This interview podcast features Michael Mignano, a partner at Lightspeed, interviewing Anu Atluru, a startup founder and former head of community at Clubhouse, about building social utilities. The conversation explores the evolving social product landscape, contrasting social utilities (like Partyful and Lockit) with traditional social networks, emphasizing the strategic advantage of building towards network effects while initially focusing on utility. They discuss the challenges of subscription services, the role of AI in enhancing productivity and creativity for both creators and consumers, and the increasingly blurred lines around recording conversations. Atluru's perspective on "taste" in the context of abundant AI-generated content is highlighted, emphasizing the enduring human element of discernment in a world of algorithmic recommendations. Finally, they delve into the democratization of software creation through AI, predicting a rise in personal-use software and the need for new ecosystems to support its creation and distribution.
