AI has ignited a consumer renaissance. My friend @kevinrose is a legend in consumer tech. He founded a number of early internet startups, including Digg, where he invented an early predecessor to the now ubiquitous like button. He’s now a partner at @trueventures and recently relaunched @digg. We had a wide-ranging conversation on all things consumer tech, including why I think AI code will be an entire industry, why Kevin looks for “weird and working” products, Kevin’s dinners with Mark Zuckerberg, and how AI products will affect the human experience. 00:00 Intro 02:10 How we met 07:50 AI’s Renaissance for Consumer Products 11:48 Companionship apps and the future of human connection 14:01 The optimistic and pessimistic views on AI relationships 19:18 Poke and emotional primitives 21:05 Weird and working: how to spot great founders 30:05 AI companions and AI in relationships 40:08 The modern AI dev stack and building apps solo 47:25 AI music, creativity, and the next cultural wave 53:50 Curiosity, risk, and finding the next big thing 01:15:00 Always-on recording and social norms in tech