The State of Consumer Tech in the Age of AI

In this episode, a16z General Partner Erik Torenberg is joined by the a16z Consumer team—General Partner Anish Acharya and Partners Olivia Moore, Justine Moore, and Bryan Kim—for a conversation on the current state (and future) of consumer tech. They unpack why it feels like breakout consumer apps have slowed down, how AI is changing the game, and what might define the next era of products. Topics include:The rise of AI-native consumer tools and companion appsWhy users are now spending $200+/month on AI productsThe missing AI-powered social graphWhy speed and iteration may matter more than traditional moatsAnd what it means to build for a world where software touches everything From shifting business models to new behavior patterns, this is your pulse check on where we are—and where consumer is heading next. Timecodes: 00:00:00 – Introduction to Consumer AI 00:01:00 – The Evolution of Consumer Breakouts 00:03:18 – The Shift in Consumer Spending 00:08:00 – The Future of Social Networks with AI 00:13:00 – Enterprise Adoption of AI 00:20:42 – The Rise of Voice Technology 00:23:06 – AI's Role in Enterprise Conversations 00:25:25 – AI in Education and Personal Development 00:26:34 – AI Companions: The New Norm 00:31:52 – The Future of AI Companions 00:38:50 – Speculating on New AI Platforms 00:42:07 – The Social Norms of AI Integration Resources:  Find Anish on X: https://x.com/illscience Find Olivia on X: https://x.com/omooretweets Find Justine on X: https://x.com/venturetwins Find Bryan on X: https://x.com/kirbyman01 Stay Updated:  Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg 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. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.