Vertical AI Kills SaaS, Crypto Clown Show and Trump's Techno Accelerationism Era Begins - Episode 13

In this episode of WORK IN PROGRESS, Ian and Wes navigate a mix of timely and timeless topics: - The Trump Inauguration: Reflections on policy shifts, executive orders, and their broader implications for society. - The rise of vertical AI: How hyper-specialized tools are reshaping B2B SaaS, streamlining industries with AI-driven innovation. - Crypto’s clown show: From Bitcoin’s original ethos to today’s meme coin culture, they explore the tech’s decline into financial nihilism and its potential future. - Accelerationism vs. Decelerationism: A spirited, humorous debate on what drives progress and what holds us back. - Personal insights: Agency life, writing processes, and balancing creativity with execution. Blending sharp analysis, humor, and actionable takeaways, this episode offers a candid look at the forces shaping tech, business, and culture. Timestamps: (0:00) Intro and banter (5:00) Trump inauguration and executive orders (12:00) Vertical AI’s impact on SaaS (28:00) Crypto’s clown show: Ethos vs. chaos (42:00) Accelerationism vs. Decelerationism: A fun debate (1:02:00) Agency life, branding, and workflows (1:17:00) Closing thoughts The WORK IN PROGRESS podcast hosted by Ian Piepenbrock and Wes Botman, two founders who are scaling and refining their businesses every day. Wes Botman is founder and CEO at ⁠⁠Eli5⁠⁠ (https://eli5.io), a software studio making complex ideas simple and accessible. Ian Piepenbrock is CEO at ⁠⁠Noco⁠⁠ (https://noco.agency), an agency dedicated to helping B2B SaaS and tech companies grow through strategic web design and branding. Watch/listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cOqBRMjjgcXKSDDIboKrt?si=6990da66e09e4ef2 Follow us on X for more raw insights, thoughts, and a good dose of founder reality: Wes: ⁠⁠@wesbotman⁠⁠ (https://x.com/wesbotman) Ian: ⁠⁠@lamswolprins (https://x.com/lamswolprins)