Chasing Lucky Feeds Versus Doing Real Homework
Why do we treat internet fame like a reliable business plan? Out in San Francisco around mid-October 2026, a lively crew at TechCrunch Disrupt gathered to poke fun at that fantasy. Crystal Huang from Google Ventures, Elia Wallen from Engine, and Grant Lee from Gamma took the stage to debate whether hunting for viral clicks actually builds a software company.
Grant Lee pointed out how Gamma largely bypassed broad internet campaigns and expensive paid ads, choosing instead to assemble a dedicated squad of ambassadors.
Word from the event notes Gamma reached a multi-billion-dollar valuation by this point in October 2026, which makes me suspect that a quiet, deliberate distribution system might just outrun a lucky afternoon on social media.
Send the Right Nerd to the Right Room
Here is my favorite debate: general marketing advice versus the messy reality of someone's actual job. Gamma built something called the "Gambassador" project, and the premise feels wonderfully simple to me. You do not ask a creator who makes flashy art for marketing directors to explain a tool to an analyst who stares at financial ledgers all day long. The art director wants pretty layouts and graceful story flow, while the analyst wants rigid charts, fast data inputs, and keyboard shortcuts that do not break.
When distinct specialists show software directly to their own professional peers, people pay attention.
It feels like common sense, yet almost nobody does it!
Stop Paying People to Just Tap Shiny Buttons
Most sponsored internet posts give me a headache. A company hands a creator some cash, the creator taps three colorful buttons on screen, smiles wide, and promises the tool will change your life. Does that persuade anyone who actually has work to do? I doubt it. Grant Lee argued on stage that buyers see through that trick in two seconds, especially with generative artificial intelligence where the machine organizes ideas and shapes slide layouts.
If an ambassador cannot explain how the data flows or why the structure helps a team finish work early, the pitch goes nowhere.
Gamma spent real hours teaching their partners how the engine functions, turning casual promoters into guides who can answer tough questions on the fly.
Charming Founders on Camera Versus Boring Tools That Work
I enjoy an entertaining founder as much as the next person scrolling on a phone, but can a bright personality carry a company forever? Around October 2026, young startups like Cluely and Instinct gained attention because their founders are so delightfully magnetic on video feeds.
It makes for grand theater.
I would still argue there is a hilarious distance between watching a funny video on a phone and convincing an office manager to buy forty software seats on a company card. Crowds show up to watch a show, but teams pay for software that removes an annoying obstacle from their afternoon.
When a charismatic leader steps away from the screen, the software still has to carry its own weight.
Keeping the Room Full After the Welcome Party
Getting someone to sign up is only the opening joke of the evening. Elia Wallen from Engine argued that the real fun begins when you try to keep those users from wandering away next month. Consider corporate travel for a moment, where booking flights and tracking company policies can turn into a headache of forms and delay.
If your platform clears away that daily annoyance, customers tend to stick around for the long haul, and Crystal Huang of Google Ventures noted that this quiet user loyalty seems to hold a business together far better than any wave of online hype.
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