Hallway Chat Personality, humanism, poke, and raising the ceiling
22 snips
Nov 4, 2025 Discover how Poke, a quirky email assistant, went viral by embracing a strong personality. The hosts dive into the debate of broad versus specialized AI tools, emphasizing how personalization can enhance user experience. They explore AI's potential in the creative realm, discussing its impact on music and art. Accessibility innovations, like AI-enabled captioning glasses, showcase technology's role in inclusivity. Finally, they ponder the future of AI ethics and the importance of customer-centric development.
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Poke's Viral Snarky Launch
- Poke launched as a playful text-based email assistant with a snarky onboarding negotiation that went viral.
- Fraser and Nabeel found it delightful but noted it's best for routine emails, not high-stakes founder communications.
Personality Creates Product Stickiness
- Products with strong personalities can create emotional attachment that generic assistants struggle to match.
- That emotional bond can drive stickiness beyond mere utility, especially when the assistant helps you become better.
Raise The Floor For Email Efficiency
- Focus on raising the floor for routine email tasks to increase user throughput and efficiency.
- Build features that let people send more emails reliably rather than perfect each individual message.