Video Will be the New Software and What That Means for Editors
The future of editing is everything but editing. As AI reshapes how we work, sell, and learn, editors must evolve or get left behind.
Y Combinator just issued their latest Request for Startups. New ideas and opportunities they want to see the next generation of founders tackle head-on.
And right up there on that list of requests was David Lieb calling out one of the biggest shifts:
“Video as a computing primitive.”
Not just a feature or format. Not an output.
But the input. The new building block for software - something you build other things with.
If that sounds abstract, here’s what it means in practice:
A new season of your favorite canceled Netflix show on-demand.
Asynchronous lifelogs or personal stories created from ambient footage or wearable cameras
Gaming worlds built on‑the‑fly without pre‑designed engines
Wild. Wilder still if you’re in the business of making videos—like we are.
Because we’re now living in a world where video is quickly becoming something we don’t just consume - it’s something we can compute with.
And that shift changes everything. It changes who makes video, how it’s made, and what kinds of companies can now be built on top of it.
But if you zoom out, this shift fits into a much older, recognisable pattern.
And Benedict Evans explains it beautifully. Every few years, there’s a new breakthrough that feels like magic: the Internet, GPS, databases, machine learning, image recognition, even e-commerce. At first, it’s treated like “the future.”
Then it starts working. And once it works, it stops being technology.
It becomes infrastructure. Invisible. Embedded. And all the interesting questions move up the stack. You know this because you’ve seen it happen before:
Once GPS worked, we stopped asking “Will my phone know where I am?”—and started asking “How do we redesign transport, logistics, and cities?” → And we got Uber, DoorDash, and Google Maps as a platform.
Once e‑commerce worked, we stopped asking “Will people buy things online?”—and started asking “How do we win in fashion, logistics, and branding?” → And we got Amazon as an ad giant and Shein as the world’s biggest apparel retailer.
Once streaming worked, we stopped asking “Can video play on the internet?”—and started asking “How do we change the way people watch and pay for entertainment?” → And we got Netflix remaking TV.
And that’s exactly what’s happening with GenAI video right now.
We’ve hit the inflection point where AI powers the entire video software layer—creating, editing, rendering, translating, even versioning. We can now generate studio‑quality footage of almost anything on the fly, crazy cheap.
Which means the ‘micro’ questions video editors have been asking since GenAI arrived on the scene are now limiting.
What makes this video “good enough”?
Who’s the editor when everyone can edit?
Will AI take my job?
These questions keep editors mired in the age‑old squabbles between tech and craft—between taste, finesse, and automation. Taste and craft still matter. They’re the floor, not the ceiling. Editors with a sharp eye and strong creative instincts will always stand out.
But taste alone won’t future‑proof a career in video—not when AI can handle the baseline work.
To stay ahead of the curve, editors need to level up to ‘macro’ questions—questions about video’s role in workflows, storytelling, and entire industries. Questions like:
How do we use video to change the way we work, sell, and teach? How do we design distribution and storytelling for a world where video can be personalized and generated on demand? If video is infrastructure, how do we integrate it into workflows, customer experiences, and revenue models?
And in the past year, as we’ve built and experimented with AI video almost daily, we’ve seen six shifts that show what this new kind of editing looks like - and how it’s reshaping the role of the video editor in the industry.
1. Work & Collaboration: Video is becoming the new async workflow
👁️🗨️ What we’re observing:
We’re seeing teams replace Slack threads, live demos, and endless documentation with instant, AI‑generated videos. A product manager records a single walkthrough and the tool auto‑generates a polished clip for the team, a customer‑facing snippet, and a searchable knowledge‑base entry. Meetings that once took 30 minutes are now a 2‑minute video link.
💡What this means at the macro level:
When every workflow can become a video by default, video stops being a deliverable—it becomes infrastructure for work. Knowledge transfer, updates, and collaboration happen visually, asynchronously, and on demand. The companies that adopt this won’t just save time—they’ll operate differently, with video as the backbone of internal communication.
✂️ What changes for editors:
How do we ensure they’re discoverable, searchable, and consistent with brand and tone?
Editors can’t just be “finishers” anymore. Their role moves upstream to designing video‑driven workflows:
Which updates should be videos?
How does our organization work differently now that video is cheap, instant, and infinite?
The editor of the future becomes a workflow architect, not just a timeline jockey.
2. Sales & Marketing: Video is becoming the frontline of GTM
👁️🗨️ What we’re observing:
Go‑to‑market teams are starting to use video as the first touchpoint, not the follow‑up. Personalized demos, product walkthroughs, and hyper‑targeted outbound videos can now be generated in minutes. Feature launches can go live across social, email, and in‑app messaging with multiple variations—no studio, no manual reshoots.
💡What this means at the macro level:
Video becomes the key interface between a product and its market. Campaigns move faster, buyer journeys become more visual, and “good enough” video is no longer a differentiator because every team can produce it. Success depends on strategic deployment and distribution—knowing where and how video can move a lead or close a deal.
✂️ What changes for editors:
Editors now act as GTM enablers and orchestrators:
Which moments in the buyer journey demand video?
How do we differentiate when every competitor can generate the same explainer or ad?
How do we design a system for versioning and personalizing video at scale?
The editor moves closer to revenue, owning how video accelerates awareness, conversion, and trust.
3. Education & Learning: Video is turning everyone into a self‑learner
👁️🗨️ What we’re observing:
Learning teams, customer success, and even support orgs are shifting from static PDFs and decks to dynamic video libraries. AI lets them create tutorials, partner training, and onboarding content in every language, tailored to every role or skill level—without waiting for big production cycles.
💡What this means at the macro level:
Video becomes the primary layer for knowledge transfer, inside and outside the organization. Employees, customers, and partners can learn asynchronously and at their own pace. Support load decreases as people find answers in short, context‑specific videos.
✂️ What changes for editors:
Editors now become learning architects:
How should knowledge be packaged in video to actually drive retention?
How do we ensure videos stay accurate as products or processes change?
How do we align tone, clarity, and accessibility across a massive library of content?
The editor’s role is about scaling self‑serve learning, not just producing “how‑to” assets.
4. Product & Experience Design: Video is moving inside the product
👁️🗨️ What we’re observing:
Teams are embedding on‑demand, contextual video directly into products and experiences. A user hovering over a feature sees a quick walkthrough. A new release auto‑generates a mini‑tour. Even physical spaces—stores, events—can now integrate real‑time, generative video experiences.
💡What this means at the macro level:
Video stops being marketing collateral and becomes a core part of the product experience. It drives adoption, reduces friction, and deepens engagement. As video becomes programmable and embedded, product teams will design with video in mind from day one.
✂️ What changes for editors:
Editors shift from content creators to experience designers:
How should video live inside a product without overwhelming the user?
How can editing decisions improve adoption or retention, not just aesthetics?
How do we collaborate with product and UX teams to make video a native part of the experience?
The editor’s influence moves from campaign timelines to product roadmaps.
5. Media & Storytelling: Video is breaking the idea of a single version
👁️🗨️ What we’re observing:
Marketing and media teams are already experimenting with dynamic video variations. A single product teaser spawns platform‑specific edits for LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and in‑app placement—all generated from the same raw assets. Sports and gaming content is starting to adjust itself to the viewer, highlighting your favorite team or character first. Even streaming platforms are piloting branching or personalized storylines, where every viewer sees a slightly different experience.
💡What this means at the macro level:
Storytelling shifts from a single polished asset to a narrative system—a network of context‑specific outputs that flex across audiences and platforms. Creators, brands, and media teams will compete on narrative systems and versioning discipline, not just big hero videos.
✂️ What changes for editors:
Editors evolve into narrative architects:
How do we define the creative rules and guardrails for infinite variations?
How do we protect brand and emotional resonance when there’s no single final cut?
How do we measure success in a world of highly personalized media?
The editor’s job moves from making one perfect video to designing tailored stories at scale.
6. Strategy & Business Models: Video is becoming raw material for new industries
👁️🗨️ What we’re observing:
The most exciting shifts we’re seeing are where video stops being content and starts being infrastructure for business. Programmatic ad networks are already swapping visuals, offers, and CTAs in real time. SaaS products are beginning to generate video as a core feature, from fitness apps that create daily workout clips to language tools producing individualized practice videos. Retailers are piloting immersive commerce, where every product page and virtual store interaction triggers context‑specific video: trying on shoes virtually, seeing a couch in your living room, or receiving a video‑based upsell in‑app.
💡What this means at the macro level:
Video as infrastructure means it’s no longer just marketing or storytelling. This shift turns video into a raw material for monetization and product differentiation. It powers new revenue streams, real‑time engagement loops, and products that are inherently video‑native.
✂️ What changes for editors:
Editors take on a strategic, cross‑functional role:
Where can video unlock new revenue streams or experiences?
How do we ensure video outputs integrate with data, personalization, and automation pipelines?
How can we contribute to business and product innovation, not just creative execution?
The editor becomes a builder of systems and opportunities, not just an executor of content.
Editors Step Out of the Timeline
Across all six observations, the pattern is clear:
Video now powers how companies work, sell, teach, design products, and tell stories.
And the editors who thrive in this new era will be the ones who step out of the timeline and into the business, product, and storytelling decisions that video unlocks. They won’t just polish videos—they’ll shape how video drives outcomes, revenue, and experiences across industries.
Because we’re still editing videos.
Just not the way we used to.
