Prediction certainty 4/5 debate potential 2/5

Silverman: Automation will increase consumer desire for custom, creative goods

Josh Silverman · 20VC: Etsy CEO, Josh Silverman on 2 Defining Traits of Great Leadership, The Danger of Attaching Happiness To Milestones, How To Structure Teams To Optimise for Experimentation and Agility &Whether You Learn More From Success Than Failure · Jan 18, 2021 · at 10:33

Josh Silverman, CEO of Etsy, shares a thesis on how automation and commoditization will drive consumer demand toward unique, personalized items.

0:00 / 0:12exact quote · 12.0s
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“In a world that's becoming ever more commoditized, and where automation is changing the nature of work, creativity can't be automated. And we're going to yearn more and more for something made just for us.”

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