The State of Apps

A few weeks ago, Apple released a stunning statistic: they’ve paid developers over $320B — yes, billion! — since the launch of the App Store in 2008, highlighting the cast opportunity in the marketplace. And around the same time, a16z Consumer Partner, Olivia Moore, compiled a list of the top apps across the US app store throughout 2022. In this episode, you’ll get to hear which apps made it to the top and what they have in common. Hint: the big winners were in social, but perhaps a new wave of social apps! We also get the scoop on what it really takes to not just hit #1, but stay there. This episode highlights numerous surprising examples ranging from a new-age Beanie Baby app, a viral talking dog, an app from 2012 that finally broke the top 10, and the Chinese app that’s been at #1 for a majority of 2023, and it’s not TIkTok! There are endless learnings about how new founders can take advantage of these opportunities. Timestamps:01:51 - Top apps in 202203:32 - A new era of social?07:22 - Hitting #109:30 - Staying on top11:20 - Building a sticky product13:46 - Growing an app in 202315:35 - User-generated growth17:48 - 2022 category winners20:39 - Anonymous social22:24 - Early monetization26:30 - Monetization trends31:07 - Leveraging platform shifts35:26 - Surprising hits37:50 - Looking toward 202339:38 - Invisible AI products41:46 - Limiting virality45:13 - Vertical social networks48:37 - When digital goes physical51:44 - TikTok growth53:27 - Geographic trends56:18 - A decade old app1:00:25 - App challenge Resources: Follow Olivia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/omooretweetsOlivia's 2022 analysis: https://twitter.com/omooretweets/status/1605983056682045440Olivia's 2021 analysis: https://twitter.com/omooretweets/status/1483482099562602500Justine’s Boating app commentary: https://twitter.com/venturetwins/status/1616121691830390784Olivia’s Tinder subscription commentary: https://twitter.com/omooretweets/status/1616480480546942976 Apps mentioned: BeReal: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bereal-your-friends-for-real/id1459645446TikTok: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tiktok/id835599320Gas App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gas/id1641791746Talking Ben the Dog: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/talking-ben-the-dog/id416345319Argo Boating Navigation: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/argo-boating-navigation/id1463869636NoteIt: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/noteit-widget-get-it-now/id1570369625Locket Widget: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/locket-widget/id1600525061LiveIn: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/livein-share-your-moment/id1606780589Slay: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/slay-komplimente-umfragen/id1645858841Lensa AI: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lensa-photo-editing/id1436732536Starlink: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/starlink/id1537177988NOAA Weather: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/noaa-weather/id436760574Stardust Period Tracker: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stardust-period-tracker/id1495829322Temu: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/temu-team-up-price-down/id1641486558SquadApp: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/squadapp-collection-database/id1623120952TravelBoast: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/travelboast-my-journey-routes/id1476504378Subway Surfers: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/subway-surfers/id512939461 Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.