9.11.26 | Shopify switches from React Native to Swift and Kotlin, questions arise about trusting OpenAI with unpublished math, Rust becomes tier-1 language at Microsoft

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Welcome to the Hacker News Highlights, where we explore the top 10 posts on Hacker News every day. Today, we dive into Shopify switching to native mobile development, Microsoft establishing Rust as a Tier 1 language, and researchers questioning open AI's trustworthiness with unpublished math. Let's dive in.

Title, Shopify is moving from React Native back to Swift and Kotlin. Source, Shopify. The company reevaluated its mobile app strategy in 2025 due to advancements in coding models and AI. After initially adopting React Native in 2020 for efficiency and developer flexibility, Shopify found that AI and improved native coding tools made building separate native apps in Swift and Kotlin more feasible and desirable. They discovered that agents could help rebuild apps faster, reduce maintenance costs and bring apps closer to platform capabilities, leading to a shift back towards native development. The first apps to migrate include the Shop and Shopify apps with other projects following soon. In the comments, the dominant view was mostly skeptical, with many discussing the practicality and long-term benefits of native versus cross-platform approaches. Users debated whether AI really reduces the costs of maintaining multiple native apps or if this shift was mainly driven by the convenience and speed AI offers. Concerns about increased organizational complexity, the threat to existing developer roles, and whether this move signals a broader industry trend were common themes. Overall, the community saw Shopify's decision as driven by improved AI tools and the desire for more platform-optimized user experiences, but many questioned the extent to which AI genuinely reduces the inherent costs and complexity of native app development.

Title, more questions about whether researchers can trust OpenAI with unpublished math. Source, Mathsteden.xyz. The post discusses concerns and suspicions about whether OpenAI trained its models on private conversations or unpublished research linked to mathematicians working on major open problems, such as Navier-Stokes. Many community members believe that OpenAI's claims of no training on certain user sessions are either unverified or false, raising fears about data privacy, academic misconduct, and ethical issues. The discussion also covers the difficulty of tracking data provenance in AI models, the ethics of using private information for training, and the broader implications of AI companies potentially undermining trust and fairness in academic and scientific communities. In the comments, the community was mostly skeptical of OpenAI's statements and integrity, with many asserting that the companies are likely training on or had access to private data to gain competitive advantages. Users debated whether AI models genuinely produce original work or simply synthesize existing knowledge, emphasizing the lack of transparency and accountability in AI training processes. There was concern that the AI industry's focus on quick breakthroughs and profitability undermines academic standards and could stifle human innovation. A strong theme was the distrust of large corporations' motives, especially regarding data collection, intellectual property, and the manipulation of scientific and academic work for corporate gain. The overall sentiment was largely distrustful, criticizing AI labs for secrecy, potential misconduct, and the erosion of trust in scientific and academic institutions.

Title, Rust is Tier 1 Language at Microsoft. Source, The Rust Foundation. The article explained that Microsoft now classifies Rust as a Tier 1 language, placing it alongside C++, C Sharp, and TypeScript as one of the main languages for internal development. This status means Microsoft provides full support for using Rust in production, including tooling, platform integration, and compliance with security standards.

A key project, Rust EC underscore Kotagen underscore UTC, connects Rust to Microsoft's native Windows compiler backend, MSVC, enabling seamless interoperability with C++ and supporting hybrid Rust slash C++ projects on Windows. In the comments, the community mostly expressed skepticism about Rust's immediate impact, criticizing the high memory use of some Windows apps and the slow progress on support in Visual Studio.

There was debate over whether Rust truly deserves Tier 1 status or if it's mostly a strategic move by Microsoft. Many discussed Rust's inner compatibility with C++, the long-term prospects for the language, and the challenges of transitioning large legacy code bases. Overall, the community showed a mix of cautious optimism and concern that Microsoft's adoption might be more about strategic positioning than immediate engineering benefits.

Title, don't let anyone take away your big box of cables. Source, Jim Nielsen. The post shares a story about someone finding a long-lost cable and deciding to organize their collection by attaching a motivational quote to their big box of cables. The author explains how they laminated and taped the quote to the box to remember why they keep the cables and how it inspires them to stay organized and prevent family members from discarding it. The story emphasizes the value of keeping and organizing a large collection of cables for future use. In the comments, the community mostly supported the idea of organizing cables into categories and using small containers like ziplock bags and clear boxes to manage the clutter. They discussed various methods such as labeling with permanent markers, sorting by cable type or capability, and using Velcro straps or twist ties. Many users expressed a need to keep old or rare cables due to nostalgia or potential future use, while others admitted to regular purging to reduce clutter. There was an overall sentiment that a big box of cables is a common, cherished part of tech life, but effective organization can make that collection more manageable. A recurring debate involved whether to keep all the cables or discard the ones that are no longer usable, with some favoring minimalism and others valuing the potential utility of old cables. Overall, the community largely viewed organizing cables as both practical and satisfying.