Yoann Lemain

Tech & Product Leader | AI, B2B SaaS | 4x Master’s | Driving Impact @ Start-ups, Scale-ups, Luxury, Banking

[Yoann Lemain @yoannlemain]

@NVIDIAGeForce GeForce Day

[Yoann Lemain @yoannlemain]

Discover the collection: https://t.co/hWbbhdQuaU

[Yoann Lemain @yoannlemain]

Ratsey and Lapthorn just launched their bag collection.

200 years of sailmaking meet timeless style. ⚓

Happy to have been a part of the wonderful team behind the scenes.

[Yoann Lemain @yoannlemain]

In the @FT https://t.co/YABQkJ4RnS Holy Cowes: why the Isle of Wight is leading the way in nautical style

[andrew chen @andrewchen]

The end of the 1 billion active user ad-supported consumer startup -- and why highly-monetizing, useful, vertical apps are the next thing

It's been a long time since we last built a broadly horizontal consumer app like YouTube, Instagram, Linkedin, or Snapchat. In fact, I'm convinced it may not be possible anymore, because we're in the final years of the mobile S-curve and 15+ years after the launch of the iPhone, there are major hurdles to apps to broad, billion user horizontal apps.

Instead, the next generation might be "vertical apps" -- appealing to a vertical segment of the market, like Monopoly Go, Draft Kings, Canva, etc -- that are smaller audience products with higher "whale" monetization (sometimes even workflow/B2B)

First, why these broadly horizontal apps are hard:

- the novelty effect has worn off on new app ideas. Consumers have heard it all. And over the last 15+ years, founders have tried the obvious permutations on social/communication/photo/video apps -- the most horizontal of all apps -- and a lack of novelty creates a lack of intention to try new apps.

- retention is more elusive than ever, because of the competition. At the start of the mobile revolution, all you had to do was to create a mobile app that was more entertaining than waiting in line, or sitting on the toilet looking at the blank wall in front of you. These days, new apps compete with the most addictive products ever created. If you don't provide every day value, people will switch over to TikTok or Instagram, and you may have lost them forever. (And no, spamming them with a ton of notifications won't help)

- building an ad-supported startup is sort of a "two miracle" problem, as they say. First, there's a miracle of getting to 10s of millions of users -- enough scale so that ads can even be a revenue generator -- and then a second miracle to build an ads marketplace, targeting systems, bidding systems, etc, to attract millions of advertisers. It's a great system when it works, sort of a secondary network effect on top of an existing network -- but it takes years to build these ad systems

- easy growth is mostly over. Mobile ads are expensive (and harder to target than before). Viral invites have low response rates and have gotten nerfed. Working with creators/influencers can be spiky but temporary. Prior web channels like SEO, getting traffic via press/PR, don't work well for mobile. If these channels don't work, and viral invites are ineffective, then it means it's that much harder to get your friends onto the same social app at the same time

So what's next?

Vertical apps with beefier monetization, and different network characteristics seem a likely candidate. When you look at products like Monopoly Go, Draft Kings, web3 games, Canva, etc., and start to generalize towards new opportunities, you can come to see them as vertical apps with distinct new advantages.

- Rather than ads, these products often let customers spend big dollars directly to upgrade their experience. Free-to-play games often have "whale monetization" mechanics where the top users can spend $100,000s of dollars if they want. Same for a betting product like Draft Kings. If the top 10% of your users drive all the monetization, then it's the quality of users (and their ARPPU) that matters, not just the scale of users

- the silver lining for all the new advancements in AI, of course, is that we are discovering novel use cases that are in particular useful for productivity use cases. These "prosumer" tools often often scale up in terms of $ on usage, or have tiers around teams and enterprise, all of which drives direct monetization. These amazingly visual/interactive generative AI tool also create sharable content that helps drive growth

- network effects can work differently if the products aren't meant to be broadly horizontal apps where all your friends are on it -- instead the networks can be built around specific activities and interests. Dating apps are an example of this, or looking at multiplayer games like Valorant, where you mostly interact with non-friends. The product just needs to build a network that's big enough to create interaction (like dating, or gaming), rather than hinging on having all of your friends on board. This dramatically lessens the growth requirements

- similarly, I think we'll see more apps focused on single user utility, and the use of game design mechanics (as Duolingo has done), to create stickiness without having lots of users commenting/liking/etc to drive interaction. In a world of more growth saturation, the ability to build products that are very useful by themselves, rather than networks, becomes a competitive advantage

To conclude, tomorrow's apps might look more vertical. Higher spending, smaller audiences, focused on interactions that are useful and solo. Some may target productivity/utility use cases, particularly as AI creates novel interactions, at least until the next tech platform emerges. I certainly hope a new broad-based social consumer app can emerge, and I know folks are working on them still, but I also want to advocate for a more focused approach. I think more of these may work in the future.

[Yoann Lemain @yoannlemain]

🌍 Global Resilience in a Complex Economy: The Latest Insights

The global economy continues to demonstrate resilience despite ongoing geopolitical tensions. Growth remains positive across key economies, but the pace of expansion is slowing. Here are some highlights from the recent Global Economics Intelligence report by McKinsey:

🔹 Strong Growth in the U.S.:
The U.S. economy exceeded expectations with a 2.8% growth rate in Q2, driven by strong consumer spending and nonresidential investment. This indicates that despite inflationary pressures, corporate optimism remains high.

🔹 China's Shifts:
While China's growth slowed to 4.7% year-on-year in Q2, its central bank responded with two rate cuts in July, aiming to support the economy amidst turbulence in the real estate sector. The moves indicate a careful balancing act to maintain stability.

🔹 Emerging Economies on the Rise:
India and Brazil saw significant gains, with industrial production and manufacturing activity increasing. India’s manufacturing PMI rose to 58.3 in June, reflecting robust expansion, while Brazil’s economy continues to show resilience with sustained growth in both manufacturing and services.

🔹 Inflation Dynamics:
While inflation is easing in developed economies, consumers still feel the impact. In the U.S., inflation expectations have fallen slightly, but in regions like the Eurozone and Russia, price pressures remain. Brazil and India also face persistent inflationary challenges, particularly in food prices.

🔹 Trade and Supply Chains:
Global trade remains stable, with a modest rise in volume and a return to normalized supply chains. China experienced a boost in exports, while the U.S. trade deficit remains a drag on growth. India's trade activity has contracted, yet its service sector continues to generate surpluses.

These trends reflect a world economy that remains adaptive but faces diverse challenges depending on the region.

💡 Key Takeaways:
• Growth is positive but varied across regions.
• Central banks continue to play a critical role in managing inflation and growth.
• Emerging economies are seeing robust industrial activity.
• Inflationary pressures are easing but remain significant in some areas.

🚀 As we move forward, businesses must stay agile and prepared for an increasingly complex global environment.

#GlobalEconomy #EconomicTrends #EmergingMarkets #Inflation #TradeResilience

[Yoann Lemain @yoannlemain]

🤖 Generative AI is transforming industries!

From enhancing material processing in manufacturing to optimizing financial services, the potential is immense. Key takeaways:
• 🌐 Industry-specific AI applications are redefining processes.
• 🎯 Focus on high-value, feasible use cases to maximize ROI.
• 📊 Embrace AI-driven efficiency to stay ahead.

💡 How are you leveraging Generative AI in your industry?

#GenerativeAI #AIInnovation #DigitalTransformation #Industry4 #TechTrends

[Leopold Aschenbrenner @leopoldasch]

One year since GPT-4 release. Hope you all enjoyed some time to relax; it’ll have been the slowest 12 months of AI progress for quite some time to come.

[EPFL @EPFL]

En contrôlant des phénomènes quantiques à température ambiante, les équipes des chercheurs @tjkippenberg et @NilsEngelsen ouvrent la voie vers de vastes applications dans la mécanique quantique et l'information quantique. https://t.co/Xsf9wiWC37

[Mark Brooks @markbrooks]

1/ Wrapping up 2023 with a quick thread: my favorite visualizations from the past year. Some are mine, some aren't, but I hope you'll enjoy a stroll through these.

First, a reminder for managers:

[Charles Patterson @CharlesPattson]

Designers preparing to draw a single rectangle

[Scientific American @sciam]

A team of scientists has figured out how to convert planet-warming carbon dioxide into a harmless powdery fuel that could be converted into clean electricity https://t.co/4aoSTtuzdH

[actif-trafiC @ActifTrafic]

Mesdames, Messieurs, voici la fameuse Freeway 405 à Los Angeles, à 12 voies et plus, à la veille de Thanksgiving avec, comme toute autoroute élargie, un trafic fluide comme chacun peut le constater. Ça c’était il y a 2 jours, mais aussi l’an passé, et l’année d’avant, etc. etc.

[EPFL @EPFL]

☀️ Des scientifiques de l'EPFL et de @NorthwesternU annoncent une percée majeure dans le domaine des cellules photovoltaïques à pérovskites. Leurs PSC ultra-stables et à haut rendement pourraient permettre une exploitation plus large de l'énergie solaire
https://t.co/d19OdRy0Jj

[Yann LeCun @ylecun]

Chatting with @timoreilly today he said:
"books are a user interface to knowledge."
That's what AI assistants are poised to become:
"AI assistants will be a better user interface to knowledge."

But the same way books carry culture, AI will also become vehicles for culture.
That cannot possibly be controlled centrally by a few companies.

[EPFL @EPFL_en]

🦎 Our scientists, together with colleagues at @tudresden_de, have unlocked the mechanism of limb regrowth in axolotls, offering fresh insights with implications for regenerative medicine in humans.

https://t.co/2Qbs8Iwaux

[Yale Environment 360 @YaleE360]

From our archives: The water that a single tree transpires daily has the cooling effect of two home air conditioners.

Deforestation is dramatically disrupting this arboreal air conditioning.
https://t.co/L1akizAAmq

[Nahel Belgherze @WxNB_]

Awful situation unfolding right now in Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina as a fast-moving wildfire is approaching the city. Multiple structures on fire. Urgent evacuations are underway.

[France Culture @franceculture]

30 septembre 1888 : mort d'Eunice Newton Foote, découvreuse oubliée de l'effet de serre. La pionnière de cette découverte n'a jamais eu la renommée qu'elle méritait.
➡️ https://t.co/bukqHjMg8f

[Tesla Optimus @Tesla_Optimus]

Optimus can now sort objects autonomously 🤖

Its neural network is trained fully end-to-end: video in, controls out.

Come join to help develop Optimus (& improve its yoga routine 🧘)

→ https://t.co/dBhQqg1qya