‘Will I Lose My Job?’ Federal Workers Flock to Reddit for Answers.
What’s happening: Federal workers are turning to Reddit—specifically the VeteransAffairs and FedNews subreddits—for community, information, and support amid deep job cuts in the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Trump administration.
Who is involved:
Federal employees facing uncertainty, especially at the V.A.
David Carson, a veteran and unpaid Reddit moderator, helping maintain respectful, fact-focused conversations
Anxious workers using Reddit pseudonymously to ask questions, vent, and connect
Zoom in: Reddit’s unique structure—community-run, text-based, anonymous—has made it a trusted space in a chaotic media landscape. Carson, despite personal challenges and past conflicts with the V.A., now devotes 6+ hours a day moderating to protect that trust.
Why it caught my attention: In a digital world driven by outrage and algorithms, this is a rare story of social media at its best—fostering real connection, accountability, and mutual support. More platforms should follow this example.
Source: NY Times
Screaming customers, unpaid workers: Inside the chaotic demise of Indian online delivery pioneer Dunzo
What’s happening: Dunzo — once a rising star in India’s delivery sector and backed by Google and Reliance — shut down in January 2025 after a disastrous pivot to quick-commerce via “dark stores.” The collapse left hundreds of workers and vendors unpaid.
Who is involved:
Dunzo: Founded in 2014, initially thrived as a hyperlocal concierge service
Reliance: Invested $200M in 2022, later wrote it off
Former employees & vendors: Many still owed salaries and payments
CEO Kabeer Biswas: Has since joined Flipkart’s new quick-commerce unit
Zoom in: Dunzo’s downfall was rooted in:
Abandoning its core marketplace model to chase fast delivery
Overstretching operations with 120 underperforming dark stores
Poor execution, internal chaos, and rising competition from Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart
Reports of unpaid wages, missed tax payments, and vendor defaults added to its reputational hit
Why it caught my attention: It’s fascinating how startups bank on different kinds of innovation — tech, business model, or operational. Dunzo’s failure shows how critical it is to recognize your true innovation edge. Scaling without that self-awareness, or ignoring the socio-technical environment you operate in, can quickly unravel even the most promising ventures.
Source: Rest of the World
In Las Vegas, a former SpaceX engineer is pulling CO2 from the air to make concrete
What’s happening: A former SpaceX engineer has launched Project Juniper in Las Vegas — the first U.S. integrated direct air capture plant that both pulls CO2 from the air and stores it by turning it into concrete.
Who is involved:
Clairity Tech, founded by Glen Meyerowitz
Initialized Capital & Lowercarbon Capital, early investors
Competing with global leaders like Climeworks in Iceland
Zoom in: Clairity uses a cheap, durable sorbent (akin to baking soda) to capture CO2, then mineralizes it with industrial waste like fly ash — creating low-carbon concrete. Bonus: it produces clean water as a byproduct and is optimized for dry climates like Nevada.
The kicker: It’s small (100 tons/year now), but aims to scale up to 10 million tons in 10 years — a 100,000x jump.
Why it caught my attention: It’s energizing to see climate tech actually launching — not just theorizing. Real-world innovation like this gives hope that we can engineer scalable, sustainable solutions to keep the planet livable.
Source: Fast Company