Midjourney: The Little Engine That Could 🚂
Midjourney is a David and Goliath story of success. Founded in 2021 by ex-Leap Motion co-founder, David Holz, Midjourney has come a long way in a short period of time. With a 4K+ tweet in its first month of private beta and the launch of v2 just 7 months after founding, Midjourney quickly impressed the tech world so much that it landed on the cover of @TheEconomist. After launching the public beta in July, the team was quick to release v3 and open up access. The same month, it became the largest discord server in the world.
Today, Midjourney is bigger and better than ever. The team has grown from a small group of 9 to an impressive team of engineers, finance, legal and David himself. V4 was released in November 2022 and v5 was released last month, March 2023. Just 4 days ago, they launched v5.1 with exclusive features available only to paid users. With an estimated 1% conversion rate and 14.8M users, Midjourney is already a $20M+ per year business in its second year.
- v4 in November 2022
- v5 last month, March 2023
- v5.1 4 days ago, May 2023
v5 and v5.1 are not even available to free users. They’re paid only.
Midjourney is Making Waves 🌊
The success of Midjourney is being felt around the world. Companies big and small are adopting the platform and taking advantage of its AI-driven capabilities. Companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Microsoft have integrated Midjourney into their products, leveraging its powerful technology to quickly scale their operations. Uber is using Midjourney to create AI-generated images to help drive the marketing of its products, while Airbnb is using Midjourney to generate images of its properties, helping customers to better understand the features and benefits of each property.
David Holz has made it clear that he is not motivated by financial gain. He has stated that his goal is “to have a home for the next 10 years to work on cool projects that matter” (Source: https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/2/22152064/midjourney-david-holz-artificial-intelligence-discord-server-economist-cover). This commitment to innovation and progress is what has driven Midjourney’s success, and it is why David is not motivated by financial gain. He is focused on creating a platform that will benefit humanity in the
Conclusion
David Holz and his team at Midjourney have achieved something remarkable. In a short period of 20 months, Midjourney has become a leader in the AI space, providing an innovative solution for companies of all sizes. The team’s commitment to creating a platform that expands the imaginative powers of humanity is evident in the continued development and success of Midjourney. Companies around the world are taking advantage of its AI-driven capabilities to quickly scale their operations, while David is focused on creating a platform that will benefit humanity in the long-term. Midjourney is a true David and Goliath story, and one that shows no signs of slowing down.
Great Article about Midjourney’s Journey…. I know… Metaroids