Subj : SpaceX drone swarms 🚁, Apple video podcasts 📱, AI isn't a bubble 🤖 To : All From : TLDR Date : Tue Feb 17 2026 11:23 am --qcaSA7-w Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable SpaceX and xAI are competing in a secretive new Pentagon contract to prod= uce voice-controlled autonomous drone swarming technology=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0 = Sign Up [1] |Advertise [2]|View Online [3]=20 =09=09TLDR=20 =09= =09TOGETHER WITH [Wiz] [4] TLDR 2026-02-17 7 SECURITY BEST PRACT= ICES FOR MCP (SPONSOR) [4]=20 Learn what security teams are doing to pr= otect MCP without slowing innovation. As MCP (Model Context Protocol= ) becomes the standard for connecting LLMs to tools and data, security te= ams are moving fast to keep these new services safe.=C2=A0 The _MCP = SECURITY BEST PRACTICES CHEAT SHEET_ [4] outlines seven proven steps team= s can put in place right away, including: =09* How to lock down MCP s= ervers and supply chains =09* Enforcing least-privilege access for token= s and tools =09* Adding human-in-the-loop safeguards for critical action= s If you're starting to see MCP show up in your environment, this is a= great place to start. Get the Cheat Sheet [4] =F0=9F=93=B1=20 = BIG TECH & STARTUPS SPACEX TO COMPETE IN PENTAGON CONTEST FOR AUTO= NOMOUS DRONE TECH (5 MINUTE READ) [5]=20 SpaceX and its wholly owned = subsidiary, xAI, are competing in a secretive new Pentagon contract to pr= oduce voice-controlled autonomous drone swarming technology. While Elon M= usk has been enthusiastic about advancing AI, he has previously argued fo= r a ban on autonomous weapons that can select and engage their own target= s and operate beyond meaningful human control. OpenAI is also working on = the effort by supporting a successful submission from Applied Intuition. = The company's contribution to the project will be limited solely to the= conversion of voice and other instructions from battlefield commanders= into digital instructions. Its technology won't be used for the operat= ion of the drone swarm, weapons integration, or target authority.=20 = APPLE TAKES ON YOUTUBE AND SPOTIFY WITH NEW VIDEO PODCASTING PUSH (4 MINU= TE READ) [6]=20 Apple will be introducing an integrated video podcast e= xperience to Apple Podcasts in the spring. The update will bring Apple Po= dcasts more in line with its competitors, which have increasingly leaned = into video podcasting. There will be a picture-in-picture mode, and users= will be able to download video episodes for offline viewing. The updat= e will introduce support for HTTP Live Streaming, which features dynamic = video ad insertion.=20 =F0=9F=9A=80=20 SCIENCE & FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOG= Y BCIS IN 2026: STILL JANKY, STILL DANGEROUS, STILL OVERHYPED (17 M= INUTE READ) [7]=20 The fundamental problems that plagued Brain-Computer= Interfaces (BCIs) a decade ago are still here. While there is genuine, i= mpactful progress in BCIs, this remains largely confined to severe medica= l conditions. These are highly specialized, medically critical applicat= ions, and there are severe engineering challenges that must be overcome b= efore they can be extrapolated into consumer products. This article takes= a look at the state of the BCI industry to provide a realistic look at w= here the technology currently stands and the path forward.=20 RARE, D= ANGEROUS SIDE EFFECTS OF SOME COVID-19 VACCINES EXPLAINED (6 MINUTE READ)= [8]=20 Vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT)= occurred in roughly one out of 200,000 people who received adenovirus-= based COVID-19 vaccines. The condition occurred due to PF4 antibodies bin= ding to rogue antibodies, setting off a dangerous cascade (PF4 is a prote= in involved in blood clotting). Researchers hypothesize that patients who= developed VITT had previously been infected with an adenovirus, which pr= imed their B cells to recognize an adenovirus protein in the vaccine, whi= ch kicked those cells into action, starting a mutation-generating process= that produced a variant with a negatively charged amino acid, which ulti= mately led to VITT. In most parts of the world, between 40% and 60% of th= e population has the genetic background that makes people more prone to V= ITT, but in East Asia, the prevalence is only 20%.=20 =F0=9F=92=BB=20 = PROGRAMMING, DESIGN & DATA SCIENCE PEAK TRAFFIC SHOULDN'T MEAN PEA= K ANXIETY (SPONSOR) [9]=20 Traffic skyrocketing? If you're on Microsoft= Azure [10], there's no reason to panic. When user demand spikes, Azure a= djusts capacity in the background. Performance stays steady with no manua= l intervention, no late-night firefighting, and no scrambling to explain = why the site went down during the big launch. Build without limits with A= zure [10]=20 ANTHROPIC TRIES TO HIDE CLAUDE'S AI ACTIONS. DEVS HATE IT = (3 MINUTE READ) [11]=20 Anthropic has changed Claude Code's progress = output to hide the names of files the tool was reading, writing, or editi= ng. Developers have pushed back, saying they need to see which files were= accessed. The full details can still be accessed with a keyboard shortcu= t. Developers who want more details can also enable verbose mode.=20 = --DANGEROUSLY-SKIP-READING-CODE (3 MINUTE READ) [12]=20 Large language = models generate code much faster than humans can read it. We can't expect= humans to effectively review, understand, and approve every diff anymore= .. Humans should focus their efforts on specifications and tests while age= nts code. Rework is almost free, so there should be less effort put into = preventing incorrect work from happening.=20 =F0=9F=8E=81=20 MISCEL= LANEOUS WHY I DON'T THINK AI IS A BUBBLE (14 MINUTE READ) [13]=20 = People mostly say that AI performance will plateau because they believe = that performance increases have been driven by brute-force scale, and the= trend can't last. However, there are also new innovations like reasoning= and reinforcement learning driving improvements, so there's no real reas= on to believe progress will halt. The data centers being built now will l= ikely be used productively. If the technology does actually work, it's re= asonable to believe the industry will sort out any 'bubble'.=20 I GUE= SS I KINDA GET WHY PEOPLE HATE AI (20 MINUTE READ) [14]=20 AI will like= ly become extremely helpful in the future, but right now, the everyday ex= perience with the technology is awful. It may be helpful for programmers,= but normal people tend to have more negative experiences, and none of th= e people behind the technology seem to care. AI continues to lower the ba= rrier to entry for annoying, low-quality things. This is resulting in thi= ngs becoming generally worse and is making the internet and social media = and such increasingly unusable.=20 =E2=9A=A1=20 QUICK LINKS A= NAM INTRODUCES CARA-3: THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED INTERACTIVE AVATAR MODEL= (SPONSOR) [15]=20 Outperforms competitors up to 60%. Add a face to you= r product via API [15] and improve your product's engagement by 44%. = THE COST OF STAYING (6 MINUTE READ) [16]=20 The shift from executio= n to judgment is making the cost of staying and the upside of moving look= completely different.=20 WHEN EVERYTHING GOES TO 0 (9 MINUTE READ) [17= ]=20 Trust is a scarce resource and a moat.=20 GELLMAN AMNESIA (5 M= INUTE READ) [18]=20 When people talk about the jobs that AI will soon a= utomate, they're always talking about somebody else's job.=20 10 YEAR= S BUILDING VERTICAL SOFTWARE: MY PERSPECTIVE ON THE SELLOFF (17 MINUTE RE= AD) [19]=20 The market is finally distinguishing between companies that= own something genuinely scarce that is safe from LLM agents.=20 A DE= FECTOR EXPLAINS THE REMOTE-WORK SCAM HELPING NORTH KOREA PAY FOR NUKES (8= MINUTE READ) [20]=20 North Korean IT workers, who were generally sent = back to Pyongyang every two or three years for roughly a month of 're-edu= cation', would hand over 90% of their earnings back to the regime.=20 = Love TLDR? Tell your friends and get rewards! Share your referral lin= k below with friends to get free TLDR swag!=20 https://refer.tldr.tech/= 66662a80/ [21]=20 =09=09 Track your referrals here. [22]=20 Want to a= dvertise in TLDR? =F0=9F=93=B0 If your company is interested in reach= ing an audience of tech executives, decision-makers and engineers, you ma= y want to ADVERTISE WITH US [23].=20 Want to work at TLDR? = =F0=9F=92=BC APPLY HERE [24], CREATE YOUR OWN ROLE [25] or send a fri= end's resume to jobs@tldr.tech and get $1k if we hire them! TLDR is one o= f INC.'S BEST BOOTSTRAPPED BUSINESSES [26] of 2025.=20 If you have an= y comments or feedback, just respond to this email!=20 Thanks for readin= g,=20 Dan Ni [27] & Stephen Flanders [28]=20 Manage your subscriptions = [29] to our other newsletters on tech, startups, and programming. Or if T= LDR isn't for you, please unsubscribe [30].=20 =20 Links: ------= [1] https://tldr.tech/signup?utm_source=3Dtldr [2] https://advertise.t= ldr.tech/?utm_source=3Dtldr&utm_medium=3Dnewsletter&utm_campaign=3Dadvertis= etopnav [3] https://a.tldrnewsletter.com/web-version?ep=3D1&lc=3D265280dc= -d4e0-11f0-a661-1b9fa34a893d&p=3D49cb59a4-0be4-11f1-b5f0-9fe9e3fc50f1&pt=3D= campaign&t=3D1771327414&s=3D5f41d06a4fc404e22e16d1ea1cc3f6d6984537eec698760= f51e33bc76585a1e9 [4] https://www.wiz.io/lp/model-context-protocol-mcp-se= curity-best-practices-cheat-sheet?utm_source=3Dtldrtech&utm_medium=3Dpaid-e= mail&utm_campaign=3DFY26Q3_INB_FORM_MCP-BestPractices-Cheat-Sheet&sfcid=3D7= 01Py00000TCZuBIAX&utm_term=3DFY27Q1-tldr-tech-primary&utm_content=3DMCP-Bes= t-Practices [5] https://links.tldrnewsletter.com/X2UAXR [6] https://www= ..cnbc.com/2026/02/16/apple-takes-on-youtube-and-spotify-with-new-video-podc= asting-push.html?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [7] https://cybernews-node.b= logspot.com/2026/02/bcis-in-2026-still-janky-still.html?utm_source=3Dtldrne= wsletter [8] https://links.tldrnewsletter.com/ZWgPQP [9] https://links.= tldrnewsletter.com/rHFSyo?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [10] https://links.= tldrnewsletter.com/rHFSyo [11] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/ant= hropic_claude_ai_edits/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [12] https://olano.de= v/blog/dangerously-skip/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [13] https://honniba= l.dev/blog/ai-bubble?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [14] https://anthony.noi= ded.media/blog/ai/programming/2026/02/14/i-guess-i-kinda-get-why-people-hat= e-ai.html?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [15] https://anam.ai/?utm_source=3D= newsletter%20promo&utm_medium=3DTLDR&utm_campaign=3Dcara-3159 [16] https:= //links.tldrnewsletter.com/GvY3gY [17] https://links.tldrnewsletter.com/l= EnQad [18] https://swizec.com/blog/ge-ll-man-amnesia/?utm_source=3Dtldrne= wsletter [19] https://links.tldrnewsletter.com/ZFEdzr [20] https://link= s.tldrnewsletter.com/kEETlH [21] https://refer.tldr.tech/66662a80/ [22]= https://hub.sparklp.co/sub_e87ba9c7d7c0/1 [23] https://advertise.tldr.te= ch/?utm_source=3Dtldr&utm_medium=3Dnewsletter&utm_campaign=3Dadvertisecta= [24] https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/tldr.tech [25] https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/= tldr.tech/c227b917-a6a4-40ce-8950-d3e165357871 [26] https://www.linkedin.= com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7401699691039830016/ [27] https://twitter= ..com/tldrdan [28] https://twitter.com/SteveFlanders22 [29] https://tldr= ..tech/tech/manage?email=3Dtldrnewsletter%40synchro.net [30] https://a.tld= rnewsletter.com/unsubscribe?ep=3D1&l=3Dcfa2d55a-b7be-11e8-a3c9-06b79b628af2= &lc=3D265280dc-d4e0-11f0-a661-1b9fa34a893d&p=3D49cb59a4-0be4-11f1-b5f0-9fe9= e3fc50f1&pt=3Dcampaign&pv=3D4&spa=3D1771326075&t=3D1771327414&s=3Dae68be5b0= b8dea49222b50b928f8f67c571bb077fc3be1354fb3dbad36a0d2b0 --qcaSA7-w Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable TLDR
SpaceX and= xAI are competing in a secretive new Pentagon contract to produce voice-co= ntrolled autonomous drone swarming technology =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C=  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C  =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2= =80=8C 

TLDR

Together With

TLDR 2026-02-17

7 Security Best Practices f= or MCP (Sponsor)

Learn what security teams are doing to = protect MCP without slowing innovation.

As MCP (Model Context Prot= ocol) becomes the standard for connecting LLMs to tools and data, security = teams are moving fast to keep these new services safe. 

The <= span>MCP Security Best Practices Cheat Sheet outlines seven proven steps teams can put in place right away, inclu= ding:

  • How to lock down MCP servers and supply chains
  • Enforcing least-privilege access for tokens and tools
  • Adding human-in-the-loop safeguards for critical actions

If you're starting to see MCP show up in your environment, this is a gre= at place to start.

Get the Cheat Sheet

=F0=9F= =93=B1

Big Tech & Startups

SpaceX to Compete in Pentag= on Contest for Autonomous Drone Tech (5 minute read)

SpaceX and its wholly owned subsidiary,= xAI, are competing in a secretive new Pentagon contract to produce voice-c= ontrolled autonomous drone swarming technology. While Elon Musk has been en= thusiastic about advancing AI, he has previously argued for a ban on autono= mous weapons that can select and engage their own targets and operate beyon= d meaningful human control. OpenAI is also working on the effort by support= ing a successful submission from Applied Intuition. The company's contribut= ion to the project will be limited solely to the conversion of voice and ot= her instructions from battlefield commanders into digital instructions. Its= technology won't be used for the operation of the drone swarm, weapons int= egration, or target authority.
Apple takes on YouTube and = Spotify with new video podcasting push (4 minute read)

Apple will be introducing an integrated= video podcast experience to Apple Podcasts in the spring. The update will = bring Apple Podcasts more in line with its competitors, which have increasi= ngly leaned into video podcasting. There will be a picture-in-picture mode,= and users will be able to download video episodes for offline viewing. The= update will introduce support for HTTP Live Streaming, which features dyna= mic video ad insertion.
=F0=9F= =9A=80

Science & Futuristic Technology

BCIs in 2026: Still Janky, = Still Dangerous, Still Overhyped (17 minute read)

The fundamental problems that plagued B= rain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) a decade ago are still here. While there is= genuine, impactful progress in BCIs, this remains largely confined to seve= re medical conditions. These are highly specialized, medically critical app= lications, and there are severe engineering challenges that must be overcom= e before they can be extrapolated into consumer products. This article take= s a look at the state of the BCI industry to provide a realistic look at wh= ere the technology currently stands and the path forward.
Rare, dangerous side effect= s of some COVID-19 vaccines explained (6 minute read)

Vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia= and thrombosis (VITT) occurred in roughly one out of 200,000 people who re= ceived adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines. The condition occurred due to PF= 4 antibodies binding to rogue antibodies, setting off a dangerous cascade (= PF4 is a protein involved in blood clotting). Researchers hypothesize that = patients who developed VITT had previously been infected with an adenovirus= , which primed their B cells to recognize an adenovirus protein in the vacc= ine, which kicked those cells into action, starting a mutation-generating p= rocess that produced a variant with a negatively charged amino acid, which = ultimately led to VITT. In most parts of the world, between 40% and 60% of = the population has the genetic background that makes people more prone to V= ITT, but in East Asia, the prevalence is only 20%.
=F0=9F= =92=BB

Programming, Design & Data Science

Peak traffic shouldn't mean= peak anxiety (Sponsor)

Traffic skyrocketing? If you're on Microsoft Azure, ther= e's no reason to panic. When user demand spikes, Azure adjusts capacity in = the background. Performance stays steady with no manual intervention, no la= te-night firefighting, and no scrambling to explain why the site went down = during the big launch. Build= without limits with Azure
Anthropic tries to hide Cla= ude's AI actions. Devs hate it (3 minute read)

Anthropic has changed Claude Code's pro= gress output to hide the names of files the tool was reading, writing, or e= diting. Developers have pushed back, saying they need to see which files we= re accessed. The full details can still be accessed with a keyboard shortcu= t. Developers who want more details can also enable verbose mode.
--dangerously-skip-reading-= code (3 minute read)

Large language models generate code muc= h faster than humans can read it. We can't expect humans to effectively rev= iew, understand, and approve every diff anymore. Humans should focus their = efforts on specifications and tests while agents code. Rework is almost fre= e, so there should be less effort put into preventing incorrect work from h= appening.
=F0=9F= =8E=81

Miscellaneous

<= /div>
Why I don't think AI is a b= ubble (14 minute read)

People mostly say that AI performance w= ill plateau because they believe that performance increases have been drive= n by brute-force scale, and the trend can't last. However, there are also n= ew innovations like reasoning and reinforcement learning driving improvemen= ts, so there's no real reason to believe progress will halt. The data cente= rs being built now will likely be used productively. If the technology does= actually work, it's reasonable to believe the industry will sort out any '= bubble'.
I guess I kinda get why peo= ple hate AI (20 minute read)

AI will likely become extremely helpful= in the future, but right now, the everyday experience with the technology = is awful. It may be helpful for programmers, but normal people tend to have= more negative experiences, and none of the people behind the technology se= em to care. AI continues to lower the barrier to entry for annoying, low-qu= ality things. This is resulting in things becoming generally worse and is m= aking the internet and social media and such increasingly unusable.
=E2=9A= =A1

Quick Links

Anam introduces cara-3: the= world's most advanced interactive avatar model (Sponsor)

Outperforms competitors up to 60%. Add a face to your product via API a= nd improve your product's engagement by 44%.

The Cost of Staying (6 minu= te read)

The shift from execution to judgment is= making the cost of staying and the upside of moving look completely differ= ent.
When everything goes to 0 (= 9 minute read)

Trust is a scarce resource and a moat.
GeLLMan amnesia (5 minute r= ead)

When people talk about the jobs that AI= will soon automate, they're always talking about somebody else's job.
10 Years Building Vertical = Software: My Perspective on the Selloff (17 minute read)

The market is finally distinguishing be= tween companies that own something genuinely scarce that is safe from LLM a= gents.
A Defector Explains the Rem= ote-Work Scam Helping North Korea Pay for Nukes (8 minute read)

North Korean IT workers, who were gener= ally sent back to Pyongyang every two or three years for roughly a month of= 're-education', would hand over 90% of their earnings back to the regime.

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Share your referral link below with friends to get free TLDR swag!
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If your company is interested in reaching an audience of tech executives, d= ecision-makers and engineers, you may want to advertise with us.

Want to work at TLDR? =F0=9F=92=BC

Apply here, create your own role or send a friend's resume to jobs@tldr.tech an= d get $1k if we hire them! TLDR is one of Inc.'s Best Bootstrapped businesses = of 2025.

If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email!

Thanks for reading,
Dan Ni &a= mp; Stephen = Flanders


Manage your subscriptions to our other newsletters o= n tech, startups, and programming. Or if TLDR isn't for you, please unsubscribe.
3D"" --qcaSA7-w-- .