Skip to Content

The Independent Variable

Latest Posts

Uber caps employee AI spending after blowing through budget in 4 months

Bloomberg reports that the company has instituted a new rule that places a monthly $1,500 cap per employee and per agentic coding tool, including Anthropic’s Claude Code or Cursor.

AI fanatics love to say “this is the worst AI will ever be,” but it’s probably also the cheapest it will ever be as it’s subsidized by VC money until they can get people hooked and loyal to brands; bleeding billions as they do. And still, Uber has to put caps on their employees (caps which feel pretty high to me). Just imagine how expensive things’ll be when they have to start turning a profit.

Listen to Rivers Cuomo Cover Whitney Houston, Outkast, Dolly Parton, and More

Over the weekend, 15 previously unreleased covers appeared on Rivers Cuomo’s YouTube page with little explanation and even less warning

I get that people hate on Weezer because their new music isn’t great (or even good sometimes…), but they are one of the few bands from that era still consistently putting out new music and trying new things (he says realizing it’s been four years since SZNZs). Still, I admire their willingness to try and Rivers Cuomo has always done fun things with his Alone records and these covers on YouTube are delightful and another example of his desire to just make stuff. (He codes too!)

Cure For Paranoia /// 2026 Tiny Desk Contest Winner

I discovered Cure for Paranoia last year (or the year before..?) when they were doing a new rap song every day that got very political. It was superb. Then I learned about all their Tiny Desk submission videos: superb again. And this year, they won. The lyricism, the musicianship, the skill, and the performance. It's all there.

'Goliath only gets toppled once': Napa Valley's winemakers on 50 years since the Judgment of Paris

12 judges, 20 wines, the finest bottles Burgundy and Bordeaux could offer, alongside a handful of upstart California labels that most of the French wine establishment had never heard of. When the scores were tallied, a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay had beaten them all. So had a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.

What better way to learn about the moment Napa was put on the map in the world of wine than from the local paper (with a byline from friend of the Variable, Keith Cousins). While I’m personally not a fan of their strict paywall, they’ve put in a ton of work to cover the 50th and this one is free for all to read. Highly recommend checking out this wonderful compiled interview with some of the best winemakers in the country (and world) and maybe crack open a special Napa Cab to celebrate.