On the company’s relevance 10 years from now: While it has been our endeavour to position Inshorts as the leading content distribution platform of choice, Ten years down the lane we aim to become a global content unicorn out of India with a billion users.
On the future of the business: The infiltration of technology in the day-to-day lives of an average human (user) is at an all-time high. The reducing costs and easy availability of internet (and smartphones) has resulted in an exponential increase in the number of users looking for meaningful (personalised), snackable content. We have over 650 million smartphone users, with reports predicting an addition of over 200 million in the next five years. Thus, the overall scope of the content industry is massive and the increase in growth (opportunities) is only bound to increase in the near future.
On the importance of AI and blockchain to the business: We are very enthused about the applications of AI and the value it can bring in to our business. We are currently testing AI generated short form content and it has given us promising results. Over time, it will surely help us massively scale our short form content generation.
On the possibility of shrinking jobs due to technology intervention in the sector: Technology has absolutely helped us scale our business to a certain level. But the dependence on humans would always be there. Our strength is our team of writers who are experts in weeding out irrelevant facts, fake news and summarisation of long form articles.
Message to young entrepreneurs and startup founders: The winner between the alligator and the bear is determined by the terrain. Not everyone is good at everything. Negotiate on your territory and play up your strengths. It is important to not remember where you started and where you desire to reach. Focus on getting on the top of your game. Starting your own company is going to be the best education of your life.