is suddenly being seen as a strategic strength on Wall Street. On the software reliability front, we unpack a serious denial-of-service and source exposure vulnerability in React Server Components, then cool down with a delightfully nerdy Show HN: a spreadsheet where formulas update *backwards*, turning dependencies on their head.

Stories covered in this episode:

1. 01:04 Horses: AI progress is steady. Human equivalence is sudden

- Rank: 9 - Points: 536 - Comments: 527

- Article: https://andyljones.com/posts/horses.html

- HN Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46199723

2. 03:56 Rivian Unveils Custom Silicon, R2 Lidar Roadmap, and Universal Hands Free

- Rank: 6 - Points: 380 - Comments: 584

- Article: https://riviantrackr.com/news/rivian-unveils-custom-silicon-r2-lidar-roadmap-universal-hands-free-and-its-next-gen-autonomy-platform/

- HN Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46234920

3. 07:01 The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI Partner on Sora

- Rank: 22 - Points: 248 - Comments: 482

- Article: https://openai.com/index/disney-sora-agreement/

- HN Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46231493

4. 10:12 Apple's Slow AI Pace Becomes a Strength as Market Grows Weary of Spending

- Rank: 9 - Points: 292 - Comments: 353

- Article: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-slow-ai-pace-becomes-104658095.html

- HN Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46205724

5. 12:59 Denial of service and source code exposure in React Server Components

- Rank: 11 - Points: 332 - Comments: 209

- Article: https://react.dev/blog/2025/12/11/denial-of-service-and-source-code-exposure-in-react-server-components

- HN Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46236924

6. 16:16 Show HN: I made a spreadsheet where formulas also update backwards

- Rank: 5 - Points: 105 - Comments: 59

- Article: https://victorpoughon.github.io/bidicalc/

- HN Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46234734