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Launch HN: Second (YC W23) – AI bots that add features to web apps

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Re: Launch HN: Second (YC W23) – AI bots that add features to web apps

#61

Post by immortalloom »

s1k3s wrote: post #58

I honestly recommend you to add the available bots on the homepage. The fact that I have to play a video to see what you support is kind of weird. And even in the video, I have to pause it and zoom in on a screen that wasn't even made to showcase this. It's really hard to get an understanding of what the product actually does. And since you're trying to sell to tech people, I think you should prioritize this over the…

Lol you are right! I'm not doing a good job presenting the value props on my homepage. I'll get better at this as I go along.

Also, the video on this post and the homepage is about a month old! I had originally planned on making a new video last night, but I ran out of time. I'll have a better one up soon.

Re: Launch HN: Second (YC W23) – AI bots that add features to web apps

#62

Post by immortalloom »

chandan_maruthi wrote: post #37

A an engineer and founder I can say this makes a ton of sense. There are often tons of generic screen very app needs to build that are just not worth the time building custom, I can imagine myself using Second for such screens that are not core to my functionality but essential to complete the product story. Kudos for the work Eric.

Awesome thanks! I hope that some day people look back on the early 2020's and say "wow I can't believe developers wrote all the code BY HAND"

Maybe they'll make documentaries about it.

Re: Launch HN: Second (YC W23) – AI bots that add features to web apps

#64

Post by ar9av »

Wow, this sounds really interesting! I'm curious, how does Second determine what features to add to an existing web application? Is there a way to customize the bot's behavior to suit specific needs?

Also, what kind of applications can Second generate? Is it limited to certain types of web applications, or can it handle a wide range of projects?

Re: Launch HN: Second (YC W23) – AI bots that add features to web apps

#66

Post by tmshu1 »

immortalloom wrote: post #30
immortalloom wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1. LOL! Sorry! Volume is tricky to get right. I'll fix this with my next video. 2. Agree 100%! Second bots are becoming more sophisticated, but the truth is I am still pretty early. The video on this post, and on the website, is actually about a month old. I had planned on making an updated video with more interesting scenarios, but I ran out of time! I will have an updated video within the next two weeks. I also nee…

Also about being a solo founder. It's rough!

You got this! Second looks really cool. Fellow solo founder here, definitely going to try it out

Re: Launch HN: Second (YC W23) – AI bots that add features to web apps

#67

Post by whatshisface »

Another cool technology that I think would work with yours is WebContainers for PR handling. I'm not involved with it in any way, I just think the way it makes testing and editing changes in-browser easy (by bundling a full Node environment) would make your product better.

Re: Launch HN: Second (YC W23) – AI bots that add features to web apps

#68

Post by popcorncowboy »

whatshisface wrote: post #53
smoldesu wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dropbox also launched in a non-collapsed market. OP has a cool product, but the comment is right - how wide is their moat here? The biggest lesson to learn from Dropbox is that if you don't build a unique enough product, larger companies will eat your lunch. Microsoft already has Copilot patents, if Second ever threatens them then they have full control over the economics of GPT. Their business is built on the goodwi…

OpenAI has the GPT models, not Microsoft. Also the open source models like BLOOM are getting better over time and when OpenAI pulls the rug, maybe they'll be competitive.

> OpenAI has the GPT models, not Microsoft.

Haha no. There is no future where OpenAI operates independently of Microsoft. OpenAI is functionally beholden to MS. 49% is a paper contrivance to present a facade that they're still in control. They're not. The tail is wagging the dog, and in this case the tail is a trillion dollar dragon that OpenAI lowered the drawbridge and invited inside.

Re: Launch HN: Second (YC W23) – AI bots that add features to web apps

#69

Post by immortalloom »

skilled wrote: post #59

No offense but that demo video is pathetic not to mention the weird background music. Actually, I think the entire thing is way too rushed and you haven't thought this through at all. Are you seriously so desperate to ride this stupid AI hype that you couldn't do a better job at showcasing what the app can actually do? I am sorry for being so critical, but I believe I am right. With a free account, you can do like tw…

Totally agree that I'm launching super early. I'm working really closely with some early customers to build out the modules that they need, and then I'll make those available for Pro users. Also completely agree that I need a showcase of apps. I'll have those put together soon.

Right now, anyone who upgrades to Pro basically gets direct access to me so that I can build out the modules that are needed for their use case. 100% if anyone pays something and isn't getting value, or asks for a refund, I would give a complete refund no questions asked.

Re: Launch HN: Second (YC W23) – AI bots that add features to web apps

#70

Post by atleta »

While I have been expecting AI to replace programmers for a while, the thing I was never sure about whether this will manifest itself as a business for some companies or whether it means the end of people creating apps altogether.

Another risk for building businesses on AI in general is that unlike with software that anyone can build (e.g. for a niche), AI solutions seem to be costly because they require a lot of data and a lot of processing power (at least to train) so you'll end up using someone else's AI. And the real magic is the AI not whatever you build around it so it can be pulled from under you while the AI itself keeps developing and obviously it can make the thin layer built around it irrelevant. I know that AI companies, at least OpenAI will sell the vision that they will be like AWS (amazon) and other similar cloud providers, but I just don't see this as a realistic scenario. It can only happen if AI gets stuck near the level where it is now for a substantial period. Say, at least a decade. Where it's good enough to be included in SaaS (and maybe other) software products but it's not good enough yet to do away with all software products or at least the need for companies building software products.

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