One of the concepts I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is that AI dramatically changes the supply-side economics of creating content, software, games, etc., but doesn’t necessarily change consumer demand.
Consumers have always been interested in sex, money, and status at a base level. Perhaps a more generous view is self-expression, community, and experiences that move them forward on their personal hero’s journey.
I think a real challenge for consumer founders is connecting these supply-side miracles to latent consumer demand.
True customer empathy is very rare, and so much of software is an act of self-expression rather than an act of creating utility or joy for the customer. Founders love the software they make because it tells their story, but customers are interested in their own stories.
Consumers have always been interested in sex, money, and status at a base level. Perhaps a more generous view is self-expression, community, and experiences that move them forward on their personal hero’s journey.
I think a real challenge for consumer founders is connecting these supply-side miracles to latent consumer demand.
True customer empathy is very rare, and so much of software is an act of self-expression rather than an act of creating utility or joy for the customer. Founders love the software they make because it tells their story, but customers are interested in their own stories.
Oct 23, 2026 · 11:24 PM UTC
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H/t @anthonyschiller @razvanr who got me thinking about this
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@illscience at the end of the day, AI doesn't change what people want. it makes tiny audiences affordable. content for your group chat was never worth making. now it is.
and the demand is there, because it's about you and your friends.
and the demand is there, because it's about you and your friends.
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@unable0_ Yeah, I do think there are pockets of unmet demand, though, that are now addressable because the supply costs are so much lower. They're just a lot harder to predict in consumer than they are in enterprise software.
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@illscience reminds me of the demand side aggregation you mentioned the other day, very interesting to think about
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@illscience Discovery is a growing problem, trust in discovery algos is degrading.
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@illscience @garrytan This is actually a great argument. Learned something new here. Thanks.
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@illscience I wonder if this underestimates how much supply-side innovation actually creates demand.
When television went from 3 networks to hundreds of channels, people didn't just spread their existing viewing across more options. They watched more TV.
When television went from 3 networks to hundreds of channels, people didn't just spread their existing viewing across more options. They watched more TV.
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@illscience 作るコストが下がっても、使う人の時間や選択肢は増えないんですよね。機能を足すより、誰のどんな場面を変えるかを掴むほうが難しいという話、Web制作でもよく感じます。
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@illscience AI 让做产品越来越容易，却没让人更愿意买单。创始人能用 AI 实现自己的想法，但用户只关心它能否解决自己的问题、带来情绪价值或身份认同。供给越丰富，理解用户反而越重要
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@illsciencelive in an environment with orders of magnitude more content supply than there is demand.
The supply is still bottlenecked by the platforms that display content.
Every consumer still has the same bottlenecks filtering whether they see your content:
- 24 hrs in a day to see content (much is Zzzs)
- 1 or 2 devices they use to see digital content
- A handful of apps they use to consume content
- Programs filtering what, and how much content, the consumer sees
So there's lots more supply going into digital platforms, but not much more (if any) supply that reaches the consumer.
The supply is still bottlenecked by the platforms that display content.
Every consumer still has the same bottlenecks filtering whether they see your content:
- 24 hrs in a day to see content (much is Zzzs)
- 1 or 2 devices they use to see digital content
- A handful of apps they use to consume content
- Programs filtering what, and how much content, the consumer sees
So there's lots more supply going into digital platforms, but not much more (if any) supply that reaches the consumer.
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@illscience Thought provoking post.
This is true because the goods sold are goods the customer already have or don’t need. So only folks who have access to distribution channels make through. Question is whether the next wave of AI fueled innovations bring genuinely new experiences.
This is true because the goods sold are goods the customer already have or don’t need. So only folks who have access to distribution channels make through. Question is whether the next wave of AI fueled innovations bring genuinely new experiences.
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@illscience … Bringing us back to this notion that humanity is the ultimate flex and authenticity is the ultimate value.
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@illscience Anish, I think that's the abundance rule at work. When building gets cheap, the scarce part moves to the customer. People pay when AI serves something they already want. Cheaper supply doesn't change that test. It just puts far more products in front of it.
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@illscience Solutions to consumer demands of the greatest common denominator are still better than AI today.
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@illscience recurring pattern in history. we discover new ways to fulfill existing desires.
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@illscience the self-expression part is real. does cheaper building make it worse though, or do founders just find out sooner when it doesn't land?
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@illscience customer empathy is rare partly because almost nobody actually talks to customers at scale. surveys give you scores, the story is in the conversation
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@illscience tis what many are pointing to. they see something in the periphery emerging but can't fully make it out. it will be deeply empathic because it will deeply understand but in order for it to deeply understand, it will need deep access. its all so deep but a wall is in the way
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@illscience I want the app to help me choose. Generating another fifty options can leave me with the same decision and more work.
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@illscience That’s why with these personal agents some of the use cases thrown out are so misunderstood. Only a true consumer will understand what a consumer wants and finds valuable.
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@illscience You’ll love our upcoming launch video!
Also to focus on creating real utility for users - i believe a lot of founders need to step out of the AI bubble in Bay area and sit down with customers across the country and the world. Travelling outside SF has really helped us!
Also to focus on creating real utility for users - i believe a lot of founders need to step out of the AI bubble in Bay area and sit down with customers across the country and the world. Travelling outside SF has really helped us!
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@illscience customers are interested in their own stories....so well said
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@illscience Yea totally! Tho I think a lot of latent demand lives in things people have stopped asking for because they assume they’re impossible, too expensive, or too much effort
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@illscience Customers want to be delighted and entertained, not just maximising their $/hr output. Most people view work as a means to an end, they don't actually want to do more work in their free time.
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@illscience When supply gets this cheap, trust and convenience are what people end up paying for. That's the bet behind Mully, the texting agent for golf tee times I'm building, coming soon.
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@illscience AI changing supply without changing demand sounds fascinating 👍
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