Why 2010's Biggest Opportunity Just Reopened
AI collapsed the build cost. TikTok solved distribution. The iPhone app gold rush is back.
The original iPhone app gold rush died because build costs rose and the App Store became saturated. But two things have changed: AI has collapsed the cost of building an app to nearly zero, and TikTok has created a new distribution channel that bypasses the App Store's discovery problem entirely. Pat argues we're in a second gold rush — simple, focused apps that solve one problem and market through short-form video. The barrier to entry is lower than it's been in a decade.
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