The Vibe Developer

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Happy Thursday, Future Party. We’re officially one step closer to Pacific Rim — Chinese robotics company Unitree has unveiled a large, walking mecha called the “GD01.” It may cost a cool $650,000… but that feels like a small price to pay for protecting you and your family from the (unlikely) emergence of creatures crawling out of an interdimensional rift. Consider it doomsday prepping for the sci-fi crowd.

The rise of AI-powered vibe coding — which lets individuals build apps over a weekend instead of requiring a team and months of development — is making it possible for almost anyone to ideate, create, and distribute apps.

Why It Hurts: The more apps that flood major app stores, the harder it becomes for any one of them to stand out. That’s reshaping how entrepreneurial software engineers make money in Silicon Valley and other tech hubs, placing a greater emphasis on an app’s concept and marketing strategy to rise above the noise.

Behind The Vibe: If everyone can be an app developer, then it’s harder for anyone to become a breakout app developer.

Final Check: The gap between building an app and building a successful business around it is still incredibly wide. It takes a lot of money to market an app, a lot of skill to fix bugs in the code, and a lot of know-how to master distribution. That’s leading some developers and app firms to take a more “studio-based” approach to their business, releasing five or 10 versions of the same type of app — like fitness or meditation — in the hopes that one or two break out.

Or, as Appfigures CEO Ariel Michaeli describes it: “The app stores may be entering a higher-noise era: more experiments, more fast launches, and a smaller share that turn into meaningful businesses.”

Next Prompt: Expect more people to create vibe-coded side hustles — apps that can generate meaningful extra income for a single person, but have little ambition of becoming anything bigger.

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TikTok is launching a new hub called TikTok GO that connects travel content with booking services that let users recreate the experiences they discover in the app.

The Big Pitch: Two of the biggest trends right now are travel-focused influencing and using TikTok as a search engine. TikTok GO combines both into a single feature that could redefine the relationship between creators and travel brands.

Between The Posts: Your next trip may end up taking notes from your For You page.

Final Itinerary: TikTok has been dipping its toes into travel for some time, including in-app collaborations with Southwest Airlines and Booking.com… but TikTok GO represents a major ramp-up in the space. It arrives at a moment when demand for IRL experiences is high — along with the cost of travel. The company is betting that a push from your favorite creator could finally convince you to book the vacation you’ve been dreaming about… or, at least, that’s what hospitality brands are hoping for.

The Future: TikTok GO could supercharge affiliate marketing for travel brands, turning content creators into full-fledged itinerary curators.

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51.7% of you voted More than 6 months ago in yesterday’s poll: When was the last time you ate at a food court?

“I honestly can’t even remember the last time I saw a food court. The one shopping mall in San Francisco I used to occasionally visit has closed down, and even that doesn’t really affect me. I think the pandemic rewired my purchasing habits. The only brick-and-mortar stores I go to now are bookstores and opticians.”

“I’m tempted, but then I see the prices for food at the mall… I can’t do it.”

“The Sunset Mall chased Chick-fil-A out after many, many decades of providing us with tasty sandwiches and Icedream. So now, I fall into the ‘Never’ category.”

“Do food courts at airports in Japan count?”

“A food court, no. But a food hall, yes.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join Poll Of The Day, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🎤 Netflix is partnering with AEG to bring KPop Demon Hunters on a global concert tour.

🎭 Cate Blanchett has launched the nonprofit RSL Media, which creates a signal that tells AI systems how public figures’ names, images, and likenesses can — or can’t — be used.

🎧 Spotify is rolling out a Wrapped-style feature for your entire listening history, dubbed “Spotify 20: Your Party of the Year(s).”

🤖 Anthropic has overtaken OpenAI in enterprise adoption, according to data from Ramp.

👩‍💻 Google announced it’s hiring hundreds of engineers tasked with helping business customers onboard the company’s AI tools.

🔋 Fervo Energy has become one of the first next-generation geothermal energy companies to go public, raising $1.89 billion.

🎥 Markiplier is becoming an officially approved aggregator (read: indie film studio) on YouTube so he can sell his movie, Iron Lung, directly on the platform.

😶‍🌫️ Instagram is launching a new disappearing-posts feature called “Instants,” which feels like a cross between BeReal and Snapchat.

📱 X will let users look back at everything they’ve liked, saved, watched, and more with a new “History” tab.