Enterprise software; Hitting a wall; Deliberate doubt
Issue #346
💡Think
Happy 2023 everyone!
Last year was a lot, so I gave the newsletter a breather for a few weeks. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s still catching up.
Unless you’ve been under a rock for the past month, it looks like the tech world is obsessed with AI at the moment. I’m really not, honestly.
From what I can see so far, it looks like the NFT bros from 2021/2022 have converted into the AI bros of 2023, and that to me suggests that this isn’t something to jump into right away without caution.
Sure, have a play around with creating a short story about design in the style of Ernest Hemingway using ChatGPT, but I’d hesitate from using anything at scale which is offering an enormous amount for free.
What happens when AI isn’t free anymore? Or worse, our data pays for it?
p.s. I’m back using Substack 👋
📷 Look
📖 Read
❶ Enterprise software is dead. Long live enterprise software
Apparently, the average company uses 254 distinct SaaS (software as a service) apps. Isn’t this completely mad? In this article, the author takes a look at how software has promised consolidation and then disconnection of software within companies over the past few years. It’s long, but will have you very equipped on the current landscape of SaaS companies and what the future of un/bundling looks like within software.
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❷ Tech companies have hit a wall
I mentioned to my boss recently that I was worried about tech when I saw that Amazon were planning layoffs. Amazon, the indestructible? Surely something is off here. In this article, the author describes tech at the moment as “stuck future”. Companies are struggling to innovate, leaving us with familiar formats, and a lack of appetite to buy the same ol’ product. Apple are struggling with their growth targets, Twitter just doesn’t make any profit, and who knows what Meta are up to.
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❸ Deliberate doubt
A bit of self reflection to finish this week! Deliberate doubt is a practice where you challenge your own assumptions / beliefs, rather than assuming that what you know is still the whole truth. It’s something that may seem obvious when reading it here, but I’ve never seen it given a name like this. The article has some practical tips on how to exercise this doubt too.
Bonus round
Podcasts are struggling to grow, will it be a tough year for the industry?
Community led growth, why is everyone doing it?
🎧 Listen
How do I live a good life?
Simple question, right? This is a start of a series, but can be consumed in isolation (I did that), and is part of a discussion amongst academics where they discuss Aristotle's idea of flourishing, selfishness, the Protestant work ethic and Buddhism's Four Noble Truths. Enjoy!
Listen to this podcast (12 minutes)
Spotify – Apple Podcasts
Have a great week,
@disco_lu
I'm catching up on reading newsletters, and I'm so glad this was the first I jumped back into. Great insight! Thank you for sharing!
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"Community led growth, why is everyone doing it?" 👀 👀 👀