About this episode
A few weeks ago, Apple released a stunning statistic: they’ve paid developers over $320B — yes, billion! — since the launch of the App Store in 2008, highlighting the cast opportunity in the marketplace. And around the same time, a16z Consumer Partner, Olivia Moore, compiled a list of the top apps across the US app store throughout 2022. In this episode, you’ll get to hear which apps made it to the top and what they have in common. Hint: the big winners were in social, but perhaps a new wave of social apps! We also get the scoop on what it really takes to not just hit #1, but stay there. This episode highlights numerous surprising examples ranging from a new-age Beanie Baby app, a viral talking dog, an app from 2012 that finally broke the top 10, and the Chinese app that’s been at #1 for a majority of 2023, and it’s not TIkTok! There are endless learnings about how new founders can take advantage of these opportunities. Timestamps: 01:51 - Top apps in 2022 03:32 - A new era of social? 07:22 - Hitting #1 09:30 - Staying on top 11:20 - Building a sticky product 13:46 - Growing an app in 2023 15:35 - User-generated growth 17:48 - 2022 category winners 20:39 - Anonymous social 22:24 - Early monetization 26:30 - Monetization trends 31:07 - Leveraging platform shifts 35:26 - Surprising hits 37:50 - Looking toward 2023 39:38 - Invisible AI products 41:46 - Limiting virality 45:13 - Vertical social networks 48:37 - When digital goes physical 51:44 - TikTok growth 53:27 - Geographic trends 56:18 - A decade old app 1:00:25 - App challenge Resources: Follow Olivia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/omooretweets Olivia's 2022 analysis: https://twitter.com/omooretweets/status/1605983056682045440 Olivia's 2021 analysis: https://twitter.com/omooretweets/status/1483482099562602500 Justine’s Boating app commentary: https://twitter.com/venturetwins/status/1616121691830390784 Olivia’s Tinder subscription commentary: https://twitter.com/omooretweets/status/1616480480546942976 Apps mentioned: BeReal: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bereal-your-friends-for-real/id1459645446 TikTok: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tiktok/id835599320 Gas App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gas/id1641791746 Talking Ben the Dog: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/talking-ben-the-dog/id416345319 Argo Boating Navigation: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/argo-boating-navigation/id1463869636 NoteIt: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/noteit-widget-get-it-now/id1570369625 Locket Widget: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/locket-widget/id1600525061 LiveIn: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/livein-share-your-moment/id1606780589 Slay: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/slay-komplimente-umfragen/id1645858841 Lensa AI: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lensa-photo-editing/id1436732536 Starlink: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/starlink/id1537177988 NOAA Weather: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/noaa-weather/id436760574 Stardust Period Tracker: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stardust-period-tracker/id1495829322 Temu: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/temu-team-up-price-down/id1641486558 SquadApp: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/squadapp-collection-database/id1623120952 TravelBoast: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/travelboast-my-journey-routes/id1476504378 Subway Surfers: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/subway-surfers/id512939461 Stay Updated: Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/ Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Stay Updated: Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.