In 2011, Marc Andreessen famously declared that software was eating the world. For a time, that was the undeniable reality. Software was the engine

Taste is Eating Silicon Valley. - by Anu Atluru

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2024-09-19 23:00:17

In 2011, Marc Andreessen famously declared that software was eating the world. For a time, that was the undeniable reality. Software was the engine of transformation, revolutionizing everything from tech to finance and retail to healthcare.

Back then, technical prowess meant market dominance. Y Combinator, the spiritual center of Silicon Valley, 1 crowned technical founders as the chosen ones. Those who could manifest and master software were seen as gods. Venture capitalists funded those who could scale that code to massive heights. After all, software alone could transform giant, legacy industries, rapidly and efficiently.

It’s a different story today. Software has been commoditized — the result of technological advancement, decreasing cost and complexity, and democratization of coding as a skill. AI’s push into the mainstream has supercharged this shift. The lines between technology and culture are blurring. And so, it’s no longer enough to build great tech.

In a world of scarcity, we treasure tools. In a world of abundance, we treasure taste. The barriers to entry are low, competition is fierce, and so much of the focus has shifted — from tech to distribution, and now, to something else: taste. 2