AI changes *Nothing* — Dax Raad

If you’re building a product and hoping AI will be the shortcut to “winning,” this talk pushes back hard. Dax Raad argues the work that determines product success hasn’t changed—and that the hardest parts are still deeply human.

Key takeaways

• Marketing as “cool”: the video breaks down why top-of-funnel attention comes from ideas people want to share, and why AI tends to produce “corny” output here.
• Engineer the “aha” moment: Dax walks through identifying a single moment of product clarity and ruthlessly cutting friction that prevents users from reaching it.
• Retention through primitives: he explains building powerful primitives first, then assembling a simple experience—so power users can go deeper without outgrowing the product.