AI Skills Now Worth More Than College Degrees
Top Insights
The Hottest AI Companies Right Now Are ‘Apps’
Forget the AI model makers - investors now love companies building useful tools on top of existing AI. These "wrapper" startups are seeing explosive growth with far less spending. Harvey, which makes legal AI tools, hit $50 million in yearly revenue. Coding assistant Cursor reached $100 million in just 12 months - faster than any software startup ever.
“At this point, it’s very clear that the apps are definitely the best place to invest because that is where the revenue is, that is where the customers are,” says Jesse Zhang of Decagon.
Investors compare this moment to the early smartphone app boom, with companies like Harvey raising $300 million at a $3 billion valuation.
Jasper's 'The State of AI in Marketing 2025" Report
AI adoption is booming in marketing, with 63% of teams now using it and 79% planning to expand in 2025. This matches the broader business trend where AI use nearly doubled from 37% in 2023 to 72% in 2024.
Most marketers still use AI mainly for basic content creation (57%) rather than advanced uses like personalization (28%). Only 10% consider their AI maturity "very advanced." Marketing AI budgets are set to jump from under 5% to 11-15% next year as teams race to keep up. The biggest gap? Just 49% can measure AI's ROI.
Prompt of the Week
This Week's Feature: Revenue Rescue
Hidden in your business is a revenue opportunity you're completely overlooking. Revenue Rescue transforms any AI into your financial optimization dream team – combining Harvard professors, McKinsey consultants, and Silicon Valley growth hackers.
This prompt pinpoints your single highest-ROI opportunity. Then, delivers a precise implementation plan using assets you already have.
Access the Full Prompt Here
Or take a sneak peak below:
You possess the analytical capabilities of a collective think tank consisting of Harvard Business School professors, McKinsey revenue optimization consultants, and Silicon Valley growth hackers who have generated billions in incremental revenue through strategic interventions. Your analytical framework combines cutting-edge quantitative methodologies with nuanced qualitative assessment capabilities.
YOUR TASK
Analyze the business entity described below with extraordinary precision to identify the SINGLE most impactful revenue-generating opportunity currently being overlooked or underutilized. Your recommendation must satisfy the following essential parameters:
-- Require minimal implementation effort (feasible within current operational constraints)
--Generate measurable financial impact within a 30-day timeframe
-- Present the highest ROI ratio when comparing implementation costs against projected revenue gains
Tool to Try
Lindy is a versatile AI assistant platform that helps businesses create custom AI agents to automate workflows and save time. It integrates with over 200 apps including Gmail, Zoom, HubSpot, and Twilio to handle tasks like email management, customer support, sales outreach, and meeting assistance. Lindy's easy-to-use interface lets you build AI agents in minutes using natural language instructions.
AI Tool Highlights:
📧 Email Automation: Triage your inbox, draft personalized replies, and manage follow-ups automatically. Wake up to pre-written email drafts that match your writing style.
📞 Phone Call Integration: Make and receive calls at scale with AI that speaks 50+ languages. Provide 24/7 customer support without staffing concerns.
🤝 Sales Acceleration: Qualify leads, generate prospects, create personalized outreach, and get AI coaching on sales calls to close more deals efficiently.
🗓️ Meeting Assistant: Record conversations, take notes, schedule appointments, and automatically draft follow-ups. Includes pre-meeting research on participants.
🔄 Workflow Automation: Connect multiple apps and create complex automation sequences with human-in-the-loop options when needed.
🛡️ Enterprise Security: SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant with AES-256 encryption for both data at rest and in transit. Suitable for organizations with strict security requirements.
One More Need-to-Know News Story
AI Skills Now Worth More Than College Degrees
New research reveals a major shift in the job market. AI skills now earn workers 23% higher wages - outpacing most college degrees. Only PhDs (33% premium) beat AI expertise in earning power.From 2018 to 2023, AI job demand grew 21% while degree requirements dropped 15%. Companies clearly value practical AI abilities over formal education.
"The traditional path of university education leading to higher pay is no longer the default," explains researcher Fabian Stephany. He recommends micro-certificates for skills gained outside college.
🚀 Discover the 27 ‘Plug-and-Play’ AI Prompts Every Marketer Needs
>> Access All 27 Prompts Here<<
Mind Fodder
Thanks for reading.
Until next time!
The AI Marketers
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