Google AI Studio
A Google tool for developers to prototype with and build on Gemini models.
Google AI Studio began as a small, obsessed group inside Google Labs, like NotebookLM, Flow and Beam, and has grown into a large product. Josh Woodward warns that big products can crowd out zero-to-one work. The sources give no usage or revenue numbers. The lesson: nurture side projects instead of scheduling idea generation, and label work as zero to one, one to ten, or ten to a hundred.
- 1Curious few hack on itWeekends, breaks, hallway, not design sprints
- 2Lab makes spaceBacks the people behind side projects
- 3Catch and funnel forward"You can't microwave good ideas."
- 4Becomes large Labs productLike NotebookLM, Flow and Google Beam
From Josh Woodward, Google Labs
What was said about Google AI Studio
AI Studio grew from a small, obsessed group, not a planned ideation process. AI Studio, like NotebookLM, Flow and Google Beam, began over the last four or five years with a very small group of curious people hacking on it, and is now a large Google Labs product.
Josh Woodward says good ideas rarely come from design sprints or blocked-off ideation time. They come from people hacking on weekends, over breaks or in the hallway. The lab's job is to create space for side projects, back the people behind them, and "catch the idea and funnel it forward." In his words: "You can't microwave good ideas."
Name lab stages so graduated products don't crowd out new bets. Labs labels work as zero to one, one to ten, and ten to a hundred, because each stage needs different metrics and different people. Large graduated products like AI Studio risk crowding out zero-to-one work.
At zero to one the team watches "eyeballs" and whether people lean in, not DAU or D7 retention. At ten to a hundred it looks at waterfalls, CPAs and converting people to magic moments.
Why every company now needs to think and operate like a lab team | Josh Woodward (VP Google Labs)
It started with a small, obsessed group and is now a large Labs product. Such big products risk crowding out zero-to-one work.
AI Studio grew from a small, obsessed group, not a planned ideation process. AI Studio, like NotebookLM, Flow and Google Beam, began over the last four or five years with a very small group of curious people hacking on it, and is now a large Google Labs product.
Josh Woodward says good ideas rarely come from design sprints or blocked-off ideation time. They come from people hacking on weekends, over breaks or in the hallway. The lab's job is to create space for side projects, back the people behind them, and "catch the idea and funnel it forward." In his words: "You can't microwave good ideas."
Name lab stages so graduated products don't crowd out new bets. Labs labels work as zero to one, one to ten, and ten to a hundred, because each stage needs different metrics and different people. Large graduated products like AI Studio risk crowding out zero-to-one work.
At zero to one the team watches "eyeballs" and whether people lean in, not DAU or D7 retention. At ten to a hundred it looks at waterfalls, CPAs and converting people to magic moments.
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