The TechBeat: Prompt Reverse Engineering: Fix Your Prompts by Studying the Wrong Answers (1/12/2026)

How are you, hacker? 🪐Want to know what's trending right now?: The Techbeat by HackerNoon has got you covered with fresh content from our trending stories of the day! Set email preference here. ## Back to Basics: Database Design as Storytelling By @dataops [ 3 Min read ] Why great database design is really storytelling—and why ignoring relational fundamentals leads to poor performance AI can’t fix. Read More.

Designing API Contracts for Legacy System Modernization

By @jamescaron [ 6 Min read ] A practical look at designing API contracts during legacy system modernization, focusing on real production failures and strategies to prevent silent regression Read More.

Proof of Usefulness Hackathon: Win $150K+ from Bright Data, Neo4j, Algolia, Storyblok & HackerNoon 

By @proofofusefulness [ 8 Min read ] Proof of Usefulness is a global hackathon powered by HackerNoon that rewards one thing and one thing only: usefulness. Win from $150k! Read More.

10 Noteworthy C and C++ Bugs Found in Open-Source Projects in 2025

By @akiradoko [ 20 Min read ] A roundup of 10 standout C and C++ bugs found in open-source projects in 2025. Read More.

The Authorization Gap No One Wants to Talk About: Why Your API Is Probably Leaking Right Now

By @drechimyn [ 7 Min read ] Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA) is eating the API economy from the inside out. Read More.

Complete Ollama Tutorial (2026) – LLMs via CLI, Cloud & Python

By @proflead [ 4 Min read ] Ollama is an open-source platform for running and managing large-language-model (LLM) packages entirely on your local machine. Read More.

How I stopped fighting AI and started shipping features 10x faster with Claude Code and Codex

By @tigranbs [ 9 Min read ] A deep dive into my production workflow for AI-assisted development, separating task planning from implementation for maximum focus and quality. Read More.

Groq’s Deterministic Architecture is Rewriting the Physics of AI Inference

By @zbruceli [ 20 Min read ] Groq’s Deterministic Architecture is Rewriting the Physics of AI Inference. How Nvidia Learned to Stop Worrying and Acquired Groq Read More.

Prompt Reverse Engineering: Fix Your Prompts by Studying the Wrong Answers

By @superorange0707 [ 7 Min read ] Learn prompt reverse engineering: analyse wrong LLM outputs, identify missing constraints, patch prompts systematically, and iterate like a pro. Read More.

CSS is Only Hard Because You’re Doing Too Much

By @dmtrmrv [ 10 Min read ] Start with markup, not styles. Write only the CSS you actually need. Design for mobile first, not as a fix later. Let layouts adapt before reaching for breakpoi Read More.

Can LLMs Generate Quality Code? A 40,000-Line Experiment

By @anywhichway [ 16 Min read ] Like humans, LLMs generate sloppy code over time - just faster. Learn how to use multi-model reviews and formal code analysis to ensure code quality. Read More.

Jetpack Compose Memory Leaks: A Reference-Graph Deep Dive

By @mohansankaran [ 10 Min read ] Jetpack Compose memory leaks are usually reference leaks. Learn the top leak patterns, why they happen, and how to fix them. Read More.

The Brain, The Body, and The Blue Screen: Why I’m Quitting Hardware

By @damianwgriggs [ 4 Min read ] I have a visual disability—20/400 vision in my right eye and zero peripheral vision. This makes hardware terrifying. Read More.

AI - Should we Be Afraid? 3 Years Later

By @djcampbell [ 6 Min read ] Is AI good or bad? We must decide. Read More.

Meta-Prompting: From “Using Prompts” to “Generating Prompts”

By @superorange0707 [ 7 Min read ] Meta-prompts make LLMs generate high-quality prompts for you. Learn the 4-part template, pitfalls, and ready-to-copy examples. Read More.

Meet Ola.cv: HackerNoon Company of the Week

By @companyoftheweek [ 4 Min read ] Ola.cv is the official registry for the .CV domain, helping individuals to build next-gen professional links and profiles to enhance their digital presence. Read More.

CodeGrok MCP: Semantic Code Search That Saves AI Agents 10x in Context Usage

By @rdondeti [ 3 Min read ] CodeGrok MCP replaces grep with semantic code search for AI agents. AST parsing + vector embeddings = 10x better context efficiency. 100% local Read More.

Go Builds Packages, Not Files — Here’s Why That Matters

By @hacker5295744 [ 15 Min read ] Go's build system isn't something to fight or work around. It's an API in its own right - one that rewards understanding. Read More.

This 30-Year-Old Entrepreneur Wants To Build Southeast Asia's Answer To Hims & Hers

By @jonstojanjournalist [ 3 Min read ] A 30-year-old founder is building Southeast Asia’s Hims & Hers, using privacy-first telehealth to modernize care in the Philippines. Read More.

Wrapping up Trends in MacOS Malware of 2025

By @moonlock [ 4 Min read ] The myth of a malware-free Mac is a thing of the past. Here’s how Mac threats evolved in 2025 — and what’s coming next. Read More. 🧑‍💻 What happened in your world this week? It's been said that writing can help consolidate technical knowledge, establish credibility, and contribute to emerging community standards. Feeling stuck? We got you covered ⬇️⬇️⬇️ ANSWER THESE GREATEST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS OF ALL TIME We hope you enjoy this worth of free reading material. Feel free to forward this email to a nerdy friend who'll love you for it. See you on Planet Internet! With love, The HackerNoon Team ✌️