Gatekeepers

The gatekeepers hold the keys. They hold the power and dictate the rules. Gatekeepers are barriers. They determine who gets in and who doesn’t. Yet, these gatekeepers are not eternal. They change hands, and when they do, jump at that opportunity.

When the gatekeepers change hands, the playing field resets and more people get a chance.

Finding the gatekeepers

An idea is just that until you can build it or recruit someone to build it for you.

Got an idea for an app or SaaS? You need a software developer or you must become one.

Want to build a house? First, get money. Then, find a builder or you must become one.

Building a car? You need a mechanic or you must become one.

Gatekeepers are not just metaphorical barriers, they are skillsets, they are personalities, they are enablers. Recognise them. Understand their control, build relationships, acquire new skills, build a team.

Gatekeepers shape standards. Align your efforts. Meet industry expectations. Increase your chances.

What do you want to do and who’s your gatekeeper?

Changing Hands

The gatekeepers of software are changing today.

If you wished to create an app or anything you want to present on a screen, you needed a software developer. However to build apps you no longer need a software developer. Apps like Bubble.io and chat-gpt allow you to build apps with no code. You can build most applications using this ‘stack’.

Time

If you have the time, patience and desire to build an application from the ground up, now you can, and it’s faster to learn in comparison to a large programming language.

What does this mean?

After 10 years of working in software development with aaS models, I see two primary ‘asks’ from customers, and looking beyond 10 years, the asks from customers are very similar.

1. We want this new ‘thing’ can you do that? (New feature)
2. There is an issue with x, can you fix it (somethings not working) that’s probably because we did a change and broke it.

A key question any service desk manager asks is ‘how can we reduce the incident count’. What if there was an answer to get to 0.

A key question an engineer manager asks is ‘how do we build clean code, and reduce risk in new deployments.’

NoCode will change the way businesses value SaaS apps they can now build their self, and actually own. Businesses won’t have to wait for new features or incidents to be resolved. This is the ultimate form of self manage.

We can agree that these no code platforms do need to get better from a stability standpoint, and bubble.io specifically has faced its fair share of heat given the recent uptime debacle, but these platforms will get better and they will get easier to use. The software developer is handing over its keys to the next gatekeeper.

The playing field is resetting and no matter who you are, if you get involved now, you’re starting alongside everyone else.

Ownership

I’ll firstly caveat this paragraph with, this is what I hope to see happen in the new era of the web. Web3.0 is an emerging platform that most will not use yet. However, on the basis that most companies will move to web3.0 and new products will emerge, I hope to see some new trends. Specifically with application ownership. If you code an app locally with python, you have that code, it’s yours. You can also host it anywhere. However, should you build an app on a NoCode platform, your application is stored there. There is not a cross functionality ‘standard’.

If this standard was created, and the platforms were there to serve you as a creator and not as a new gatekeeper from restricting your deployment, scalability and feature set, I’d hope to see a form of ‘export and import’ with cross platform code base. Meaning, I can build my no code app on any site, and keep it as I decide which platform is best to run my support/development.

With that approach, surely these businesses would focus so much on creating a unique and value add experience for the creators?

Closing

The world is ever changing. Technology continues to redefines the gatekeepers. Emerging Digital platforms are democratising industries.

Leverage technology. Engage in relevant communities. Create your own opportunities.

Empower yourself. Embrace diversity and innovation. Go build something.