Klarna Hires Humans, Google I/O & 80% Faster Docs with Vercel

Hello everyone!

Did you manage to catch Google I/O? Just when I thought Open AI’s new coding tool would be the biggest news of this week, Google came in with amazing new developments. Gemini 2.5, Veo 3, AI Search… there’s a lot to get in, but I’ve got you covered. 

This issue of our newsletter will cover that and more - like Klarna’s return to hiring humans, Microsoft’s CTO’s vision for the web, and some more technical takes. Learn how to cut Prometheus’ memory usage by 58%, and how Fern increased performance by 80% thanks to Vercel.

Grab your coffee, relax, and enjoy Frictionless.

In the Queue

• Astro vs Next.js - Which One To Choose?

• Recipe for AI Cheating-Free Tech Interviews

• How to Avoid a Dot-AI Crash

• South Korea Introduces Robo-Chefs

Reduce Friction

How HelloBetter Designed Their Interview Process Against AI Cheating

AI-assisted cheating is on the rise in technical interviews, but I have good news for you. Engineering Manager at HelloBetter developed a new 90-minute interview format that embraces AI use while focusing on real-world coding and reasoning for a fairer and effective hiring.

From Dot-Com to Dot-AI: How We Can Learn from the Last Tech Transformation (And Avoid Making the Same Mistakes)

If you remember the dot-com boom of the 2000s, you might be feeling a strong déjà vu. New ‘AI’ products are popping up every day, but will it be enough to keep them on the market when the AI bubble bursts? Let’s take a look at what went wrong last time and what can be done to avoid repeating history.

The CXO Guide to Building an AI-Forward Team

Embedding AI into your business is on every tech leader’s to-do list, but how to do it well is another beast entirely. Luckily, this checklist has all you need to take this step forward and prepare your team for the future.

Deepen Your Expertise

Prometheus: How We Slashed Memory Usage

Reducing memory usage by a whopping 58% is no small feat, and that’s exactly what this team pulled off with Prometheus. They walk through the techniques they used, like cutting redundant data to tuning storage settings while observability remains at its best.

How Fern Delivers 6M+ Monthly Views and 80% Faster Docs with Vercel

Fern powers docs for teams like Webflow and ElevenLabs. Recently, they saw page loads drop by up to 80%, deploy times by 83%, and performance scale across multi-tenant setups, all thanks to switching to Vercel with the Next.js App Router.

Astro vs Next.js: Choose the Right Framework in 2025

Astro and Next.js share a lot of similarities, which only makes picking between them harder. If you’re still weighing your options, our article breaks down their strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases to help you find the right fit for your tech stack.

AI Corner

Google I/O 2025: From Research to Reality

Google I/O 2025 overshadowed just about every other AI headline this week. Highlights include “AI Mode” in Search for conversational queries, the launch of Gemini 2.5 Pro, and Veo 3, a new multimodal model for generating video and audio content. If you didn’t catch the keynote, Google’s official recap has everything you need to get up to speed.

Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott on How AI Can Save the Web, Not Destroy It

While many worry that AI is destroying the internet, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott argues it could be its savior. In his interview with The Verge, Scott envisions a decentralized search ecosystem that reduces our dependence on platforms like Google and Bing and gives more power back to content creators.

Klarna Changes Its AI Tune and Again Recruits Humans for Customer Service

How the tables have turned. After replacing 700 customer service agents with AI in 2024, Klarna is now bringing human support back. They’ve launched a pilot program to reintroduce remote service professionals to blend human empathy with AI speed.

OpenAI: Introducing Codex

The AI arms race continues, with OpenAI releasing its new product. Codex is a cloud-based software engineering agent built to support developers by writing features, fixing bugs, and even proposing pull requests. It’s currently available to ChatGPT Pro, Team, and Enterprise users, with wider access expected soon.

Just Cool

Robot Chefs Take Over at South Korea’s Highway Restaurants, to Mixed Reviews

The last thing hungry travelers want is to wait for their meal, and now they don’t have to. South Korea’s highway rest stops have introduced robo-chefs to serve food, but not everyone’s thrilled. Some are mourning the loss of traditional dishes, while staff raise concerns about job security.

Let’s Stay in Touch! 📨 

Do you have any comments about this newsletter issue or questions you want to ask? Drop me a message or book a meeting.