The Best Consumer Startup Ideas Were "Impossible" Until Now

Every major shift in consumer tech has a moment when it suddenly becomes accessible to millions. Michael Mignano helped spark one of those moments with Anchor, making podcast creation something anyone could do with a tap. Now at Lightspeed, he sees AI bringing a similar leap to music, media, and everyday apps. In this conversation, he and Garry trace the arc from the early days of social audio to today's consumer AI boom—and dig into what founders should focus on as the next generation of creative tools takes shape. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:51 Michael’s founder experience 06:43 Consumer landscape and AI impact 08:26 What makes consumer different from other spaces 10:00 AI costs and distribution challenges 13:20 Listening to the users, growth rules 16:40 Ecosystem integration, distribution 19:52 AI generated content & social media 30:00 Taste, craft, model energy 33:20 Data opportunities 36:40 Outro