The unfurling of software markets
No-code tools enable anyone with a stable internet connection to program.
They're either going to change the internet — or completely flop in the uncanny valley between customizability and modularity.
A thesis in 4 parts:
No code tools make it easier to create something new.
Say that you want to build a website. How would you do it?
In the old days, you'd be forced to choose between customizability and effort/expertise: you'd either build a website yourself using Java, Python, etc (if you could) or you'd jam your idea into the meat grinder of Squarespace's platform restrictions (a generic text box here, a slideshow there).
Today, no-code tools split that difference.
2. This is a matter of accessibility, but also of cost.
Virtual things, including software, are already extremely cheap to reproduce (rule #1 of software: zero marginal costs). No code companies make software easier and cheaper to build because they master and prepackage (or modularize) a portion of the software creation process.
Some examples: the Webflows and Glides and Bubbles of the world (pictured above) specialize in the clumps of code necessary to build websites; Zapier specializes in the clumps of code necessary to build integrations between softwares; Algolia specializes in the clumps of code necessary to build a search tool.
As the consumer, you buy the clumps and build around them. You no longer have to rebuild the search function, the API, the basic components of an advanced website, etc, for your own purposes: some other company will be responsible for optimizing those (rule #2 of software: it gets better over time), and you’ll instead focus your energy on whatever you're building a website about. This is Ricardian comparative advantage, incarnated for the software world.
So what will happen because this is happening?
3. Ever-more softwares will exist, targeted to ever-more specific audiences.
If it costs less to make a software, you don't need as many customers to be profitable—you can aim for a smaller market than, say, Squarespace, which had to recoup their production costs by targeting anyone who could ever want to build a website ever. In the year 2020 you could potentially build a website creation software just for people who want to build websites for restaurants, or for people who operate stores that sell musical instruments, or for pet breeders, or for anything:
Over time, the specification of software unfolds more and more—we've seen the same thing happen for the proliferation of niche content on the internet. Because of this:
4. Just like everywhere else on the internet, choice will become overwhelming.
If specification exists ad infinitum, how do we locate the specification that's relevant to us? Sometimes there are too many interesting or good things, and the problem is that we can't find any of them. You might know this challenge as: how will I ever be able to choose my next shampoo when I've gotten 30 haircare ads on Instagram this week alone?
In the 21st century, we'll need to have more good and trusted curators (or, I suppose, AIs) across all domains—I don’t think we’ve solved this problem yet.
Anywho, four no-code companies:
Bubble allows anyone to create a website like Facebook or Airbnb without knowing how to code.
In Bubble, users build website features at a higher level than, say, writing a series of for loops in Python, but at a more granular level than simply dragging and dropping entire components in Wix. Creators still have to deal with detail, but only detail that retains significance to the end product; you’re brought out of the weeds and the noise. This focus maybe even makes the end results better—a cool mandate if Bubble can build their product well enough. To see how it works for yourself, click “edit this page in bubble” on their homepage.
Bubble is hiring for customer success associate, a growth manager, and more
Airtable is a no-code database and spreadsheet tool that teaches users to think in databases.
Let’s say you do build a no-code Airbnb knockoff on Bubble. You make the website; you now need a place to store all the sign up and reservation data. You don’t want to set up a fancy relational database—you don’t even really know what that is—so you connect your Bubble-run website to Airtable. Airtable is like if Excel and Postgresql had a child, and that child was a fashion major in college. It has great color schemes; it’s easy to use; it supports fairly complex data formats. For your Airbnb knockoff, you’d probably have a long sheet of bookings (a list of renter-guest pairs), and that sheet would connect to each renter’s and each guest’s profile (both unique tables). This sort of Airtable-Bubble collab is actually a common no-code tech stack because Airtable makes it so easy to store and understand data.
Airtable is hiring for a million different jobs in product, design, customer success, engineering, and more.
Zapier is a no-code integrations tool. It allows users to build complex, multi-software workflows without needing to code their own API.
In the above paragraph, you may have been wondering: I’ll make the website, and I’ll make the database - but how does the data actually get from my website to my database? Getting web apps to talk to one another across the great open internet abyss is like sending a very complicated email, from scratch, without the postal services of Gmail. Zapier is the product that builds and hosts integrations for you, so again, all you think about what you actually want to do: connect A and B to accomplish C.
Zapier is hiring plentifully in R&D, support, ops, engineering, and more.
Parabola is a no-code language specifically designed for task automation.
We’ve talked about building web apps; we’ve talked about connecting web apps; Parabola is the no-code tool that helps you build automated workflows across and within web apps - so that they’ll do the boring logistical tasks (like clean your Bubble data before you drop it into Airtable), on their own. Again, it’s about freeing up more time for the fun stuff. A finished piece in Parabola looks something like this, a visual and iconographic symphony:
Parabola is hiring a support specialist, a design lead, and an engineer.
Until next time—feel free to send thoughts, suggestions, or ideas.
Yours,
Lea
I think this is great!!! Helping others!! Very positive