The $2B Nvidia Backed AI Video Platform

The Synthesia Story

Synthesia enables anyone to create professional videos without cameras or video expertise. Users type scripts, select AI avatars, and use a PowerPoint-like interface to produce videos that once required entire production teams. The platform doesn't just generate video—it helps users understand video storytelling, offering AI assistance that can transform PDFs or presentations into properly paced video content.

The company's journey is a Silicon Valley classic. After 80-100 investor rejections during the "AI winter," a cold email to Mark Cuban led to their first $1M investment. Cuban had actually implemented their underlying technology at home and immediately understood the vision. But the real breakthrough came from a strategic pivot: instead of targeting Hollywood with AI dubbing, they focused on corporate users who compared AI video quality to PowerPoint, not blockbuster films.

Democratization Through Design

What sets Synthesia apart is their focus on editability and control. Unlike pure prompt-based systems, everything remains editable after generation. As Victor explains: "We invested a lot in the editor... because if you have that, everything is fully editable, right? And that's great because then you can start to help people."

This approach mirrors the evolution in software development tools. Just as no-code platforms opened up app creation, Synthesia is making video accessible to non-specialists. The key insight: different use cases require different tools. A personal to-do app and enterprise CRM have different stakes—similarly, corporate training videos and Super Bowl ads need different approaches.

The Future of Content

Victor's provocative prediction—"Your kids' kids won't be reading and writing"—reflects deeper trends. As video creation becomes as easy as writing, why compress ideas into text? He points to his own behavior: "I'll buy a book on Amazon and spend a day reading it, feeling like half the time they're just rehashing the same examples... when I could watch a 25-minute YouTube video."

But the future isn't just video replacing text. It's about adaptive content that personalizes to viewers—educational videos that adjust pacing, use relevant examples, and answer questions in real-time. Just as websites evolved from digital newspapers into dynamic experiences, AI video will evolve beyond traditional formats into interactive, personalized media we can't yet imagine.

Key Takeaways

The conversation reveals important parallels between AI video and AI-assisted software development. In both fields, experienced practitioners who embrace AI tools will thrive by focusing on higher-level decisions—storytelling and user experience in video, architecture and product design in software. The quality of human input matters: expert users write better prompts and get superior results.

For businesses, the message is clear: video creation is becoming as fundamental as document creation. The tools are democratizing rapidly, and early adopters will have significant advantages. We're witnessing transformative technology following its predictable pattern—first replicating existing formats more efficiently, then evolving into entirely new mediums that reshape how we create, share, and consume information.