The Rise of the One-User App?
The Age of Hyper-Personalized Software
One of my favorite frameworks in identifying significant technological or business model disruption centers on democratization. It's the idea that what once used to be unattainable, expensive, or otherwise prohibitive is accessible to a much larger group of people.
A clear example is the rise of the sharing economy several years ago. Homeowners could become property managers through Airbnb. Car owners could make some supplemental income by driving an asset they already owned. Essentially, new career paths and income opportunities were unlocked for "average" people with grit, tenacity, and a desire to be their own boss.
I'd argue that the same is true with software today. The rise of tools like Claude Code, Replit, and Cursor has made it significantly easier for non-technical people to create working web and mobile apps. Yes, they may not become the next Facebook, but they can create value for a set of users.
On social media, there are plenty of people who look down on non-technical people who try to vibe code their own apps. Some of their criticisms are legitimate. For instance, there is something to the argument that people are generating thousands of lines of code, yet have nothing to actually show for it.
That said, the one that irks me centers on the argument that people aren't going to create their own apps to solve their specific problems. The thinking is that "normal" people aren't going to put in the time or energy to create an app completely from scratch, even if they have an idea that they really want to pursue.
I'd say a few things about this. First, as I've argued before, the models are going to get better. What used to be unattainable for many (learning to code) has become much more attainable. When the main coding language is English, you'll find many more people at least trying to bring their ideas to life.
I can speak from experience. While I had spent some time learning to code years ago, I've now been able to create personal apps that help me with some of my regular work. Sure, they may not lead to 8 or 9-figure outcomes. But they make my life better.
One example comes from my investment research process. Over the past few weeks, I've created a simple app that helps me look for tradeable signals in Form 4s and proxy statements.
Over the years, I've come to find that certain compensation decisions, and the timing surrounding those decisions, can lead to some interesting investment ideas. That said, going through these filings took a long time. And the initial analysis was just the beginning. There was no easy way for me to constantly get these filings and quickly evaluate whether there was signal or just noise.
That changed with my app. The user interface isn't the most beautiful, but it does a great job helping me speed up my workflow. Every night, I get alerts on new filings to monitor according to the specific criteria that I provided. This isn't like a simple watchlist; rather, it's a more sophisticated analysis that I've developed over years of investing.
Ultimately, I think this is a great example of software built for one. I coded everything with Cursor and don't plan on releasing this to the public anytime soon. It's just for me and is good enough, even if a professional software developer would scoff at it.
Let me know if you've done anything like this. I'm always looking to connect with people who are building their own apps, even if they aren't being released to a huge audience.
Prompt of the Week
If you've known me for some time, you know that I mostly focus on cardio in my workouts. While it's my strength (and also fun), I know that I need to focus on cross training. That said, I'd rather do some sort of sport or activity than simply work out at the gym.
I asked ChatGPT to give me some ideas on what I can do in New York City. Try this prompt out (with alterations for your specific situation, of course) and let me know what you think:
"Pretend that you are a world-class personal trainer. For years, I have focused predominantly on my cardio health. I often run outside or on the treadmill. I want to focus more on cross training and strength training, but want to do it in a way that is outside of the gym. I live in New York City. Give me several ideas on how I can proceed."
Until next week,
Adam