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- Unlocking Success in 2024: Martech Innovation Trends, Startup Realities, and AI's Legal Battle
Unlocking Success in 2024: Martech Innovation Trends, Startup Realities, and AI's Legal Battle
Get ready to conquer 2024 with exclusive insights on Martech trends, the state of startups, and a legal showdown in the AI realm
Kenny Grant
December 30, 2023
Happy Holidays!
As we wrap up the last 48 hours of 2023, I'll keep this newsletter brief, providing a handful of must-read reports to jumpstart success in the coming year
“Martech in 2024” — Get in the know of what’s next
State of startups in 2023 (USA). Find out what industries/locations are hot, current valuations, trends, and more.
Generative AI having a Napster moment?
Year End Review docs
A few interesting links
Features
Consolidation? What about innovation? Especially in a generative and AI world. Explore the most recent market trends and advancements in marketing stacks. This report is an essential read for C-suites or anyone building Martech startups.
Shocking subscription count, Batman
USA is leading the pack. How can you bring generative marketing to your region?
RIP good times. Hello new possibilities in 2024
It wasn't just you. For startups, this past year ranked among the toughest since perhaps 2000 or 2007. This year saw 260k layoffs, as reported by Layoffs.fyi (layoffs tracker). According to a few friends, it's been a bloodbath for both early-stage technology companies, banks (bank run + SVB failure) and venture capital firms. Those employed in later-stage companies have also experienced a kind of upper-middle-class recession. Carta dropped their year end report, and despite it being a crummy year, it’s worth checking out. Particularly as the market bounces back, legacy companies often thrive in the aftermath of recessions.
Attached are a few screenshots below, and I'm resharing my previous blog post with some suggestions for founders navigating “raising Venture Capital in 2024”.
🔸 Generative AI Approaches Napster Moment?
NYT = not messing around
A few days ago, The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft regarding the AI's utilization of copyrighted work. While the situation may seem intricate, The Times is pursuing the destruction of ALL Large Language Model (LLM) models and training data. Could this potentially set a precedent for others? I'm closely monitoring the situation, and it feels reminiscent of a Napster moment.
7/ 💼 Another interesting point: NYT got really good lawyers. Susman Godfrey has a great reputation and track record taking on tech. This isn't a quick cash grab like the lawsuits filed a week after ChatGPT; it's a strategic legal challenge.
— Cecilia Ziniti (@CeciliaZin)
Dec 27, 2023
Beijing gAI Lawsuit
A groundbreaking verdict emerged from a Beijing Court regarding generative AI art. The legal dispute revolved around a “AI Vincentian Picture” generated using Stable Diffusion.
Court Hearing
The judge's ruling establishes that elements of the creation process, such as prompts and parameters, are recognized as intellectual property (IP). Furthermore, the judgment asserts that the human user who engages creatively with the AI retains the copyright. [Link — use google translate]
After the NYT case, there might be an industry-wide reassessment of AI use and copyright. The legal outcome could set precedents for how AI models engage with copyrighted material, shaping the future landscape. I'll be eager to see how this unfolds.
Q - Do you see an issue with these outputs?
I consider this a smoking gun for Midjourney's flagrant copyright infringement. A 6-word prompt can replicate a Dune still nearly 1:1 every time. These aren't variations, it's the same prompt run repeatedly.
Try it yourself. Merry Christmas Midjourney.
— Reid Southen (@Rahll)
Dec 24, 2023
Left original @Lucasfilm Star Wars: Rogue One, right @midjourney v. 6. This is exactly how humans learn to make art, right?
— Katie Conrad (@KatieConradKS)
Dec 26, 2023
Do you have predictions or thoughts? Hit reply and I’ll include them in the next issue
Other
If looking to conduct a year end review, this one might be for you..
It’s a YearCompass—your very own YearCompass, to be exact.
It is a booklet that helps you reflect on the past year and plan the next one. With a set of carefully selected questions and exercises, YearCompass helps you uncover your patterns and design a great year for yourself.
The booklet has two distinct parts. The first half will help you review, learn from, and celebrate the year you’re leaving behind. The second half, on the other hand, is all about the future. You’ll be dreaming, planning, and preparing to get the most out of the new year.
🔸 Interesting Links
Duolingo has cut ties with a large number of translators (contractors), opting for the speed and efficiency of AI-driven translations. [Link]
'It was exhausting': LA vegan restaurants are putting meat back on the menu. 'If you're just targeting vegans, you're losing out on a larger demographic,' says one plant-based restaurant owner [Link]
Red Sea Attacks Mean Double Wages for Danish Crew [Link]
Automattic, the parent company of WordPress, invested $50 million in the acquisition of texts.com. Why? Messaging. Expect more details in 2024.
1 in 3 Companies Will Replace Employees With AI in 2024 [Link]
Hitting the streets with Poetry Camera Round 2 (by @kelin_online and me)!! It's always fun when the audience of the poem is surprised with how much the camera can pick up from its subject. It's uncanny sometimes.
— Ryan Mather (@Flomerboy)
Dec 18, 2023
Wrap Up - Let's make 2024 spectacular
Thx for reading — enjoy the last weekend of the year!
Kenny
P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
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About
Hi there! I help b2b2c startups go from 0 to 1 with resources, consulting, advisory, and writing, spanning product, marketing, team formation, frontier technology, and the good life. Prev helped 50+ startups and launched 20+ digital products. Although my perspective is universal, I mainly cover the frontier of North America and Southeast Asia.
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