What's New: Jason Cohen and John Rush spar over the merits of directories
(from the latest issue of the Indie Hackers newsletter)
Here's what you'll find in this issue:
- Directories are having a moment right now, but not everyone is happy about it.
- OpenAI's text-to-video model, Sora, is now available...depending on your country.
- Going viral in Afghanistan. Otto Nagengast's English proficiency app is helping young women pursue opportunities abroad.
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Jason Cohen and John Rush spar over directories 🥊
Jason Cohen is an indie hacking legend, as one of the few who can lay claim to founding two unicorns. He also isn’t afraid to share his opinions. In a recent tweet, he pleaded for the directory gold rush to end.
For those unaware, directories are having a moment right now. The theory is that, because there is now so much AI slop out there, Google has been rendered basically useless. So, if you want to find something specific, a curated directory can be a big help.
Following Jason's tweet, indie hacker and self-proclaimed “Directory King” John Rush entered the fray, firing off a tweet of his own in response.
OpenAI launches Sora, its text-to-video AI model 🚀
OpenAI's Sora lets users generated videos up to 20 seconds long. It's now available for all ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Pro subscribers...that is, all subscribers except those in the EU.
A new "Supported Countries" page on OpenAI's website shows that other excluded regions include Switzerland and the UK.
The Build Board 🪧
Every day, indie hackers post updates about the products they're building. Here's what the community voted to the top yesterday!
- Pulsetracker: Your backend for real time location tracking.
- Software App Development: Software and mobile app development.
- Hops: Chat to build a back office.
- qwik.host: Launch your company blog in minutes.
- SideProjector: Turn side projects into success stories.
Enjoy building in public? Post an update to your product page on Indie Hackers, and it will automatically be added to the daily leaderboard.
How our app went viral in Afghanistan 📱
I'm Otto Nagengast, and my app, Arno, helps people prepare for the Duolingo English Test, an English proficiency exam that you take from home. Taking a test like TOEFL or IELTS in Afghanistan was hard even when the US still had a large presence in the country. But once the US left, and the Taliban regained control, it became virtually impossible to take standardized tests like this, especially for women.
Under the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Sharia law, women are meant to stay at home unseen, unheard, and uneducated. Yet, this is not deterring young women across the country from trying to make a better life for themselves. At home, they still have the internet. These women are resourceful and fearless, and gladly signed up for user interviews with us.
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Special thanks to Jay Avery for editing this issue, to Gabriella Federico for the illustrations, and to Stephen Flanders and Otto Nagengast for contributing posts. —Channing
