Scott Belsky, Building Adobe & the Future of Design

The interviewer introduces Scott Belsky, highlighting his impressive career and influence in the tech and design world. Scott is described as a builder, author, investor, and "maybe the world's most famous designer" who founded Behance in 2006 as an "OG New York Tech company."

The introduction emphasizes Scott's journey from founding Behance to becoming Adobe's Chief Product and now Chief Strategy Officer, as well as his success as one of New York's most prolific angel investors and bestselling author of two books.

Scott explains that his work has consistently been driven by identifying problems and seeking solutions—Behance was inspired by frustration with the disorganization of the creative world, while his book "The Messy Middle" emerged from noticing how people focus on beginnings and endings but neglect the crucial middle part of journeys.

Timestamp: [0:00-1:32]

Scott shares his career philosophy, focusing on finding the sweet spot where skills, interests, and opportunities converge.

When asked for career advice, Scott consistently recommends that people look for the overlap of three key elements:

1. Skills they have or can easily develop
2. Genuine interests that captivate their attention and keep them engaged
3. Opportunities that present themselves

Scott emphasizes that this convergence of skills, passions, and opportunities has been the guiding principle throughout his career journey.

Timestamp: [1:32-2:41]

When asked about building a tech company in New York back in 2006 and what has evolved in the ecosystem since then, Scott expresses his enthusiasm for the city and highlights two critical advantages that make New York uniquely positioned for today's tech landscape.

Scott explains that as AI and technology democratize technical skills, taste becomes the differentiator. He argues that taste development requires cultural exposure—art, fashion, diverse industries—making New York an ideal environment for cultivating this crucial quality.

His second point addresses how to navigate the rapid pace of technological displacement, where new innovations constantly replace previous solutions in quick succession. Scott uses the example of competing video models (Runway, Sora, Pika, Luma) to illustrate this "giant game of slap a hand" where technologies rapidly supplant one another.

New York's advantage lies in access to diverse customers across industries like healthcare, marketing, real estate, and finance—all within a three-mile radius. This proximity to customers, combined with rich cultural resources, positions New York ideally for building customer-focused technologies.

Timestamp: [2:41-5:56]

The conversation turns to Behance's early days, which took six years to build before being acquired by Adobe. Scott discusses the importance of startups doing "things that don't scale" as a competitive advantage.

Scott explains that large companies avoid unscalable activities because they can't get executive approval, resources, or airtime for such approaches. This creates an opportunity for startups to break through by embracing labor-intensive but effective methods that larger competitors won't attempt.

For Behance, the mission was to "organize the creative world at work," inspired by seeing talented creative friends who:

• Lived their careers "at the mercy of circumstance"
• Never received proper attribution for their work
• Watched agencies take credit and awards for their contributions
• Maintained outdated portfolios because they lacked time and motivation

Scott believed this system was fundamentally broken and assembled a team to address these problems.

Timestamp: [5:56-7:41]

Scott shares how an early focus group for Behance nearly derailed their vision when participants rejected the idea of "another social network" alongside MySpace, DeviantArt, and LinkedIn. This taught Scott a valuable lesson about customer research.

When they shifted their questions to focus on pain points, they discovered that creative professionals struggled with attribution, self-marketing, and portfolio management—confirming the need for a professional platform to showcase work.

However, when they approached top creatives to join the platform, many declined due to time constraints. This led to a brilliant "non-scalable hack":

This strategy allowed Behance to:

1. Build 100 high-quality portfolios for the most admired creative professionals
2. Launch with 300-400 impressive projects (since each portfolio had 3-4 projects)
3. Create the illusion of a robust, active platform from day one

This unscalable approach provided the critical mass needed to attract other users, demonstrating how startups can use creative methods to overcome initial adoption challenges.

Timestamp: [7:41-9:55]

• Success often stems from frustration—Scott's major ventures were inspired by identifying problems that needed solving
• Career fulfillment comes from finding the intersection of skills, interests, and opportunities
• As AI democratizes technical skills, taste becomes more important—and taste is developed through cultural exposure
• New York offers unique advantages for tech companies through cultural richness and proximity to diverse customers
• Customer empathy provides a "North Star" during rapid technological change
• Startups gain competitive advantage by doing "things that don't scale" that larger companies won't attempt
• When researching product ideas, ask customers about their struggles rather than their opinions on your solution
• Creative "hacks" like Behance's portfolio-building approach can overcome initial adoption challenges

Timestamp: [0:00-9:55]

Books:

• The Messy Middle - Scott's book focusing on the crucial but often overlooked middle part of the entrepreneurial journey

Companies/Platforms:

• Behance - Creative portfolio platform founded by Scott in 2006, later acquired by Adobe
• Adobe - Company where Scott serves as Chief Strategy Officer
• MySpace - Referenced as an existing social network when Behance was launching
• DeviantArt - Referenced as an existing creative platform when Behance was launching
• LinkedIn - Referenced as an emerging professional network when Behance was launching

AI/Tech Companies:

• Runway - Mentioned as part of the rapidly evolving AI video generation landscape
• Sora - Referenced in discussion of rapidly changing AI video models
• Pika - Referenced in discussion of rapidly changing AI video models
• Luma - Referenced in discussion of rapidly changing AI video models

Concepts:

• Law of Displacement Speed - Scott's term for how quickly new technologies replace previous solutions during platform shifts
• Customer Empathy - Emphasized as the compass needed during rapid technological change

Timestamp: [0:00-9:55]

Scott discusses what makes Adobe unique in its approach to acquisitions, highlighting how it's kept products like Behance and Frame thriving, unlike other companies that often discard acquired products.

Scott explains that Adobe was itself built through significant acquisitions:

• Macromedia - which enhanced Adobe's web capabilities
• Omniture - which built Adobe's digital marketing capabilities

The company has a history of not just acquiring businesses that transform the company but also elevating acquired talent to leadership positions. Many current Adobe leaders joined through acquisitions, creating a culture that embraces outside perspectives.

Scott also notes that Adobe attracts people who are genuinely passionate about specific domains like photography, 3D technology, or immersive experiences. This specialist passion helps with talent retention after acquisitions.

Timestamp: [10:01-12:06]

When asked whether acquired founders stay in "founder mode" or transition to "manager mode," Scott gets visibly energized by the question. He reflects on the challenge of maintaining founder-like thinking within a large organization.

Scott reframes the concept of "founder mode" as being less about the person's title and more about their approach to communication and decision-making:

He contrasts this honest, direct approach with the tendency for teams to follow the "happy path"—an idealized scenario where users interact with a product exactly as designed, which rarely happens in reality.

For Scott, the essence of founder mode includes:

• Directness and transparency
• Making decisions that prioritize long-term benefits over short-term comfort
• Fighting against the pressure to show immediate results for long-term bets

This becomes particularly challenging in a public company environment where quarterly results and annual plans often conflict with multi-year innovation horizons.

Timestamp: [12:06-14:14]

The conversation shifts to how large companies like Adobe approach AI adoption compared to startups, with Scott offering insights from his unique perspective working both at Adobe and supporting hundreds of startups.

Scott first identifies the paradoxical advantage startups have in not having an existing customer base:

He illustrates this challenge through Adobe's experience transitioning Lightroom to the cloud:

This dual product approach—maintaining the legacy product while developing a new version—is "really expensive" and not something startups would typically consider. However, Scott notes that established companies have the advantage of helping existing customers navigate technological shifts, as Adobe did when transitioning graphic designers to web design.

Another burden large companies face is the need for more rigorous development approaches:

Timestamp: [14:14-17:11]

Scott shares his perspective on specific areas where startups can effectively compete against large companies in the AI space.

He believes large companies don't sufficiently prioritize "surprise and delight," instead focusing on features, roadmaps, and business cadences. This creates space for startups to bring more imaginative approaches to market.

Scott also sees opportunities in disrupting incumbents with outdated approaches:

However, he offers strategic advice for startups to differentiate themselves:

Instead, Scott recommends startups focus on two key areas of differentiation:

1. Interface Layer: "How can you be simpler? How can you really take into account the workflows of your customer and the struggles of your customer and do something on the interface level that your competitor never could or would?"

2. Data Layer: "How can you either import or capture or help the customer leverage data of their own that you then can deliver an experience no one else can because you have that data sort of advantage?"

Timestamp: [17:16-19:13]

The interviewer connects Scott's insights to his first book and asks how consumer founders can transition from having a clever interface that hooks users initially to building a sustainable platform or product.

Scott identifies this as "probably one of the most important questions in product" and introduces the concept of the "first mile experience":

He begins to explain that successful products must empathize with where customers are in the first 30 seconds of their experience, whether they're consumers or enterprise customers.

Timestamp: [19:13-19:58]

• Successful acquisitions are rare in large companies; Adobe stands out by embracing acquired talent and allowing them to influence company direction
• "Founder mode" is about directness and truthfulness rather than title—having people speak candidly about products
• The "happy path" fallacy: Companies design for ideal user journeys, but in reality "every customer is an exception"
• Large companies struggle with bringing existing customers along during technological shifts, sometimes requiring parallel product versions (like Lightroom and Lightroom Classic)
• For AI consumer products, "novelty precedes utility"—startups should focus on playful, imaginative approaches that big companies won't prioritize
• Startups should focus differentiation on the interface layer (workflows and simplicity) and data layer (unique data advantages)
• Building sustainable products requires careful attention to the "first mile experience" and understanding customer context in their first 30 seconds

Timestamp: [10:01-19:58]

Companies:

• Adobe - Where Scott serves as Chief Strategy Officer
• Macromedia - Acquired by Adobe to enhance web capabilities
• Omniture - Acquired by Adobe to build digital marketing capabilities
• Google - Referenced as having a different acquisition integration approach than Adobe
• Apple - Mentioned as limiting how deep specialists can go in their domains

Products:

• Lightroom - Adobe's cloud-based photography product
• Lightroom Classic - The legacy version of Lightroom that Adobe maintains in parallel

Concepts:

• First Mile Experience - The initial part of a product that most customers see, where drop-off is highest
• Happy Path - The idealized scenario where users interact with a product exactly as designed
• Founder Mode - Scott's concept of directness, transparency, and long-term thinking
• Interface Layer - One area where startups can differentiate through simplicity and workflow optimization
• Data Layer - Another area where startups can create unique advantages through proprietary data
• Model Layer - The AI foundation that Scott suggests most startups should leverage rather than build

Timestamp: [10:01-19:58]

Scott continues his explanation of the "first mile experience" of products, offering insights into user psychology and why this initial interaction is so critically important yet often undervalued.

Scott equates this quick feeling of success with "product-led growth," where the product experience itself drives adoption. He points out a common development paradox: the onboarding experience that every single user will encounter is often treated as an afterthought.

Scott makes a provocative claim that underscores the importance of this first impression:

He goes on to describe a pattern in product evolution that leads to deterioration of that first-mile experience:

1. Companies create simple, thoughtful interfaces that attract users from competitors
2. As they grow, they begin listening more to power users than new users
3. Investor pressure for revenue leads to more complexity and enterprise features
4. The product adds complexity, choices, and processes, neglecting the first-mile experience
5. Meanwhile, the user base shifts from early adopters to pragmatists who need a different onboarding experience

Scott's recommendation is simple but powerful:

Timestamp: [20:04-23:05]

The conversation shifts to Scott's second book, "The Messy Middle," which focuses on the challenging period between a company's exciting beginning and its eventual success or failure. The interviewer frames this in the context of companies that raised significant funding during the zero-interest-rate environment and are now struggling with flattened growth.

Scott defines the messy middle:

He expresses particular concern for companies in a specific predicament:

Scott estimates there are "probably a few thousand zombie companies right now" with substantial revenue ($10-30+ million annually) but "no end in sight."

For teams navigating the messy middle, Scott offers several strategies:

1. Focus on endurance: "One of the greatest competitive advantages of startups is simply sticking together long enough to figure it out."

2. Build genuine culture: Foster "genuine affection for one another," celebrate small wins, and recognize non-monetary accomplishments.

3. Merchandise progress: Leaders need to continually narrate the journey and progress to their teams.

4. Take bold actions: For zombie companies especially, Scott encourages bold moves rather than continuing in stasis.

For founders struggling with whether to persist or quit, Scott offers a simple framework:

Timestamp: [23:05-27:03]

The conversation turns to AI's impact on design, with the interviewer asking Scott to explain the concept of "AI knobs" he has previously discussed.

Scott explains this concept in the context of how algorithmic feeds work in social networks and content platforms:

He describes how this can be beneficial with benign interests:

However, Scott highlights the danger when this same dynamic applies to more sensitive topics:

He explains the engagement mechanics behind this problem:

Scott reveals that "product leaders are in control of what I like to call the knobs in these algorithms" that determine optimization for conversion, retention, and engagement. He acknowledges the complexity of the problem, as the same algorithmic approach can be appropriate in one domain (sports) but harmful in another (politics).

When asked whether consumers should have more control over these algorithmic "knobs," Scott suggests greater transparency would be helpful:

Scott concludes by acknowledging this is an evolving area where he's still developing his thinking, but emphasizes the emerging ethical responsibilities for product leaders in the AI era:

Timestamp: [27:03-29:59]

• Users are "lazy, vain, and selfish" in their first product interaction—they need a quick win to continue engaging
• The "first mile" of a product is often treated as an afterthought, despite being the only part every user will experience
• As products grow, they often sacrifice simplicity for power-user features and monetization opportunities
• The "messy middle" of company building involves constant anxiety, ambiguity, uncertainty, and anonymity
• "Zombie companies" with modest profitability but low growth present a particularly difficult situation with no clear exit
• Team endurance through the messy middle is a competitive advantage—cultivate culture, celebrate small wins, and narrate progress
• The "conviction test" helps founders decide whether to persevere or quit: if you've lost conviction despite what you've learned, it's time to quit
• Content algorithms bring users to the "edge" of their interests, which is beneficial for harmless topics but dangerous for politics or conspiracy theories
• Product leaders control algorithmic "knobs" that optimize for engagement but may have unintended social consequences
• The AI era demands a new ethical framework for product leaders similar to medical ethics or design ethics

Timestamp: [20:04-29:59]

Books:

• The Messy Middle - Scott's book about navigating the challenging middle phase of building companies and products

Concepts:

• First Mile Experience - The initial part of a product that every user encounters, critical for engagement
• Product-Led Growth - Growth strategy where the product experience itself drives user acquisition and retention
• Conviction Test - Scott's framework for deciding whether to continue with a struggling venture
• Interest Graph - Modern algorithmic content selection based on user interests rather than social connections
• Follower/Friend Graph - Traditional social media organization based on explicit connections
• AI Knobs - Scott's concept for the controllable parameters in algorithmic content systems
• Zombie Company - Profitable businesses with low growth that continue without a clear exit strategy
• Hippocratic Oath - Medical ethics framework referenced as a potential model for AI product ethics
• Designer Code of Ethics - Ethical frameworks for designers referenced as analogous to needed AI ethics

Timestamp: [20:04-29:59]

The conversation turns to the controversial question of whether AI will democratize or commoditize the field of design, and whether it will eliminate jobs or enhance them.

Scott begins with a bold prediction:

He suggests the next generation of creative AI tools will be control-based rather than prompt-based, reintroducing the same kinds of creative controls designers are familiar with from traditional tools:

Scott argues that AI is having two major effects on creative fields:

1. Lowering the floor: Making creative capabilities accessible to more people

2. Raising the ceiling: Enabling professionals to accomplish more sophisticated work

Scott rejects the notion that this technology should be limited to preserve traditional design jobs:

He observes that professionals are actually doing "higher order work" with these tools, citing examples of packaging designers creating more variations and video editors using generative extend to avoid costly reshoots.

Scott acknowledges the tension between those concerned about career implications and those excited about the possibilities, describing himself as caught in the "crossfire" between these perspectives.

Timestamp: [30:04-33:26]

When asked how he would build Behance differently today in the age of AI, Scott offers a reassuring perspective on what remains constant in creative careers.

Scott suggests that the fundamental purpose of Behance—helping creative professionals showcase their capabilities and receive attribution for their work—remains relevant regardless of technological shifts:

However, he expresses concern about intellectual property and creative style theft:

Scott acknowledges the long tradition of creative influence and inspiration:

Yet he draws a distinction between influence and direct appropriation:

Scott reveals that his team is advocating for legislation called "The FAIR Act" against AI impersonation, which would address cases where an AI system is trained on and mimics a specific person's creative style.

He also hints at a potential future where Behance could function as a "marketplace for styles" where creators could monetize their distinctive approaches, allowing them to "make money while they sleep" by having their styles licensed through the platform.

Timestamp: [33:26-35:14]

The interviewer follows up on Scott's earlier point about taste becoming more important as technical skills become more accessible, asking the key question: "Can you teach taste? How can someone learn taste?"

Scott acknowledges that this question has been on his mind and is particularly relevant to educators trying to prepare students for future careers:

Scott offers several thoughts on the origins of taste:

He shares an insight from Behance's early development:

Scott emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary exposure:

This perspective suggests that developing taste requires deliberate exposure to diverse creative domains and cultivating curiosity that crosses traditional boundaries.

Timestamp: [35:14-36:35]

The interviewer brings up a concept Scott has discussed elsewhere: in a world of AI-powered hyper-personalization, there may be a new opportunity for "luxury software experiences." The interviewer asks Scott to define this concept.

Scott shares a personal anecdote from the early days of Uber to illustrate his point:

Scott recalls being surprised that Garrett was already working on a new idea while running StumbleUpon, but continues to describe how Garrett was grappling with Uber's early positioning:

Scott explains how this connects to our fundamental desire for personalized experiences:

He notes that the hospitality industry has long tried to create these personalized moments through "crappy software," but modern AI and agents present a new opportunity:

Scott envisions a future where personal preferences follow users seamlessly across digital experiences:

He concludes with a powerful summation of this vision:

Timestamp: [36:35-39:53]

• The "prompt-based era of creativity" is giving way to "control-based" AI tools that reintroduce familiar creative controls in an AI context
• AI is simultaneously "lowering the floor" (democratizing creative capabilities) and "raising the ceiling" (enabling more sophisticated professional work)
• Creative professionals using AI tools are often doing "higher order work" rather than being replaced
• Even as technology evolves, people will continue to hire for three timeless qualities: skill, taste, and experience
• The challenge of AI and creative styles requires new approaches to attribution and compensation, potentially including a "marketplace for styles"
• Taste, which becomes more valuable as technical skills are democratized, develops through human experience, curiosity, and exposure to diverse creative disciplines
• The future of digital experiences may involve "hyper-personalization" where preferences follow users across platforms, creating "feeling special as a service"
• The tensions in Uber's early branding (between "everyone's taxi" and "everyone's personal driver") illustrate how aspirational positioning can drive product development

Timestamp: [30:04-39:59]

Companies/Products:

• Photoshop - Traditional design tool referenced when discussing control-based vs. prompt-based AI tools
• Illustrator - Traditional design tool referenced alongside Photoshop
• Behance - Scott's platform for creative professionals, discussed in context of AI and design careers
• Uber - Company Scott advised in early days, originally called "Uber Cab," used to illustrate luxury positioning
• StumbleUpon - Web discovery service founded by Garrett Camp before Uber
• eBay - Company that previously acquired StumbleUpon
• Pinterest - Mentioned briefly as a company Scott invested in
• Generative Recolor - AI tool mentioned that allows designers to test color variations rapidly
• Premier Pro - Video editing software mentioned in relation to AI's "generative extend" capability

People:

• Garrett Camp - Co-founder of Uber and founder of StumbleUpon, featured in Scott's anecdote

Concepts:

• Prompt-based creativity - The current paradigm of AI creative tools that Scott believes is ending
• Control-based AI tools - The next generation of creative AI that will reintroduce familiar creative controls
• The FAIR Act - Proposed legislation against AI impersonation that Scott is advocating for
• Marketplace for Styles - Scott's concept for how Behance might evolve to let creators monetize their styles
• Luxury Software Experiences - Personalized digital interactions that make users feel special and recognized
• Feeling Special as a Service - Scott's description of the aspirational quality of personalized experiences

Timestamp: [30:04-39:59]

The interviewer asks Scott about how people today can build the kinds of impactful networks that existed in the early days of Silicon Valley, when "the circles were very small" and everyone knew each other.

Scott emphasizes that what made these early networks special wasn't just the connections but the quality of interaction:

He offers practical advice for building meaningful professional circles today:

1. "Find the people that you really respect, that you're building things that you admire"
2. "Make a consistent effort to be each other's sort of board"
3. "Get together... debate and challenge each other"

Scott shares an amusing anecdote about Kevin Systrom (Instagram's founder) declaring at South by Southwest that he would "never sell this company" shortly before the Facebook acquisition, illustrating how these communities fostered honest, challenging conversations.

He concludes by noting that building communities like South Park Commons—where like-minded people challenge each other, respect each other, and consistently show up—is essential for fostering innovation.

Timestamp: [40:07-42:34]

During the audience Q&A, an attendee raises a thought-provoking question about how many AI products simply automate existing workflows rather than fundamentally rethinking them:

The questioner uses customer support ticket closure as an example—automating ticket closure provides clear ROI, but "closing a ticket is an output and not an outcome." They suggest that during a platform shift, there's a unique opportunity to fundamentally rethink workflows, even though it's "way harder."

Scott responds by sharing a framework he's been developing with his team:

He uses Photoshop as an example, where an AI could move the cursor and execute commands without the user needing to know the tools.

Scott agrees with the questioner that many AI products stop at these lower levels, but the top of the pyramid—which is what the questioner is describing—is more transformative:

Scott acknowledges this highest level is the most challenging for adoption, particularly in how you present suggestions without being presumptuous:

Timestamp: [42:34-45:25]

Another audience question comes from someone building an "orchestration layer for multimodal models" who struggles with limited control over the underlying models, making it difficult to deliver optimal creative experiences. They ask whether orchestration layers will win out over building proprietary models in the long term.

Scott offers an optimistic perspective on how this tension will likely resolve:

He draws a parallel with the evolution of AWS, which started as a broad cloud service but progressively offered more granular capabilities as developers requested them. Scott expects the same pattern with large multimodal language models.

Regarding Adobe's approach, Scott shares their strategy:

He explains that Adobe is investing in orchestration layers across LLMs for their workflows:

Scott concludes by reassuring the questioner: "The granularity is coming."

Timestamp: [45:25-47:18]

An audience member asks how to maintain the directness and transparency of "founder mode" as a company grows and adds management layers.

Scott offers three tactical approaches:

1. Collapse the talent stack wherever possible:

2. Create a culture of direct access to talent:

Scott acknowledges this approach initially met resistance at Adobe:

Despite the initial discomfort, Scott advocates for direct connections:

3. Foster a culture of directness: Scott shares a conversation with a founder whose company culture is so empathy-driven that even asking questions the wrong way could trigger defensiveness. He emphasized the importance of explicitly discussing and establishing norms around direct communication:

Timestamp: [47:18-49:49]

The final discussion addresses the tension between privacy and personalization in the context of the "luxury software experiences" concept discussed earlier.

Scott frames the issue through a retail example:

He highlights an immediate opportunity for companies to better utilize their existing data:

Beyond that, Scott envisions a consumer-side solution:

He suggests that as users develop trust in AI systems that manage their data, they may become less concerned about the details:

Scott emphasizes that this type of product should be one consumers pay for rather than one where "we are the product," proposing:

He concludes with a powerful historical perspective that ties together his vision:

Timestamp: [49:49-52:32]

Newsletter:

• Scott shares that he has a monthly newsletter called "Implications" where he shares ideas and gets feedback
• Available at implications.com
• Described as a great way to connect and engage with Scott

Connect with Scott:

• Scott welcomes connections at Scott.belsky
• Expressed appreciation for the audience and event

Timestamp: [52:32-53:03]

• Early tech networks were valuable not just for connections but for challenging debates—find people you respect who will push your thinking
• Many AI products simply automate existing workflows without rethinking whether they're the optimal approach
• AI assistance exists on a pyramid: basic help (bottom), automation (middle), and proactive guidance with opinions (top)
• AI model infrastructure will likely evolve like AWS did—starting with broad services and progressively offering more granular control
• Adobe is not building its own LLMs but is creating media models and orchestration layers to connect various LLMs to its products
• To maintain "founder mode" in growing companies: collapse talent stacks, enable direct access to talent, and foster a culture of directness
• Companies are underutilizing their existing first-party data to create personalized experiences
• The ideal future of digital personalization mirrors pre-industrial community experiences—being known, but with transparency and control
• Great products often recreate what we've lost from the past but with modern scale and efficiency

Timestamp: [40:07-53:03]

Companies/Products:

• South Park Commons - The community hosting the event, referenced as an example of valuable professional networks
• Instagram - Referenced in anecdote about Kevin Systrom declaring he wouldn't sell (before Facebook acquisition)
• Facebook - Mentioned as the eventual acquirer of Instagram
• Photoshop - Used as an example when discussing AI automation possibilities
• AWS - Used as an analogy for how AI model APIs will likely evolve to offer more granular control
• ChatGPT - Mentioned as one of the LLMs Adobe partners with
• Anthropic - Referenced as another LLM provider Adobe partners with
• Acrobat - Adobe product that now includes "Acrobat Assistant," an AI orchestration layer
• StumbleUpon - Referenced briefly in previous segment's discussion about Garrett Camp

People:

• Tim Ferriss - Mentioned as part of early small tech circles
• Chris Sacca - Mentioned as part of early small tech circles
• Garrett Camp - Referenced again as part of early tech networks
• Gary Vaynerchuk - Mentioned as having shared a photo of early tech gatherings
• Kevin Systrom - Instagram founder mentioned in anecdote about not selling the company

Events:

• South by Southwest - Conference where early tech leaders would gather in Austin, Texas

Concepts:

• AI Pyramid - Scott's framework for AI assistance: help (bottom), automation (middle), proactive guidance (top)
• Orchestration Layer - System that coordinates multiple AI models to deliver cohesive experiences
• First-Party Data - Information companies already possess about their customers
• Collapsing the Talent Stack - Finding team members with multiple skillsets to reduce communication layers
• Implications - Scott's newsletter where he shares ideas (implications.com)

Timestamp: [40:07-53:03]