(2024-10-08) Procopio The Theme For 2025 Is Simplification

Joe Procopio: The Theme for 2025 Is Simplification. (Simplest Thing) I keep talking about these seismic shifts in startup land (and tech land and general business land).

For startups, there are a number of different outcomes of these shifts, across the board

Like funding...became a game of haves and have-nots pretty quickly starting in 2022. My VC friends say this is the tightest they’ve ever seen it (have-nots). At the same time, OpenAI just raised $6.6 billion. BILLION. That’s a big fat HAVE

A lot of external events, starting before and then through the pandemic and beyond, have conspired to change almost everything about starting a new business or growing an existing business

Speaking of innings, I’d say we’re in the fourth of this particular shift. Let’s call it the beginning of the second act. In a lot of ways, these shifts are an acceleration of what was already happening – a move to a more independent formation of businesses, and a move to a more conservative, sensible growth path that ultimately reaps more reward for the founders and the company.

here in the sort of early adopter crowd, where I try to spend my time, “simplify” will be the buzzword sooner rather than later. For me it’s happening right now, and I’m both living it and preaching it.

Another big reason for simplification in tech is AI. I was getting crackpot vibes for talking about this last year, but I think we can all see it now – GenAI is better at input and output and it’s coming hard for SaaS and B2B software.

We don’t need more features, we need lighter software that does the important things efficiently and accurately.

Products and services can no longer exist as Swiss Army knives, with multiple functions including a bunch that never get used by most people. Products also can’t go back to being hammers – where everyone is just expected to smash things the same way.

It’s time for, I don’t know, scalpels. Products and services in 2025 are going to have to be surgical, efficient, and individualized for the job the customer needs done.

Elegance is back, with a vengeance. And not just in tech or even product, but in everything about the business.