From memory, they raised a huge round just before chat gpt went viral. Not sure if they would have been able to do so well if they were raising now. Very much doubt it.
Could this time be different? The tools are now in the hands of the "masses", not behind closed doors or in lofty ivory towers. People can run this stuff on their laptops etc
Every time someone says “this time it’s different” (e.g. 1998 internet bubble, 2007 housing bubble, 2020 crypto bubble, etc) time proves that this time was not really that different.
Well, of those 3 the 1998 internet bubble actually was different and modern society actually was fundamentally changed by the technology in question, so idk if that's the best counterargument. The other two, sure yeah those amounted to essentially nothing. But there have been plenty of bubbles where the concept underlying the bubble actually did have large societal impacts even if the investors all lost money, like tulipmania with futures contracts and railway mania with trains
But the internet did change things? Even crypto is debatable. BTC still exists and still has pretty high value, just not as high as at its peak.
TBH, I'm not sure how to quantify housing bubbles either. I'd bet most of the country has much higher home prices now than in 2007. I bet they were higher than 2007 in most places and most years between then and now too.
During that time period, the internet and smartphones alone have completely changed society (for better and worse) in the span of only three decades, despite the former going causing a minor economic crash in its infancy.
Almost everything is different except human nature. The scammers are innovating just like everyone else.
When someone says a technology completely changed society, I think of the hypothetical singularity that Kurzweil and company predict, where it's basically impossible for us to predict what the future looks like after. But when you look back at the world before the rise of the web and then smartphones, it's just taking preexisting technologies and making them available in more mobile formats. TV, radio, satellite and computers existed before then (1968 mother of all demos had word processing, hypertext, networking, online video). And some people did more or less foresee what we've done online since.
We still burn fossil fuels to a large extent, still drive but not fly cars, still live on Earth not in space, still die of the same causes, etc.
I watch a long cargo train that looks like it's form the 80s go by and wonder how much the internet changed cargo hauling. I'm sure with the logistics the internet made things a lot more efficient, but the actual hauling is not much different. It's not like we teleport things around now. You can order online instead of out of a catalog, but brick stores remain. You can read digital books, but still plenty of printed materials, bookstores, libraries.
> the internet and smartphones alone have completely changed society
I honestly think this overstates the case pretty severely. They have certainly caused societal change, but from what I can see, society as a whole is not actually all that different from what it was before all of that.
There was also a voice recognition thing in the 90s, the whole self-driving car/computer vision thing early to mid last decade, and a _very_ short-lived period when everyone was a chatbot startup in 2016 (I think Microsoft Tay just poured so much cold water over this that it died almost immediately).
Not the OP, but I've been through a few AI hype cycles and know of earlier ones, depending on what you count: ML more generally over the last half decade or so¹, the excitement around Watson (and Deep Blue before it), the second big bump in neural network interest in the mid/late 80s², there have been a couple of cycles regarding expert-system-like methods over the decades, etc.
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[1] though that has produced more useful output than some of the previous hype cycles, as I think will the current one as it seemingly already is doing
[2] I was barely born for the start of the “AI winter” following the first such hype cycle
I can remember hyped up news after Watson; personally I was hyped up after Creatures (though in my defence I was a teenager and hadn't really encountered non-fictional AI before); before those there was famously the AI winter, following hype that turned out to be unreasonable.
Interestingly enough I think there is lack of talent on the investment side of things too. Very few investors have the right skillsets in their teams to be able to do deep technical due diligence required for true AI solutions.
I think there's rather more to it than that. Two of these guys are on the Llama paper; the hype and momentum from that is surely responsible for a huge chunk of their valuation. If you take the big LLM-relevant papers, most of the folks with this kind of profile are already off doing some kind of startup.
The Mistral folks have impeccable timing, but are leaving FAANG somewhat late compared to their peers.
Definitely. Just to be clear, my comment wasn't to diminish the Mistral folks, they are certainly a very impressive group, but rather to contest your implication about the audience here.
We focus on "selling" the market size, customer problem-solution fit and not so much the AI part. AI is just the means to an end, a better way to solve the problem that we are solving. I saw some interesting stats the other day that the majority of investments in AI focus on infrastructure (databases etc) and foundational models.
TLDR: We studied what helps developers achieve a state of flow. This is one of the first quantitative studies of its kind combining data from Github, Gitlab, Slack, Google Calendar. Contrary to common belief, reducing meetings alone does not guarantee a state of flow. Collaboration within teams, particularly through messaging tools, plays a significant role in promoting flow.
Introduction:
The state of flow is a psychological state characterized by deep immersion, intense focus, and enjoyment in an activity. For developers, achieving a state of flow is crucial for enhancing productivity, creativity, and job satisfaction. Contrary to common belief, reducing meetings alone does not guarantee a state of flow. The linked whitepaper explores the various factors that contribute to a state of flow for developers.
Benefits of Achieving a State of Flow:
Working in a state of flow enables developers to reach their highest level of productivity by eliminating distractions and fostering complete focus on the task at hand. In this immersive state, developers are more likely to generate innovative solutions, take risks, and think creatively. Additionally, experiencing flow leads to higher job satisfaction and engagement, as developers feel a sense of purpose and fulfillment when working on challenging tasks that promote personal growth.
Methodology and Literature Review:
The research conducted by Adadot was based on a sample of early-stage startups, which are characterized by a fast-paced and unstructured work environment. The study encompassed both managers and team members to present a comprehensive analysis of the factors influencing flow. Several scientific articles were reviewed to provide insights into developer flow, including the impact of task clarity, autonomy, feedback, challenge, and pair programming.
Defining Developer Experience:
Adadot's platform integrates with tools such as Github, Gitlab, Google Workspace and Slack to collect work activity metrics, collaboration data, and well-being indicators. These metrics are grouped into four categories: Activity, Time-pressure, Code quality, and Team Collaboration.
Flow in Engineering Teams:
The findings indicate that high productivity momentum correlates with higher code quality, which can be achieved by reducing interruptions and maintaining focus. Collaboration within teams, particularly through messaging tools, plays a significant role in promoting flow. Extroversion was found to be positively associated with productivity momentum, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and communication. Conversely, developers who isolate themselves often struggle with code quality due to a lack of collaboration and shared expertise.
Misconceptions about Flow:
Common misconceptions about flow include the belief that it is a constant state of being or that it can only be achieved when working on exciting projects. However, flow is intermittent and can be attained in any work context with the right conditions. It is not limited to specific personality types, and both individuals and teams can experience flow. Additionally, flow is not restricted to work hours and can be achieved during leisure activities, providing rejuvenation and improving overall productivity.
Actionable Recommendations:
To optimize flow, developers are encouraged to set dedicated focus time in their calendars, manage their schedules efficiently, and reduce unnecessary meetings. Collaboration is essential, but excessive collaboration requests can lead to content switching and distractions. Maintaining a balance and leveraging collaboration tools effectively can enhance flow.
DevOps giant GitLab are one of the leading fully remote tech companies, and have produced a ‘Remote Playbook’ to guide companies looking to adopt remote working, or refresh their current approach.
Full of incisive and practical tips for all levels of remote work models, the playbook is a bible on how to run a remote team successfully, efficiently, and mindfully.
Sections include a summary of different remote models, the importance of setting up a Head of Remote role, along with guides on management, culture and communication within a remote environment.
