Nicolas ColeCo-Founder Ship 30 for 30, Premium Ghostwriting Academy

Don't chase AI. Just apply AI to your niche.

15 Feb 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:12

In this monologue, Nicolas Cole reflects on the recurring nature of technology hype cycles over the past decade, citing specific trends that attracted massive investment at different times: iPhone app development in 2013, SaaS in 2016, crypto/blockchain in 2018, pandemic‑era remote‑work and lifestyle platforms like Peloton and Clubhouse in 2020, and AI/ChatGPT in 2022. He explains that younger entrepreneurs, lacking the pattern‑recognition that comes from experiencing multiple cycles, often jump onto these bandwagons believing they are the sure path to success. While a small handful of early adopters do profit, the majority either get replaced or abandon the venture once the hype fades, typically within two years. Cole concludes with a strategic recommendation: instead of chasing the next hype, focus on applying AI (or any emerging technology) to a specific niche where you have expertise, thereby creating sustainable value beyond the hype cycle.

Chapters

I am now old enough to have lived through a handful of different hype cycles. I remember in 2013 right when I graduated from college if you said you were building an iPhone app, people would throw money at you then. I remember in 2016 apps were out and SaaS was in. If you said you were building SaaS, people threw money at you then I remember in 2018 if you said you were building anything in crypto or blockchain related people threw money at you then I remember in 2020 when the pandemic hit, crypto was dead and anything you could do from home, whether it was ride a peloton bike or join a remote community platform like clubhouse, people threw money at you then I remember a few years later when the pandemic was over, that whole trend fell off a cliff and in 2022 got replaced by ChatGPT. If you said you were building anything with AI, people threw money at you. Every three to five years there is some new technology hype cycle. And when you're younger and you don't have the pattern recognition of having lived through multiple different cycles, you think the right decision is to jump on the bandwagon. And yeah, there are people who do and who capitalize and who make tons of money, but it is not the majority of people. It is a small handful and then the rest get replaced or give up two years later when that hype cycle runs out in.