#147 How AI can "unlock" SaaS instead of killing it and when declining monthly usage can be a good thing in the world of AI agents w/ Andrew Saxe, VP of Product at Smartling

Declining MAU can be a product win,

depending on your product strategy...

Andrew Saxe, VP of Product at Smartling, joined me to unpack why.

When a system translates intent well and runs in the background, people don’t have to log in—and the work still gets done.

We discussed designing for “manage by exception,” placing guardrails where failure would be costly, and allowing automation to carry the load.

We looked at the feature request funnel too: why thousands of asks don’t equal thousands of tickets, and how building a few verbatim specs for large customers can still lead to unused features, tech debt, and wasted opportunities.

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Timestamps:

02:48 The niche translation industry and Smartling’s impact

11:28 The role of AI in translation

13:55 AI’s impact on Smartling’s product roadmap

16:38 Managing translations with AI and human oversight

22:00 Optimizing translation services for market expansion

22:47 Challenges and nuances of multilingual customer research

23:41 The art and science of requirements to spec translation

29:18 Feature requests and customer feedback

31:26 The importance of understanding user needs

34:27 The future of translation and AI

38:37 Concluding thoughts and contact information

24:56 AI and Translation: Balancing Automation and Human Touch

28:19 Feature Requests and Customer Feedback

30:27 The Importance of Understanding User Needs

35:42 Managing Translation Budgets and Quality

37:39 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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