Talking to computers

If you’re new here: Hi, I’m Ryan Hoover, founder of Product Hunt and early-stage investor at Weekend Fund. I also helped write Hooked and occasionally publish essays. This newsletter highlights my latest experiments, essays, and curiosities. If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe along with 25k+ others here. :)

1. I’ve been talking to ChatGPT more often. Back in 2017 I thought AirPods would unlock widespread adoption of human-computer verbal communication (that’s why we invested in TTYL, which pivoted to Poparazzi). LLMs may be the technology that ultimately shifts behavior. Within the last year they have achieved near-human-level conversationalism. They’re fast and sound natural. The biggest barrier to adoption: They’re still locked behind a button tap (outside of Alexa/Google Home when home). Products like Friend are attempting to eliminate that final friction point.

2. Andrew Chen is one of my favorite writers on tech. His latest post discusses the implications of vibe coding. Of course I can’t help but think about how this influences Product Hunt as we see an ongoing explosion of software creators and rapid experimentation. 🤔 

3. Talent is upstream of breakout startups. I tweeted about this last week and was a little surprised by the response. If you’re joining or recently joined an early-stage startup and want to potentially double your equity, email me at [email protected].

4. Product Hunt recently introduced product forums. Now every product that launches has a place for its community and users to share tips and ask makers questions.

5. A few recent and under-the-radar launches on Product Hunt that caught my eye: Roamr for Friends (get paid to stay with friends on work trips), Rabbithole (a learning tool appropriately named), and Signs (a computer vision-powered app to learn sign language).

6. Most CRMs focus on who you know. I'm far more interested in the reverse: Who knows me? We built a tool at Weekend Fund to do that. It includes 100k's of semi-warm contacts. It's currently private for us and portfolio founders, but we've considered opening it up.

7. This chill Anjuna mix is beautiful. Next time you’re in the sauna or ready for an even wind-down, turn it on.

8. Max Cooper just released his latest album, On Being. He’s one of my favorites—highly technical and textured. The album art is also beautiful.

9. This is one of my favorite apps that you probably haven’t heard of. So far nearly 100 people have requested an invite since I tweeted about it.

10. Digg’s coming back. Most attempted revivals never work out (MySpace, Napster, Radio Shack lol). But it’s rare to see founders return to the helm. Kevin Rose, Digg’s founder, is rebooting the web 2.0 darling alongside his historical arch-nemesis, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of reddit.

11. My bro’s available for hire. Mindie (RIP) was my brother’s gateway drug into videography. Since then he’s dedicated his professional life to visual storytelling. He’s exploring his next thing, open to freelance or full-time cinematography, from video capture to editing. Here’s his portfolio. Shoot me a note at [email protected] if you’re interested in connecting with him.

12. Dilan started a new pod. He’s one of my friends who’s most knowledgeable about the cutting edge of health science and technology (that’s why he started System2). Check it out.

13. If you don’t have an air fryer, are you really living? I use mine daily to cook broccoli, cauliflower, spaghetti squash, chicken, fish, mushrooms, and a ton more. Here’s the one I use.

14. I have a few openings coming up if you want to rent my SF condo. Or better yet, let me know if you want to buy it (seriously). :)