Top Hacker News Stories – May 18, 2026 (Summarized)

On Hacker News today, Files.md emerged as a notable open-source project, gaining 730 points and 356 comments as an alternative to Obsidian. In corporate news, Anthropic announced its acquisition of Stainless, accumulating 531 points and 382 comments, signaling ongoing consolidation in AI startups. Additionally, a developer shared how they halted AI bot spam on GitHub using the Git –author flag, earning 501 points, while another story highlighted experiments with AI running radio stations, attracting 375 points. Other discussions included the upcoming publication of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, and debates over hybrid car effectiveness.