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OpenAI'll Build Robots, Adobe's Secret VFX Feature, Perils of the Biggest Customer and more

Adobe secretly added a VFX feature. Go check it out.

Author

Charbel Zeaiter
January 14, 2025

Happy Tuesday Friends,

As always, today’s newsletter is action-packed. Adobe has dropped a game-changer into the VFX world with the stealth release of TransPixar, a groundbreaking AI tool. As if we needed more AI news OpenAI is moving into robotics and the world is becoming faster.

Enjoy today’s read, and I would love your feedback.

Have a great week!

Yours in Wonder,
Charbel
Founder of Velvet Onion, Faster Zebra and more to come …

Today’s Highlights

  • AI: OpenAI’s Robotic Renaissance: Plans to Build Bots with Brains and Brawn

  • Design: TransPixar: Adobe’s Secret Weapon for VFX

  • Science & Tech: Neuralink’s Third Brain Implant

  • Founding: Never Hang On To One Biggest Customer: A Weakness for SaaS

  • Product: Sell Emotions, Not Stuff: Like Hershey’s Sells Happiness, Not Chocolate

  • Today’s AI image: OpenAI Personifying its AI

  • Quote for the day: The Innocent Irony of Time

AI

OpenAI’s Robotic Renaissance: Plans to Build Bots with Brains and Brawn

OpenAI has unveiled its first-ever robotics hardware job postings, signalling a bold leap into crafting its own advanced robots powered by cutting-edge AI.

This marks a significant pivot, as the company ventures into merging AI's digital brainpower with real-world physicality.

A New Leader at the Helm

Caitlin Kalinowski, previously at the forefront of Meta's AR glasses project, has taken charge of this initiative as OpenAI's hardware director since November.

With her leadership, the company is assembling a team to tackle sensor development, mechanical engineering, and prototype testing, hinting at a full-scale hardware push.

Building Robots for the Real World

The job descriptions paint an ambitious picture: general-purpose robots designed to thrive in ever-changing real-world environments.

OpenAI envisions a diverse array of robotic designs, each tailored to unique tasks and challenges, as part of its broader hardware aspirations.

A Return to Robotics Roots

This move comes after OpenAI disbanded its robotics team in 2020, which had previously worked on dexterous feats like teaching a robotic hand to solve a Rubik’s Cube.

The company has since kept a toe in the robotics waters, including a collaboration with Figure to integrate its AI models into humanoid robots.

Why is this a big deal?

By rebuilding its robotics division, OpenAI appears to be signalling that mastering both hardware and software is crucial to its quest for artificial general intelligence (AGI).

With past partnerships and whispered collaborations with design legend Jony Ive, this hardware push might just be OpenAI’s way of ensuring its AI dreams take tangible form—literally.

Design

TransPixar: Adobe’s Secret Weapon for VFX

Adobe has slipped a game-changer into the VFX world with the stealth release of TransPixar, a groundbreaking AI tool.

Designed to revolutionise visual effects, it introduces transparent backgrounds to AI-generated videos, a feature that’s been conspicuously absent in the industry.

The Magic of Transparency

Unlike traditional AI tools that produce solid, opaque visuals, TransPixar enables the creation of ethereal elements like smoke, reflections, and other transparent effects.

These seamlessly blend into scenes, offering a natural look that elevates animations and visual effects for films and games.

The Brains and Vision Behind It

Developed by Adobe Research in partnership with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, TransPixar aims to simplify life for VFX artists rather than replace them.

Project leader Yijun Li highlights the tool’s ability to generate RGBA video (including alpha channels for transparency), addressing a long-standing challenge due to limited datasets and model constraints.

A Win for Small Studios and Big Budgets

As production costs in the film and gaming industries spiral, TransPixar offers a cost-effective solution that doesn’t sacrifice jobs.

By making complex visual effects accessible to smaller studios and solo creators, it levels the playing field while helping large studios streamline workflows.

Why is this a big deal?

TransPixar isn’t just another AI novelty—it’s a leap forward in how VFX are conceived and executed.

By bridging the gap between creativity and cutting-edge technology, Adobe is setting the stage for a future where even the smallest creators can produce Hollywood-level effects with ease.

Also in Design

Science & Tech

Neuralink’s Third Brain Implant

Elon Musk’s Neuralink has achieved another milestone, successfully implanting its brain-computer device in a third human subject.

Musk shared this update during a Las Vegas event, streamed on his platform, X. The company has ambitious plans to expand its trials, aiming for 20 to 30 additional implants in 2025.

Pioneering Mind-Controlled Tech

Neuralink is part of a growing field of startups exploring brain implants to address neurological conditions like ALS and paralysis.

These experimental procedures involve placing electrodes directly into brain tissue, requiring intricate surgeries.

A year ago, Neuralink debuted its device with its first patient, Noland Arbaugh, marking the beginning of its human trials.

FDA-Approved Trials in Action

The company is currently conducting two FDA-approved studies in the United States.

The Prime Study, involving five participants, focuses on enabling paralyzed individuals to operate external devices, such as computers or smartphones, using only their thoughts.

Meanwhile, the Convoy Study, with three participants, explores controlling assistive robotic arms.

Bridging Science Fiction and Reality

Neuralink’s progress signals a step closer to turning mind-controlled technology into a practical solution for complex medical challenges.

With Musk’s characteristic ambition, the company aims to revolutionise how humans interact with machines, paving the way for a future where thoughts might replace touchscreens.

Founding

Never Hang On To One Biggest Customer: A Weakness for SaaS

Just like people outgrow clothes, homes, or relationships, customers outgrow your product too. It’s a natural part of life.

If your customer no longer fits, wish them the best and move on.

If you can adapt your product to help them in a way that benefits everyone, great—everyone wins.

The "Biggest Customer" Trap

Having a major customer might seem like a win, but it’s actually a potential liability.

If you’re too reliant on one customer, you’re in a vulnerable spot. The moment they leave, you feel it—and that’s not ideal.

When you’re more focused on one customer than your whole base, you’re no longer a product company; you’re a custom consultancy.

The Key to Stability:

To avoid being at the mercy of one client, keep your pricing structure even.

No one should pay drastically more than anyone else. If your customer base is evenly spread, losing one won’t shake you.

A stable, uniform customer base means your business won’t tip over if one person walks out the door.

It’s ultimately all about building a business that doesn’t crumble when one customer leaves.

Also in Founding

Product

Sell Emotions, Not Stuff: Like Hershey’s Sells Happiness, Not Chocolate 

Hershey doesn’t just sell chocolate—what they really offer is happiness. Their product isn’t just cocoa, it’s the feeling you get when you bite into something sweet.

This emotional connection is one of their most impregnable moat.

Psychology at Play:

Hershey masters buyer psychology with three core strategies:

  • Affect Heuristic: They sell happiness, not chocolate. Their messaging links the brand with positive emotions, making it more than just a product.

  • Scarcity: Limited edition products, especially around holidays, create urgency and nostalgia, driving demand.

  • Storytelling: Hershey’s “Heartwarming the World” campaign uses real customer stories, like Bob Williams, to foster emotional connections with the brand.

Lessons for Your Business

#1 Sell More Than Just a Product: Like Hershey, think beyond the surface.

For example, if you’re a web designer, you’re not just creating websites—you’re helping clients feel confident and professional.

#2 Use Storytelling to Connect: You don’t need to write a novel. Start small with quick, engaging videos.

Storytelling creates instant connections and boosts demand, just like Hershey’s emotional campaigns.

#3 Create Demand Without Discounts: Hershey proves you don’t need to slash prices to generate buzz.

Be creative. Time-sensitive bonuses or eye-catching content can spark interest without cutting into profits.

The best marketing feels natural, not like a hard sell.

Hershey’s success shows that when you tap into emotions, you create lasting bonds with customers.

As Maya Angelou said, people will forget what you said or did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.

Today’s AI Image

OpenAI Personifying its AI

Quote of the Day

The Innocent Irony of Time

"Time is what we want most but what we use worst."

William Penn

What we’re working on

Velvet Onion & Friends

The new Velvet Onion & Friends will be launched soon. It’s our latest evolution, helping companies build products. It’s more than services.

Faster Zebra

February 2025 - the product and venture school journey begins. Whitepaper launching in January.

🧞Your wish is my command

Charbel

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