He Built an AI Ad Platform Before AI Was the Conversation

Stephen Upstone has been working in AI for over 20 years, long before it was a talking point, and as CEO and Founder of LoopMe he’s grown the business 40% year over year for seven consecutive years. His take on where generative AI is taking the industry is one of the most clear-eyed in the room, and he’s not interested in sugarcoating it.

AI Native Since Before It Was Cool: Stephen started working with artificial intelligence over 20 years ago, mixing with the founders of DeepMind before most people knew what machine learning was. LoopMe was built on that foundation from day one. 🤖

40% Growth for Seven Straight Years: Through some of the industry’s hardest years, LoopMe has grown 40% top line every single year. Generative AI is now accelerating that further, delivering nearly 6x productivity gains in code development alone. 📈

The Biggest Collective Lie in Advertising: Everyone is going to say Gen AI won’t really disrupt them. Stephen says that’s exactly what people said before every major shift in the industry. The hole is below the waterline. The music is still playing. ⚠️

Open App Is the Future of the Open Internet: Web traffic is declining. Mobile apps and CTV are where attention is going. Stephen is already building for that shift while others are still pretending it isn’t happening. 📱

Be in It for the Long Game: The advice Stephen would give his younger self is simple. Stay curious, surround yourself with people who build new things, and have patience. It will come. 🎯