#16: Degenerate Feedback Loops

📋 Today At A Glance

• Article: Degenerate Feedback Loops
• Twitter Thread: Managing Up
• Meme Of The Week
• Personal Updates

🔁 Degenerate Feedback Loops

Degenerate feedback loops (DFLs) make the recommendations provided by a recommendation system more homogeneous or less diverse. For example, if TikTok didn't account for DFLs in their recommendation engine, you'd only get to see videos from top creators, and excellent content from new creators wouldn't get much traction at all.

I recommend reading the DFL section in the blog "Data Distribution Shifts and Monitoring" by Chip Huyen.

So how does TikTok account for DFLs?
They show each new video to a small pool (200-300) of active users. If the video performs well in that small pool, it is boosted to a larger pool.
Learn about the TikTok recommendation algorithm in the blog "Why TikTok made its user so obsessive? The AI Algorithm that got you hooked." by Catherine Wang.

🧵 Managing Up

Read this thread from Wes Kao on how you can effectively communicate with your manager.

Best advice in the thread: show your thought process.

Another benefit of mentioning your criteria, assumptions, and alternatives is that it preemptively answers the obvious questions you would otherwise get, like "why aren't we using <alternative>?" or "would we be able to do <x> with the <current choice>?".

🤖 Meme Of The Week

🙋 Personal Updates

Last week I attended the Tokyo Tech Meetup at Commune, a rooftop bar in Shibuya. There were no lightning talks this time. I caught up with people I know from Mercari and some people from HN Tokyo slack. I also had insightful conversations with a few people running their business outside Japan while staying in Japan permanently. Overall it was a great experience. Come to the next one if you want to talk to some cool people and me (ooh self-burn), I'll be there.

I came to Kyoto on the weekend, and I'm appeasing myself with cafes and sakura. I'll be here till the coming weekend.
The best picture I've taken so far was at the Fushimi-Inari shrine.

Cheers! Have a productive day.
Prashant Anand (@primaprashant)