Microsoft’s New Image Model Challenges Google & OpenAI

Hello!

Big week for React devs! Next.js 16 Beta is available for testing, and React Native 0.82 is live, marking the beginning of a new era for mobile development. 

On the industry side, Microsoft is trying to outdo Google and OpenAI with its new image model, while Oracle is fighting off a series of attacks on its E-Business suite.

And while everything else is moving forward, Windows 10 officially retired, though with nearly half of PCs still running it, the farewell might be premature.

Now relax, grab your coffee, and enjoy Frictionless.

PS. Next week, Frictionless might land in your inbox a bit later. I’ll be at Next.js Conf soaking up the latest updates (and probably some California sun). If you’re attending too, message me on LinkedIn and let’s meet in person!

In the Queue

• Sam Altman: “It’s difficult to have enough infrastructure to meet the demand.”

• “Work from Anywhere” Policy at Google Gets Cuts

• Best WordPress Alternatives

• Did We Normalize Pushing Broken Software?

• Gemini Enterprise is Here

Reduce Friction

The Great Software Quality Collapse: How We Normalized Catastrophe

We’ve built a culture that celebrates shipping fast and tolerates broken software. I get it, for many companies, staying competitive often feels like a matter of survival. But maybe, like Denis Stetskov points out, the answer isn’t throwing more hardware at the problem. It’s bringing back engineers who care about building things that last.

How to Provide Technical Clarity to Non-Technical Leaders

Clarity builds trust, and trust keeps projects from derailing. When engineers can’t clearly explain their work to execs, chaos is inevitable. Sean Goedecke explains why translating complex systems into clear outcomes is one of the most valuable skills a senior engineer can have.

Google Drastically Cuts the ‘Work from Anywhere' Policy

Google tightened its Work from Anywhere rules. Now, a single remote day counts as a full week from your yearly quota. It’s part of a wider trend, but if you ask me, treating presence as a proxy for performance doesn’t make teams more effective.

A One-Pager is All You Need

Most ideas die because no one can explain them properly. In comes the humble one-pager; a simple doc that forces you to think through the why, what, and how before others have to. It will help you get the buy-in faster than any Slack thread ever could.

Deepen Your Expertise

Oracle Rushes out Another Emergency E-Business Suite Patch

After Clop exploited a zero-day in Oracle’s E-Business Suite to steal data and extort victims, Oracle pushed out a 9.8-severity patch. Now, just a week later, another flaw has surfaced in the same system, this time allowing unauthenticated remote access. It’s unclear if the two are linked, but the timing says a lot.

React Native 0.82: The New Architecture Era

React Native 0.82 is here, officially retiring the old architecture. From this version on, every project runs on the New Architecture by default. The update also features a faster Hermes engine, React 19.1.1 support, DOM-like node refs, and new performance APIs.

Next.js 16 (Beta)

A few days before Next.js Conf, Vercel released the beta of Next.js 16. This release ships Turbopack as the default bundler, React Compiler integration, new caching APIs, and smarter routing with layout deduplication. Give it a try, but expect some breaking changes before the stable release.

What Are the Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025?

My new article explores why more teams are moving away from WordPress and what they’re choosing instead, from visual builders like Webflow to headless platforms such as Sanity and Strapi. The point isn’t to move away from WordPress for the sake of it; instead, choose a CMS that truly fits your stack and goals.

AI Corner

Microsoft AI Announces First Image Generator Created In-House

Microsoft isn’t sitting out the AI image race. Its new in-house model, MAI-Image-1, was developed with input from creative professionals to move past the flat, over-stylized look common in many generators. It’s already in the top 10 on LMArena, recognized for its realistic outputs and impressive speed.

An Interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman About DevDay and the AI Buildout

Sam Altman lays out OpenAI’s vision for one AI service that spans your personal, enterprise, and developer worlds. He discusses the massive infrastructure buildout behind GPT-5, new deals with chipmakers, and why apps inside ChatGPT mark the next phase of AI becoming a full platform.

Google Introduces Gemini Enterprise

Gemini Enterprise is Google’s newest full-stack AI platform that connects models, data, and workflows across an organization. It brings Google’s Gemini models, pre-built agents, and no-code tools into one system that automates processes and integrates securely with apps like Salesforce, SAP, and Microsoft 365.

We Keep Talking About AI Agents, but Do We Ever Know What They Are?

AI agents have become a buzzword, yet people still can’t define what they really are. This piece unpacks what true autonomy means and why the future is more likely to be built by networks of focused, cooperating agents rather than a single all-powerful one.

Just Cool

Windows 10 Support “Ends” Today, But it’s Just the First of Many Deaths

Windows 10 is officially dead… sort of.
Microsoft pulled the plug on support today, but like any good horror sequel, it refuses to stay buried. Around 40% of Windows machines still run it, and users can keep it alive for another year (or three) with paid security updates, so don’t mourn just yet.

My IRONMAN Journey

After 2.5 years and 841 hours of training, I finally finished my IRONMAN in 11:17:20. I started this thinking it would be all about fitness, but it turned out to be a lesson in patience, discipline, and showing up every day. I wrote a bit about what the journey taught me, which you can read on my LinkedIn.

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.