Nathan Baschez, CEO and founder of Lex, an AI-infused online writing tool, discusses the market potential for AI-powered writing tools, the current state and future improvements of generative AI, and the financial aspects of pricing and building an AI-powered service. They also explore the challenges of adoption and monetization of AI tools, including privacy concerns and user comprehension.
Lex aims to differentiate itself by providing an AI-powered writing tool that offers unique features and capabilities, targeting the market of serious writers who require multiple rounds of revision for their longer pieces of work.
Nathan Bishaz emphasizes the importance of understanding user needs and building practical features that can be integrated into the product, rather than solely chasing the latest AI advancements, and expects AI-powered services to become more affordable over time.
Deep dives
The Market Potential and Focus of Lex
Lex is targeting the market of serious writers who require multiple rounds of revision for their longer pieces of work. While the market is large and competitive, Lex aims to differentiate itself by providing an AI-powered writing tool that offers unique features and capabilities. The focus is on understanding the needs of writers and tailoring the product to meet those needs. The goal is to establish a strong network effect and provide value to users, ultimately positioning Lex as an essential tool for writers.
The Balance between Building Features and Learning about New AI
Nathan Bishaz discusses the balance between building features, analyzing data, and talking to users, which takes up around 80% of their time. They also emphasize the importance of working on the team, hiring engineers, and finding the right people. While they dedicate some time to stay updated on the latest AI research, they currently prioritize understanding user needs and building practical features that can be integrated into the product. They believe that the capabilities of existing models, such as GPT-3.5, are already powerful enough to deliver value to writers, and that the focus should be on optimizing and improving practical applications rather than solely chasing the latest AI advancements. Nathan Bishaz also acknowledges the potential cost-saving benefits of future AI advancements and expects AI-powered services to become more affordable over time.
The Potential of AI Tools in Writing
Nathan Bishaz shares a specific example of a feature they are working on called 'checks,' which includes confidence checks and jargon checks. These checks allow writers to enhance their writing by reducing unnecessary hedging words or jargon and ensuring clarity in their communication. While they have already incorporated such features in GPT-3.5, they believe more advanced features will require models like GPT-4. Nathan Bishaz also mentions the importance of developing a distinct voice for each company, similar to branding elements like logos and fonts, and utilizing AI tools to maintain consistency and coherence in written communication.
Early Monetization and Pricing of Lex
Nathan Bishaz highlights the importance of early monetization for experimentation and better understanding the target market and user needs. They plan to introduce a generous free tier to accommodate users, while also planning to charge for additional features to ensure profitability. Nathan Bishaz believes that power users, such as professionals who use Lex regularly and rely on AI features, could be charged tens of dollars per month without imposing excessive costs on the users or compromising profitability for the company.
This week on Equity, Alex was joined by Nathan Baschez, the CEO and founder of Lex, an AI-infused online writing tool that recently raised capital. Together, we're talking through a few key topics that have been top of mind in recent months:
How many AI-powered, or AI-using writing tools can the market support?
How far into the generative AI moment we are, and how much we should anticipate in the form of technology improvements?
And then we discussed the nuts and bolts aspects of pricing an AI-powered service and other financial matters related to building a service today that leans on artificial intelligence.
The last question is far from idle. Recall that back in 2020 there was conversation amongst venture players about the economics of AI startups, with the perspective at the time indicating that while the cohort might have more difficult early economics, that their numbers (gross margins, really) would improve over time. But what about when a startup is using, say, an OpenAI API for its core AI work? Will similar efficiencies bloom?
Equity is back into its regular groove now that Disrupt is behind us — more to come!
And before we go: Check out the UpFlip Podcast where you get to unravel how great businesses are built, how they are run behind the scenes and how their success can be replicated. We think you'll love episode 79 where they featured this guest who transformed his passion for gardening into a $7.3 million-a-year venture. You can find the podcast on Youtube or where ever you listen to podcasts.
Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode