Jan 19, 2022

Data, Logic, UI and (a bit of) code—the future of no-code

By Aron Korenblit • Issue #72 • View online

I’m back on the stream today at 1PM EST, I’ll be live with Connor Finlayson for No-Code Talk #7.

You can add this AATT stream (and all future streams) to your calendar by clicking here (it auto updates!) and subscribe on Youtube.

Tomorrow 1PM EST, I’ll be on Table Talk to talk through conditional automations.

More details in the text below but if you’re a TL;DR kind of person, Connor and I launched codemeetsnocode.com a community for low-coders. Use code FIRST100 to get in at a discount! 30 seats left at that price.

On to the update…

Heyo!

I can’t help but look back over the last year. Clearly, 2021 will be remember as the year no-code went mainstream. Webflow kicked off the year raising north of a 2B+ valuation, Airtable ended the year at a cool 11B+. Zapier in between made it to astronomical valuations as well.

Now it’s not just that last year brought its fair share of fundraises, it was also the year where it became clear what the future of no-code is—and what the battlegrounds between the players are.

Every app is composed broadly of three layers: data, logic and UI. If no-code’s goal is to democratize software creation—like it is for both Webflow and Airtable—then tools must fill every aspect of that stack. Case in point, Webflow started with UI (its designer), added Data (its CMS) 6 years ago and announced logic at no-code conference.

Airtable started with Data, added Logic (Automations) in 2020 and UI (Interface Designer) in late 2021.

Even though Webflow and Airtable have diametrically opposite audiences (Webflow for external use cases while Airtable for internal workflows), they’ve ended up with similar primitives because ultimately that is what software is. It’s data, logic and UI.

The future of no-code is pretty simple: every tool either needs to go deeper into its area of expertise or attack an adjacent primitive. In the case of Zapier, that’s do more logic, or tackle data. Sacra released this great piece on Zapier, aptly titled Zapier: The $7B Netflix of Productivity

Zapier’s problem, however, is that it lacks a data store: Airtable owns the data layer of no-code. A Zapier data store would go a long way towards removing the main constraint on Zapier’s utility today, which is the lack of deep utility.

That space in the middle with tools offering a compelling Logic, Data and UI layers is not going to have many players. But that doesn’t mean that there are few winners in no-code, this is a massive space.

Why launch code meets no-code?

Code meets no-code is a community for low-code enthusiasts. In addition to the community forum, we’ve recorded content to help you getting started with the basics of low-code, how to sync Webflow and Airtable and an upcoming series on Stripe payment links.

The short of why I love this project is that I hate waiting for features to be available. I want to automate everything now with as few tools as possible which isn’t possible using current functionality (duh)!

Luckily, no-code on top of code! That means I have the ultimate primitive. I can create my own features with a few lines of code. Some examples: Airtable doesn’t connect to directly to your favorite tool (like Webflow)? No problem, that tool probably has an API you can connect to using scripts.

Want to display live data on your Webflow website from other tools without syncing CMS’? Good thing front-end APIs exist to retrieve that data on page load.

Instead of waiting for tools to duke it out for that golden intersection, low-code allows me to make any tool an automation machine. Integromat, Webflow, Airtable, Zapier and many others offer the ability to add code natively!

Whether you’re just getting started with low-code or you’re a seasoned veteran, we hope you’ll join us in code meets no-code! Use code FIRST100 at codemeetsnocode.com to get our launch discount.

From the interwebs

Speaking of Airtable, Softr, a website builder that leverages Airtable as a back-end raised $12.5M. If you’re curious about Softr, I streamed how to build client portals on Softr with Yohei from untapped VC

Softr, a no-code platform for building business apps on Airtable data, raises $13.5M | VentureBeat

Softr is a no-code web-app building platform that enables anyone to build feature-rich, interactive, business applications.

venturebeat.com • Share

I do think there’s a massive opportunity in creating vertical automation tools. Therefore, I’m going to point out every time that prediction is correct. Here’s Zowie which feels like Zapier for customer service!

Gradient, 10xFounders back Zowie’s no-code, e-commerce customer service tool – TechCrunch

Customer service tickets tend to fall into the same few buckets — returns, refunds or quality control questions. Not only are these repetitive, but it leaves little time for customer engagement on more complex requests, like relaying information on products or helping a customer find the best product for them. Maja Schaefer and Matt Ciolek, […]

techcrunch.com • Share

Until next week, keep building!

Aron

PS Now that you’ve read the whole thing, tell me how I can make this newsletter 10% better? I’d appreciate it.

Final disclaimer: I may work at Airtable but views here (even about Airtable!) are my own :)

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By Aron Korenblit

Weekly thoughts on the working smarter not harder using no-code tools + a weekly Airtable tip. Written by Aron Korenblit

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