AI is blurring the lines between roles very quickly.
Creator, founder, manager, operator, it all starts bleeding together once one person can suddenly run far more moving parts than they could a few years ago.
But then the empowering side of this gets talked about a lot... the pressure side less so.
Becoming an “operator” also means carrying more decisions, more moving parts, and more responsibility personally.
A lot of people who would’ve never started something before are now experimenting publicly, building prototypes, creating audiences, testing ideas, learning distribution, figuring things out in real time. Not all of them will succeed obviously, but the number of people participating in creation instead of just consumption has really changed. Great read!
One aspect not often mentioned is how the rise of social media in general, and YouTube and TikTok in particular, was fueled by a decisive preference shift to user-generated (from media conglomerate-generated) content.
One last gasp from traditional media was "Quibi," started by ex-media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg. He and his leadership team quickly learned that great content on the go wasn't a compelling enough reason to get people to change behavior.
Nice to showcase the evolution with historical events. And it feels great to be an operator
Smart historical framing.
AI is blurring the lines between roles very quickly.
Creator, founder, manager, operator, it all starts bleeding together once one person can suddenly run far more moving parts than they could a few years ago.
But then the empowering side of this gets talked about a lot... the pressure side less so.
Becoming an “operator” also means carrying more decisions, more moving parts, and more responsibility personally.
A lot of people who would’ve never started something before are now experimenting publicly, building prototypes, creating audiences, testing ideas, learning distribution, figuring things out in real time. Not all of them will succeed obviously, but the number of people participating in creation instead of just consumption has really changed. Great read!
The operator's mindset (autonomy, resilience, portfolio thinking) is becoming the default for survival.
Super important to have owned assets and diversify revenue streams. A great breakdown of the converging forces.
Great piece!
The company is dissolving as a fixed structure and reappearing as individuals operating with platform leverage and AI coordination
System thinkers win 📈
One aspect not often mentioned is how the rise of social media in general, and YouTube and TikTok in particular, was fueled by a decisive preference shift to user-generated (from media conglomerate-generated) content.
One last gasp from traditional media was "Quibi," started by ex-media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg. He and his leadership team quickly learned that great content on the go wasn't a compelling enough reason to get people to change behavior.
Good enough was more than "good enough."