Moving into a new world

We are all moving into a new world. A world where frictions are more real than ever. A world that is very hard to predict. A world that grows exponentially. It is not just me; everyone who has been on the front lines knows this. People who aren't aware, it doesn't matter. It is going to impact all, eventually. Being on the front lines, I want to use this article as a note to my future self on how I think the world is going to mold & the bets I am making, and why. 

Software is being commoditized. Anyone and everyone will create software; would software engineers go extinct? Nah, not yet. There will be a few operator software engineers who would be the responsibility layer on top of AI. There will be a few scaling engineers who would scale and optimise AI systems. And there will be a host of sellers. If anyone can build software, who would these sellers be selling to? Well, software is commoditized; it means access is cheap, expertise is accessible, and the barrier to entry is low. You know what all this means? Ease of business. Any company whose primary product isn't selling software will flourish. Software companies selling security, infra, or selling direct outcomes will still be in the market. The market would become bigger. Bigger than anything we have seen. AI market is barely starting to explode. A long way to go. 

I was watching a YouTube video in the evening. The guy was delivering a starting up a business lecture. He mentioned how people who start businesses don't really care about understanding all the internals of how everything works. They are more interested in what is going to work. What is going to work, and when above happens? Product agent (e2e software delivery), Security, and Infra are going to be big. More physical businesses become digital; operations get simplified - all these will be new opportunities unlocked by the technology. Businesses touching the above and businesses having any physical component - anything in the physical world are going to have a moat. Data moat - authentic data- is another moat, probably. 

At my level, people who can build & scale large systems they would be always demanded. It would always require engineering knowledge. People who can come closer to revenue & operate from there with day-to-day leadership practice are going to be even more special. Basically, I am describing an in-house entrepreneur in house - that is going to be the role, almost every role. 

On the other side, consumer AI has a lot of room to grow. A lot more products will be built there. I would say consumer product rather than consumer AI. AI is everywhere; a product that finds retention would win. How does one show that one aha moment, and how does one bring the user back? These two are going to be the most important questions. This is also a time when, if monetization can be figured out, a lot of consumer businesses can be bootstrapped. Every niche app that users were looking for earlier can be built now. Anyone who has distribution - be it a community or followers, etc, they are in a great spot to build a consumer app. 

More of a commentary & raw thoughts than anything else. Will let these settle down. If you have thoughts or opinions on this, hit me up.