The way app users discover, evaluate, and even build apps is starting to shift — and large language models are at the center of that change. As AI platforms evolve beyond chat and into full ecosystems, app growth teams are facing a new set of questions around discovery, distribution, and long-term strategy.

In this episode, we’re sharing an App Talks interview with Dan Shabtay, Co-Founder of Z2A Digital. Dan explores how the emerging app ecosystem inside ChatGPT is opening the door to a new wave of app creation — from no-code tools and solo entrepreneurs to entirely new user acquisition channels embedded directly within AI platforms.

Today’s topics include:

Dan explains how ChatGPT is evolving into a platform with its own internal app marketplace, giving developers access to hundreds of millions of users without relying on traditional app stores.
Entrepreneurs and creators can now build and publish functional apps without engineering teams, fundamentally changing who can participate in app development and how quickly new ideas can reach the market.
Unlike iOS or Google Play, apps built inside LLM ecosystems immediately tap into an existing, engaged user base, reducing friction around discovery and distribution.
Traditional user acquisition isn’t disappearing, but it is shifting. Classic channels will coexist with new LLM-based acquisition models, including potential in-chat placements and AI-native ad formats.
Beyond IQ and EQ, adaptability becomes the defining skill for app growth teams navigating rapid, AI-driven change.

Links and Resources:

Quotes from Dan Shabtay:

“It’s the most efficient infrastructure ever that has been created for entrepreneurs.”

“For me as a business owner and as an entrepreneur, it’s a gold rush.”

“AQ is adaptability… you have to be adaptable to the high-paced technology that’s going on right now.”

Host

Business Of Apps - connecting the app industry since 2012

Hour 2 - USC and Notre Dame