Down Round Feelin' Fine
Dec 17, 2025
Mental health and mindfulness apps take center stage as the hosts explore their dramatic rise during ultra-low interest rates and the COVID pandemic. They dissect the business model of popular platforms like Calm and how gamification strategies borrow from language apps like Duolingo. The conversation also delves into the intersection of AI and therapy, examining how automated tools might reshape these industries. Finally, they discuss the future of therapist marketplaces and the evolving challenges posed by AI technology.
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Disney Enters AI Licensing Play
- Disney licensed its animated and masked characters to OpenAI's Sora for generative content use cases.
- That deal signals studios see AI licensing as a new long-term monetizable extension of IP beyond traditional merchandising.
IP Control Versus Viral Meme Economy
- Licensed character use will allow generative video of iconic IP but exclude actors' voices and likenesses.
- Studios will tolerate meme-level use but will police long-form commercial recreations that threaten control and revenue.
Mindfulness Apps Were A ZIRP–COVID Bubble
- Mental health and mindfulness apps peaked during the ZIRP and COVID era and are much less talked about now.
- Their decline in buzz suggests product-market limits for VC-style hockey-stick growth in this category.