AI Summary
5 min readHow This Viral AI App Is Making $190,000/Month
Greg Isenberg and Jonathan Courtney sit down for a different kind of episode — one where Jonathan brings the questions instead of answering them. The conversation starts with a viral tweet about an AI dating coach called "Riz" that was supposedly making $190,000 per month. But the real story is messier, more instructive, and says a lot about how to think about the current wave of ChatGPT wrapper businesses.
The Riz App Confusion
Isenberg saw a post on the SaaS subreddit about an AI dating coach making $190,000/month with 333,000 downloads. The app lets users upload screenshots of their text conversations and generates pickup lines. He tweeted about it. The founder reached out with a short, smart email: "I'm 23. I love you already. I'm keeping this brief." He listed three apps his three-person studio had launched — Plug AI, Astra, and Palette — and said they were closing in on $500,000/month in revenue. He gave his phone number and said his schedule was flexible.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Episode Introduction & The Riz App Hook** - Greg and Jonathan set up a new format where Jonathan brings topics for Greg to react to, starting with a viral AI dating coach app making $190k/month.
- 2 (03:14) **What Makes a ChatGPT Wrapper Succeed** - Greg argues the technology isn't special; success comes from branding, marketing, and referral flows.
- 3 (04:48) **The Founder's Smart Email & Three-App Strategy** - The 23-year-old founder of Plug AI reaches out to Greg with a brief, numbered email listing three apps approaching $500k/month total revenue.
- 4 (10:31) **The Anti-Trend Opportunity** - Greg and Jonathan discuss how every trend creates an anti-trend, and the human version of these AI services could be a premium business.
- 5 (17:10) **The Riz App Confusion & Real Competitor** - Greg reveals a mix-up: the $190k/month app is actually Plug AI, not Riz, and there are multiple similar apps competing.
- 6 (19:01) **Strategy: Go for Non-Obvious Use Cases** - Greg advises that to succeed with ChatGPT wrappers, avoid obvious niches like dating and find non-obvious ones, or go fully human as an anti-trend.
- 7 (22:37) **Sustainability of the Business Model** - Greg evaluates whether the $190k/month app is a flash in the pan or a sustainable business.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
I’m joined by Jonathan Courtney, Co-Founder and CEO of AJ&Smart, a Digital Product Design agency, to give our insights into the strategies and tactics driving a viral AI-powered Dating Advice app to $190,000 in monthly revenue. We also explore the power of anti-trends and how to leverage them to build a startup. Don't miss out on this must-watch episode!
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Episode Timestamps
00:00 The $190K/month AI App
13:10 How to leverage Anti-Trends
21:02 Our takes on Chat-GPT wrappers
28:02 Our thoughts on the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra
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