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Today I’m debuting Parable.
Successful companies make the impossible, inevitable. Their stories live long enough to become parables that inspire generations.
Successful companies make the impossible, inevitable. Their stories live long enough to become parables that inspire generations.
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
Delphi has always been about understanding how other people think.
So we built a matrix to see who you think most like.
Not sure how I feel about some of my neighbors...
Find yours delphi.co/drops
So we built a matrix to see who you think most like.
Not sure how I feel about some of my neighbors...
Find yours delphi.co/drops
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
2 years ago, i had done zero marketing. i'd been an engineer my entire life.
when i told a founder friend we were building a consumer product, he told me, "tanay, you don't have that consumer dna. you don't know how to build a brand. you shouldn't do this."
it sounded like a fun challenge. game on.
2 months after we pivoted Wispr from hardware to Flow, our first launch did millions of views and hit #1 on product hunt for the day and the week.
what i've learned about marketing since:
1/ take almost no inspiration from others. standing out means doing things your own way. be unique and bold in your decisions.
2/ pick your first users by who will cause PLG. hundreds of avatars of people loved wispr flow. we focused on 2. developers, because they post about tools they love everywhere. founders, because they roll them out to their whole team.
3/ make every user feel it was built for people like them. most tools assume american english. in wispr you can pick british english, swiss german, or simplified vs traditional chinese
4/ build small moments that make people feel seen. in india, after you've spoken 1,000 words in an indian language, a banner says congratulations in that language, with the flag
5/ do pr even if you can't measure it. if i put its roi in a spreadsheet, the column would be empty. but asking what i'd pitch a journalist about every new feature gives us a lot of our ad ideas
6/ make the message something you can see, touch, feel. have fun with it. we said we'd kill the keyboard, so i sawed one in half in our office for a launch video
7/ treat word of mouth as a science, not an art. after we hit product-market fit, the first thing we optimized for was getting every user to tell their friends
turns out you don't need consumer dna or to be the most creative. you just need to treat marketing like a science.
when i told a founder friend we were building a consumer product, he told me, "tanay, you don't have that consumer dna. you don't know how to build a brand. you shouldn't do this."
it sounded like a fun challenge. game on.
2 months after we pivoted Wispr from hardware to Flow, our first launch did millions of views and hit #1 on product hunt for the day and the week.
what i've learned about marketing since:
1/ take almost no inspiration from others. standing out means doing things your own way. be unique and bold in your decisions.
2/ pick your first users by who will cause PLG. hundreds of avatars of people loved wispr flow. we focused on 2. developers, because they post about tools they love everywhere. founders, because they roll them out to their whole team.
3/ make every user feel it was built for people like them. most tools assume american english. in wispr you can pick british english, swiss german, or simplified vs traditional chinese
4/ build small moments that make people feel seen. in india, after you've spoken 1,000 words in an indian language, a banner says congratulations in that language, with the flag
5/ do pr even if you can't measure it. if i put its roi in a spreadsheet, the column would be empty. but asking what i'd pitch a journalist about every new feature gives us a lot of our ad ideas
6/ make the message something you can see, touch, feel. have fun with it. we said we'd kill the keyboard, so i sawed one in half in our office for a launch video
7/ treat word of mouth as a science, not an art. after we hit product-market fit, the first thing we optimized for was getting every user to tell their friends
turns out you don't need consumer dna or to be the most creative. you just need to treat marketing like a science.
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
I’m joining the team at @X to lead Product.
I am a huge believer in @SpaceX's mission to extend human consciousness to the stars, so it’s time to make shitposting multiplanetary.
X is the best way to find out what’s happening in the world right now and talk about it. The team has been working tirelessly to make X a better place and product for the people who love it, and many have noticed the recent momentum. My goal is to help accelerate that momentum for our community, new users, and businesses globally by continuing to make this product beautiful and useful.
We are twenty years in, but it truly feels like X’s next chapter will be our greatest. I look forward to your ideas and feedback; I’m sure the replies will be measured and magnanimous.
I am a huge believer in @SpaceX's mission to extend human consciousness to the stars, so it’s time to make shitposting multiplanetary.
X is the best way to find out what’s happening in the world right now and talk about it. The team has been working tirelessly to make X a better place and product for the people who love it, and many have noticed the recent momentum. My goal is to help accelerate that momentum for our community, new users, and businesses globally by continuing to make this product beautiful and useful.
We are twenty years in, but it truly feels like X’s next chapter will be our greatest. I look forward to your ideas and feedback; I’m sure the replies will be measured and magnanimous.
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
i've been talking to a lot of normal ppl outside of tech about personal agents & the convos have been incredibly fascinating, particularly w.r.t. to retention.
most consumer products typically have one of two types of retention, one is desire driven which is just pure dopamine (like insta, tiktok, games). they often don't even need notifications because you know there is a reward for your desire always waiting. the second is dependency driven, like emails, calendars, even credit cards & banking. most ppl have to do this, it's not something they necessarily desire (unless they are a sociopath).
the challenge with personal ai agents right now is that they occupy a weird third space where they aren't emotionally rewarding most of the time to become entertainment like the first category, & they're not reliable / indispensable enough to become pure infra. i.e. they fail, & there is a lot of friction. outside of pure research driven tasks, even one failure is often enough to not come back for the utility value prop.
which is why i think vertical agents that focus on making your life more interesting & entertaining are worth deep exploration still. & even very focused vertically integrated utility agents that work reliably will still be in demand. tons of ppl still think in jobs to be done when reaching for anything & with general purpose agents that's just not as crisp yet on what those critical jobs are.
most consumer products typically have one of two types of retention, one is desire driven which is just pure dopamine (like insta, tiktok, games). they often don't even need notifications because you know there is a reward for your desire always waiting. the second is dependency driven, like emails, calendars, even credit cards & banking. most ppl have to do this, it's not something they necessarily desire (unless they are a sociopath).
the challenge with personal ai agents right now is that they occupy a weird third space where they aren't emotionally rewarding most of the time to become entertainment like the first category, & they're not reliable / indispensable enough to become pure infra. i.e. they fail, & there is a lot of friction. outside of pure research driven tasks, even one failure is often enough to not come back for the utility value prop.
which is why i think vertical agents that focus on making your life more interesting & entertaining are worth deep exploration still. & even very focused vertically integrated utility agents that work reliably will still be in demand. tons of ppl still think in jobs to be done when reaching for anything & with general purpose agents that's just not as crisp yet on what those critical jobs are.
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
i'm hiring someone to help make the next Naruto.
it won't come from Japan. it'll be made by fans on @watchmochi (yc s26).
we have 20k creators making 2k series/mo. you'll build the app they make it on.
join our team in LA as founding product engineer.
dm me or link below ↓
it won't come from Japan. it'll be made by fans on @watchmochi (yc s26).
we have 20k creators making 2k series/mo. you'll build the app they make it on.
join our team in LA as founding product engineer.
dm me or link below ↓
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
All of these companies ultimately have to play ball
Those that provide real value for customers (eg amazon) will be mostly fine / preserve their economics
Those that are interchangeable with competitors and preying on consumer friction (airlines, banks) are hosed
Agents are machines for finding producer surplus and giving it back to consumers
Those that provide real value for customers (eg amazon) will be mostly fine / preserve their economics
Those that are interchangeable with competitors and preying on consumer friction (airlines, banks) are hosed
Agents are machines for finding producer surplus and giving it back to consumers
notice..
> Delta is blocking AI agents from booking flights
> JPMorgan Chase and Charles Schwab block agents from accessing accounts
> Yelp requires paid data licensing for agents
> Amazon has blocked Grok bot and other shopping agents.
the internet is starting to block AI agents that were supposed to do everything for us
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
Welcome @vijayeraji to Amplitude's board of directors.
Vijaye founded and led Statsig through its acquisition to OpenAI.
@statsig and @Amplitude_HQ's history are deeply intertwined.
Amplitude was initially inspired by Meta's growth team and their finding that 7 friends in 10 days was the best predictor of long term engagement for a new user. We were convinced everyone would need the same type of insights and started Amplitude in 2012.
Vijaye was working at Meta on Deltoid, their internal experimentation platform, among many other things. They effectively invented the modern data science and experimentation stack which is now standard practice across the industry. Fast forward to 2021, Vijaye left Meta to take Deltoid and other internal tools at Meta to the rest of the world as Statsig.
For a number of years we were competitors. We both had an engineering led approach where we'd build for each customer in a hands on way. Amplitude focused on its core of analytics and Statsig focused on experimentation. We both were making sophisticated measurement tools accessible. We'd copy each other's functionality, pricing, marketing, sales and support motions, and a lot else. Statig was a fearsome competitor with their advanced statistical engine, warehouse native capabilities, and engineering centric product.
Fast forward to earlier this year, Vijaye was looking for the right home for Statsig's product, brand, and customers, and we agreed that combining with Amplitude was the best way to continue the mission.
I'm excited to get the opportunity to work with someone who has thought deeply about the same mission. It's an honor to be able to continue the work together with Vijaye joining our board of directors. I'm looking forward to having his perspective as we build what's next. Welcome, Vijaye!
Vijaye founded and led Statsig through its acquisition to OpenAI.
@statsig and @Amplitude_HQ's history are deeply intertwined.
Amplitude was initially inspired by Meta's growth team and their finding that 7 friends in 10 days was the best predictor of long term engagement for a new user. We were convinced everyone would need the same type of insights and started Amplitude in 2012.
Vijaye was working at Meta on Deltoid, their internal experimentation platform, among many other things. They effectively invented the modern data science and experimentation stack which is now standard practice across the industry. Fast forward to 2021, Vijaye left Meta to take Deltoid and other internal tools at Meta to the rest of the world as Statsig.
For a number of years we were competitors. We both had an engineering led approach where we'd build for each customer in a hands on way. Amplitude focused on its core of analytics and Statsig focused on experimentation. We both were making sophisticated measurement tools accessible. We'd copy each other's functionality, pricing, marketing, sales and support motions, and a lot else. Statig was a fearsome competitor with their advanced statistical engine, warehouse native capabilities, and engineering centric product.
Fast forward to earlier this year, Vijaye was looking for the right home for Statsig's product, brand, and customers, and we agreed that combining with Amplitude was the best way to continue the mission.
I'm excited to get the opportunity to work with someone who has thought deeply about the same mission. It's an honor to be able to continue the work together with Vijaye joining our board of directors. I'm looking forward to having his perspective as we build what's next. Welcome, Vijaye!
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Amazon entering the personal agents and computing/device race with a voice and ambient first approach 👀
Introducing Bee Frontier and Bee Eclipse, two personal AI devices designed to remember the moments that matter most. One wears on your wrist. One attaches to your phone. Both keep you present. ↓
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
There's a trend in software (well I might be conflating a few trends) that I think is not going to bode well for most:
- With how insane coding agents and the models are getting, it's very easy to just build "everything" but we're seeing just insane scope creep that don't really serve the purpose of the "thing" the product wants to solve for customers
- Everyone is going to collectively relearn the painful lesson as to why super apps have never worked in the west (spoiler alert it was never that "software was hard")
- A lot of companies are calling themselves "labs" as a way to excuse themselves from building *one product* that people actually use (repeatedly) but rather multiple mediocre products (non-stop launches on the timeline), few are focused on actual "research" but rather are doing sub-par R&D or product development
- Because new software/products/features are so easy to build, it's easy to find new things to latch onto (technological innovation) that aren't the thing you should care about (like retention). I agree with Nikita that technological moats are mostly over
- When everyone is gunning to build *everything*, there's massive alpha in just building simple things that are focused and well-executed
- With how insane coding agents and the models are getting, it's very easy to just build "everything" but we're seeing just insane scope creep that don't really serve the purpose of the "thing" the product wants to solve for customers
- Everyone is going to collectively relearn the painful lesson as to why super apps have never worked in the west (spoiler alert it was never that "software was hard")
- A lot of companies are calling themselves "labs" as a way to excuse themselves from building *one product* that people actually use (repeatedly) but rather multiple mediocre products (non-stop launches on the timeline), few are focused on actual "research" but rather are doing sub-par R&D or product development
- Because new software/products/features are so easy to build, it's easy to find new things to latch onto (technological innovation) that aren't the thing you should care about (like retention). I agree with Nikita that technological moats are mostly over
- When everyone is gunning to build *everything*, there's massive alpha in just building simple things that are focused and well-executed
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
Ever ask your AI agent to do something and it says “I don’t have access”? 🙃
Today we launched Ambiguous Workspace: 18 productivity apps reimagined so work flows between your team and agents.
Each agent gets its own identity.
Free for up to 5 teammates. Create a workspace ↓
Today we launched Ambiguous Workspace: 18 productivity apps reimagined so work flows between your team and agents.
Each agent gets its own identity.
Free for up to 5 teammates. Create a workspace ↓
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
It's crazy that the top 1% of spenders have almost doubled monthly spend to almost $1,000 / month - demand here is very strong and demonstrates the opportunity to build "narrow startups": high-priced software with a very small N of customers.
🚨 The @a16z Consumer AI Top 100 is back - but this time, it's 150!
We added revenue data from @yipitdata to track how consumers are spending not just time, but money, on AI.
The result? A story of heavy concentration among AI's power users. Our takeaways 👇
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
Introducing Core, The Personal Al Computer
The most powerful technology humanity has built should belong to you
Order today: ghost.ai
The most powerful technology humanity has built should belong to you
Order today: ghost.ai
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
People keep reaching for "factory" metaphors for AI, but factories run one process to make identical parts. Knowledge work is more like an R&D lab or a Michelin kitchen: you might spin up a little assembly line to make 20 of something, then tear it down — not run it for years.
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PACT by @DecagonAI seems a great solution for agent permissioning - it allows an agent to prove which person it represents and what that person allowed it to do. Traffic lights for agentic actions are here!
Super excited to announce @DecagonAI’s personal agent gateway!
Personal AI assistants like Muse, Instinct, Dots, and Grok Bot are taking off. They’re already starting to buy, book, cancel, and negotiate with businesses on behalf of consumers.
This creates a new challenge for g them risks turning away customers.
Everyone will need an equally smart agentic front door that can handle interactions with both agents and humans.
Personal Agent Gateway helps enterprises identify personal AI assistants and customize those requests so that you can give a great customer experience while controlling all your logic.
We’re also announcing our PACT protocol that allow personal AI assistants to prove who they represent and what they are empowered to do.
Read more:
decagon.ai/blog/personal-…
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All major retailers and brands will have their own agents just like they built their own apps/websites. This is just the beginning!
BREAKING: DoorDash unveiled a text-to-order AI agent that works inside iMessage, its answer to popular agentic tools like Instinct and Muse
It is also opening a waitlist for its MCP for enterprise agents to do corporate ordering.
DoorDash doesn’t have an official connector for d me that’s “TBD”. Doordash is talking with Meta and different AI players to meet users where they are, he said. (CEO Tony Xu is on Meta board)
Photo credit: DoorDash
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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Anne Lee Skates retweeted
Don't think we've fully thought through what happens to Apple's tolls on app purchases in the era of agents creating their own app or bypassing them altogether to execute actions on your behalf
Also seems like we're trending towards everyone getting an allocation to their own VM vs running things on device
Both disrupt incumbents (Apple - devices + app store, Google - ad via web search, etc.)
Also seems like we're trending towards everyone getting an allocation to their own VM vs running things on device
Both disrupt incumbents (Apple - devices + app store, Google - ad via web search, etc.)
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