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In focus
- Peter Cowan on disruption, spelled without AI
- How Firsty is reimagining the eSIM business model
- Why we’ll all be talking to websites sooner than we think
Hello reader,
You could be forgiven for thinking that the only way to disrupt an industry these days is through AI. After all, headlines have been shouting about how the tech is revolutionizing everything from sports to potatoes.
Is there some truth to these claims? Probably. But as always, things are a bit more nuanced than that. Our top stories this week show that real disruption comes from genuine ingenuity and new ways to tackle problems, not just slapping AI on the label.
Image credit: Timmy Loen
Take my colleague Melissa’s story on eSIM startup Firsty. It’s a small Singaporean company aiming to disrupt a highly competitive sector by rethinking the business model entirely.
Whereas most eSIM companies buy data bundles from network operators wholesale at fixed rates, Firsty plugs directly into telecom infrastructure. If this approach works, it could squeeze out competitors operating on razor-thin margins.
Meanwhile, guest writer Melvin Yuan’s piece on how website design is turning away from static pages and shifting to conversational design highlights a fundamental change in user behavior. While AI chatbots make this move possible, a bunch of very human skills are still needed to make a website that stands out in this new age.
Finally, Elyssa updates our map of Southeast Asia’s digital banks, where the story is the grind to profitability. All digital banks tout their AI features, but the winners – the ones actually disrupting a traditional industry – are those focused on managing loan portfolios and controlling costs: old-school skills.
Turns out you can disrupt when AI is a tool, rather than a business plan.
Peter Cowan, engagement editor
Editor’s picks
1️⃣ Firsty puts pressure on eSIM rivals with a different approach
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