The YouTube analogy for software really matters for new founders: this shift isn’t just about tooling, it’s about entirely new markets. When app creation moves from “something only developers do” to “something anyone with an idea and an AI copilot can try”, you unlock products designed by people who actually live the problems. Teachers, doctors, shop owners, creators, niche communities. That’s where the next wave of small but durable businesses can emerge: tiny, expressive software “posts” that evolve into long‑term products instead of short‑lived content.
I love this concept but let's not forget how the long tail of youtube ultimately resulted in an army of ants making less then minimum wage while feeding their master. Also, an entire industry of professionals got decimated thanks to a shift in attention and tech becoming cheaper to create; a great unluck for consumers but not so much for professionals. Do you think there will be a similar platform that aggregates coders like Google has done for creators. Should there be one?
The YouTube analogy for software really matters for new founders: this shift isn’t just about tooling, it’s about entirely new markets. When app creation moves from “something only developers do” to “something anyone with an idea and an AI copilot can try”, you unlock products designed by people who actually live the problems. Teachers, doctors, shop owners, creators, niche communities. That’s where the next wave of small but durable businesses can emerge: tiny, expressive software “posts” that evolve into long‑term products instead of short‑lived content.
When will it be time to build great stuff, like YouTube itself or even greater not just channels or videos on YouTube?
Really enjoyed this post… that’s why we are doing what we are doing over at Replay.io (an a16z backed co)
We started by building a killer time travel code debugger, and now we’ve built a vibecoding tool wrapped around it.
I love this concept but let's not forget how the long tail of youtube ultimately resulted in an army of ants making less then minimum wage while feeding their master. Also, an entire industry of professionals got decimated thanks to a shift in attention and tech becoming cheaper to create; a great unluck for consumers but not so much for professionals. Do you think there will be a similar platform that aggregates coders like Google has done for creators. Should there be one?
Since creation wave is democratized for builders, do you foresee any changes in software distribution model ?