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    AWS Lambda Silent Crash – A Platform Failure, Not an Application Bug [pdf]

    (lyons-den.com)
    115 points nonfamous | 19 comments | 15 Jul 25 01:22 UTC | HN request time: 0.215s | source | bottom
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    nemothekid ◴[15 Jul 25 02:43 UTC] No.44567382[source]▶
    If I'm reading this correctly, then AWS Support dropped the ball here but this isn't a bug in lambda. This is the documented behavior of the lambda runtime.

    The document is long, and the examples seem contrived, so anyone is free to correct me but as I understand it the lambda didn't crash, after you returned 201, your lambda instance was put to sleep. You aren't guaranteed that any code will remain running after your lambda "ends". I am not sure why AWS Support was unable to communicate this OP.

    If you are using Lambda with a function URL, you aren't guaranteed that anything after you return your http response remains running. I believe Lambda has some callbacks/signals you can listen to, to ensure your function properly cleans up before the Lambda is frozen, but if you want the lambda to return as fast as possible it seems you are better off having your service publish to an SQS queue instead.

    replies(5): >>44567412 #>>44567432 #>>44567463 #>>44567479 #>>44567534 #
    1. semiquaver ◴[15 Jul 25 02:51 UTC] No.44567432[source]▶
    This document is bizarre. The author is so confidently verbose about something they are clearly misunderstanding, and have been told as much dozens of times. It’s humbling, in a way, to think of times I’ve felt this strongly about something and to consider the possibility I could have been this wrong.
    replies(2): >>44567508 #>>44567672 #
    2. tough ◴[15 Jul 25 03:06 UTC] No.44567508[source]▶
    stubbornness is a very human thing
    replies(1): >>44571502 #
    3. johnfn ◴[15 Jul 25 03:48 UTC] No.44567672[source]▶
    It's pretty clearly written by GPT.
    replies(1): >>44567682 #
    4. x3n0ph3n3 ◴[15 Jul 25 03:52 UTC] No.44567682[source]▶
    Can you share some of the tell-tale signs you pick up on?

    Edit: I see he's the CTO of an AI company.

    replies(3): >>44567712 #>>44567768 #>>44567777 #
    5. johnfn ◴[15 Jul 25 04:01 UTC] No.44567712{3}[source]▶
    It's never a slam-dunk with AI-generated content, but some of the signs I notice are:

    - Constant bulleted lists with snappy, non-punctuated items.

    - Single word sentences to emphasize a point ("It was disciplined. Technical. Forensic.")

    - The phrasing. e.g. the part about submitting to Reddit: "This response was disproportionate to the activity involved: a first-time technical post, written with precision, submitted to the relevant forum, and not yet visible to any other user." Who on earth says "written with precision" about their own writing?

    To be clear, I don't think it's a fabricated account. I also don't think it was a one-shot. OP probably iterated on it with GPT for quite some time.

    6. appreciatorBus ◴[15 Jul 25 04:15 UTC] No.44567768{3}[source]▶
    He’s already added an entry about the whole incident to his resume:

    https://lyons-den.com/CV/David_Lyon_CTO_CV_2025.pdf

    EDIT: he has added three(!) separate mentions of the same incident to his résumé

    replies(4): >>44567820 #>>44571537 #>>44571637 #>>44572336 #
    7. mrlatinos ◴[15 Jul 25 04:17 UTC] No.44567777{3}[source]▶
    This has GPT written all over it: "That’s not just a runtime bug. That’s a reliability risk baked into the ecosystem."

    For whatever reason, it constantly uses rhetorical reclassification like “That’s not just X. That’s Y.” when it's trying to make a point.

    In GPT's own words:

    ``` ### Why GPT uses it so often:

    - It sounds insightful and persuasive with minimal complexity. - It gives an impression of depth by moving from the obvious to the interpretive. - It matches common patterns in blog posts, opinion writing, and analyst reports. ```

    I think that last point is probably the most important.

    replies(1): >>44571092 #
    8. tczMUFlmoNk ◴[15 Jul 25 04:27 UTC] No.44567820{4}[source]▶
    At least it is helpfully located in the "Thought Leadership" section as an early flag for the reader.
    9. jaymzcampbell ◴[15 Jul 25 13:42 UTC] No.44571092{4}[source]▶
    That whole last section read like the constant dross I see posted on Linkedin. I find it hard to take anyone seriously that writes like that.
    10. Zambyte ◴[15 Jul 25 14:27 UTC] No.44571502[source]▶
    The juxtaposition between this reply and the sibling

    > It's pretty clearly written by GPT.

    is quite funny

    replies(1): >>44584262 #
    11. redleader55 ◴[15 Jul 25 14:30 UTC] No.44571537{4}[source]▶
    This guy is obviously the most senior person in a small startup.

    To me personally, calling yourself a CTO with a CV entry that amounts to what an L5 in a FAANG does in a half, is a bit ridiculous. What title would HN recommend for such a position, instead?

    replies(1): >>44572703 #
    12. encomiast ◴[15 Jul 25 14:41 UTC] No.44571637{4}[source]▶
    The whole site is sketchy. A PhD and a JD. All these high level positions at well-known places. A website with very vague claims about heroically saving things. Almost no google presence other than this site. And 4 LinkedIn connections. Maybe I'm just cynical, but it's pegging my BS meter.
    replies(2): >>44572769 #>>44572876 #
    13. skeeter2020 ◴[15 Jul 25 15:43 UTC] No.44572336{4}[source]▶
    >> Outdiagnosed L5 AWS engineers using Docker-based rebuilds, AL2023 parity, and deep forensic isolation.

    what a weird thing to brag about on your resume. And then he says "case study cited on ... HackerNews" - that's funny!

    14. icedchai ◴[15 Jul 25 16:14 UTC] No.44572703{5}[source]▶
    "Lead Engineer" usually suffices.
    15. dfedbeef ◴[15 Jul 25 16:18 UTC] No.44572769{5}[source]▶
    Nope, BS meter is correct. You can find the 2017 commencement documents for New York Law School online and David Lyon is not on the list of JD graduates...
    replies(1): >>44609841 #
    16. dfedbeef ◴[15 Jul 25 16:27 UTC] No.44572876{5}[source]▶
    https://issuu.com/nylslibrary/docs/2017_commencement_program...

    No David Lyon in there. It goes straight from Luncheon to Martinez and Lynch to Mackey for Graduates and Candidates, respectively. Page 35

    17. tough ◴[16 Jul 25 16:37 UTC] No.44584262{3}[source]▶
    ChatGPT is totally onboard on going on with your nonsense and expand on it tho
    18. encomiast ◴[18 Jul 25 21:07 UTC] No.44609841{6}[source]▶
    Interesting…both the linkedIn profile and the website appear to be gone.
    replies(1): >>44616388 #
    19. paulc51 ◴[19 Jul 25 15:35 UTC] No.44616388{7}[source]▶
    Archive.org did a round of saving his entire website, including the posts and "papers" just before it was taken down: https://web.archive.org/web/20250715045222/https://lyons-den...

    Interesting if the whole character was a scam. The current employer is not disclosed in his CV, qualifications are fake (also flagged on Reddit by someone who says they are an ex colleague https://www.reddit.com/r/aws/comments/1m0198c/comment/n3fiwk...) - what else?