Marketecture Podcast – Episode 155

"Ari Missed CES, but Eric and AI Were There. Plus, Mike Khristo Creates Marketing Plans from GitHub"
Date: January 9, 2026
Host: Ari Paparo
Co-host: Eric Franchi
Guest: Mike Khristo, CEO of Layers

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the latest trends from CES 2026, the evolving role of AI in advertising, and an interview with Mike Khristo, CEO of Layers—a platform aiming to automate marketing for developers straight from their code. Ari Paparo, sidelined by a cold and missing CES, chats with Eric Franchi for a boots-on-the-ground update, then spotlights a new wave of "vibe coding" and side project monetization. The news recap rounds up major AI and ad tech product launches, M&A activity, and what’s next for platform automation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. CES 2026: Themes & Vibes (01:00–05:00; 26:29–29:26)

• General Sentiment: Optimism mixed with confusion about where AI, M&A, and partnerships are headed.
• Key Trends:
  • AI everywhere—company announcements dominated by automation.
  • Continued consolidation and partnerships.
  • A scramble for relevance among legacy ad tech businesses.

Quote:
"The vibe is generally like we're all trying to figure this thing out. All things around AI, lots of talk about just continued M&A and consolidation and big partnerships. The usual CES stuff." — Eric (02:03)

2. Ari’s Side Projects: Vibe Coding & MAD DB (03:26–05:19)

• Vibe Coding: Ari’s creative, experimental coding projects—he’s got several rolling, aiming to quickly test app ideas.
• MAD DB Updates: Now includes an event calendar for the advertising industry powered by AI and a new press monitoring feature.
  Ari invites feedback and users to claim companies for more exposure.

3. Interview: Mike Khristo, CEO of Layers (06:10–25:49)

What is Layers?

• Positioning: "Your technical CMO"—automates marketing for developers, taking code and generating go-to-market plans, campaign assets, and even SDK implementation.
• Problem Solved: Developers excel at building but struggle with marketing (“kind of allergic to it”).
• How it Works: Give Layers access to your GitHub repo; Layer’s AI analyzes code, UI, assets, and auto-generates user profiles, marketing suggestions, and instrumentations (e.g., integrating analytics SDKs for Meta, TikTok).

Quote:
"As a developer, I can say that we're actually kind of allergic to [marketing]... So we built Layers out of our own need... automate as much marketing for people who don't have a marketing team." — Mike Khristo (06:54)

How Does AI Analyze Code for Marketing?

• Scrapes onboarding/help screens, icons, imagery, and text from codebase.
• Determines core audience, aesthetic preferences, and recommends media channels and creatives.

Differentiation vs. Similar Tools

• Goes beyond ad campaign generation by actually instrumenting the app code (adds SDKs automatically), so developers don’t need to manually integrate marketing or analytics code.

Quote:
"Putting in the Facebook SDK is not something that's like a pleasant experience... We'll just say here, we instrumented your app, we put the Facebook SDK in, or TikTok SDK, whatever it is, and we'll instrument your app where it needs to be instrumented." — Mike Khristo (09:44)

The Rise of 'Vibe Coding' and App Monetization

• Accessibility: Quality of AI-generated code has improved immensely.
• Who Succeeds: Non-traditional coders like designers and CEOs launching commercial apps, especially in hyperniche consumer categories.
• Organic Growth: AI-driven, single-function apps can find distribution through social/UGC creators and app store optimization.

Quote:
"There's this renaissance in consumer mobile apps. Utility apps, kind of single player, do one thing really well, throw a mascot on there, gamify it a little bit." — Mike Khristo (13:06)

Channels & Media Planning for App Marketing

• Channels: Meta (Facebook), Google Search, Apple Search Ads for paid; TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts for organic.
• App Store Optimization: Essential for organic discovery; recommend bidding on your brand/app name to avoid “sniping” from competitors.

Quote:
"It doesn't matter what kind of marketing you do if you can't be found in the App Store." — Mike Khristo (15:45)

Cost of User Acquisition Strategies

• Example: $400 base, 60 posts guaranteed, and $1 CPM up to $1000 cap per UGC post.

Future Predictions

• Expect even more democratization; more non-developers able to create, release, and market apps fueled by AI—moving toward hyperniche app communities and builder empowerment.

Quote:
"The burden and pressure of side hustles has now been removed. You don't need to find a technical co founder anymore... you can go build stuff. Yeah, it's wild." — Mike Khristo (24:42)

4. News of the Week, Industry Trends & Analysis (26:29–48:16)

Marketecture Funding Announcement (26:46–27:48)

• Ari shares Marketecture's new funding round and plans for expansion and M&A.
• Event plug: Marketecture Live, March 11th–12th.

AI Productization and Automation (28:52–32:09)

• Platforms Announce 'Set It and Forget It' AI Tools:
  • Amazon (Expert mode & PMAX-like auto-optimization for DSP).
  • Reddit Max Campaign—makes Reddit inventory set-and-forget for advertisers.
  • Vyant Lattice Brain—AI for open web programmatic, with “outcomes” focus.

Quote:
"Anyone who's big enough to have an ad manager should also have a max as part of the suite." — Ari (35:04)

Commentary on Publishers and Buy-side Automation

• Publishers need self-serve ad managers and AI automation to compete.
• Open question: Will buyers want full automation or retain control? Likely to split by advertiser type and campaign goal.

'Agentic' Ad Tech: Workflow Automation & Decisioning (38:31–41:11)

• IAB vs. ADCP: Competing frameworks for agent-based programmatic.
• Major Announcements: Magnite, Pubmatic, Yahoo launching agentic pilots.
• Newton Research case: Buyer and seller agents executed linear TV buys—AI penetration now reaches even traditional TV.

Retail Media, Partnerships, and M&A (41:11–47:18)

• Walmart’s AI launches: "Sparky" (consumer assistant—a Rufus/Amazon competitor), "Marty" (advertiser-facing AI for campaign automation).
• Strategic partnerships: Liveramp & Publicis (potential acquisition rumors discussed).
• OpenAds/TradeDesk brings big publishers to its prebid fork; questions linger about the value proposition for publishers.

Quote:
"You have to question whether single platform automation is really a business model for an independent company...the incumbents will automate themselves." — Ari (42:59)

Memorable/Light Moments

• On AI music hype: Vyant’s Lattice Brain announcement included an AI-generated rap track; yet, “Tim and Chris did not rap.” (33:05–33:32)
• Ari’s ongoing efforts to get Jeff Green (The Trade Desk CEO) on the podcast: "You have an open invite." (47:50)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "The vibe is generally like we're all trying to figure this thing out. All things around AI..." – Eric, on CES (02:03)
• "We're actually kind of allergic to [marketing]... automate as much marketing for people who don't have a marketing team." – Mike Khristo (06:54)
• "We'll just say here, we instrumented your app, we put the Facebook SDK in..." – Mike Khristo (09:44)
• "There's this renaissance in consumer mobile apps. Utility apps, kind of single player, do one thing really well..." – Mike Khristo (13:06)
• "You don't need to find a technical co founder anymore... you can go build stuff. Yeah, it's wild." – Mike Khristo (24:42)
• "Anyone who's big enough to have an ad manager should also have a max as part of the suite." – Ari (35:04)
• "You have an open invite [Jeff Green]." – Ari (47:50)

Key Timestamps

• 01:00–05:00: Opening banter, CES field report, Ari’s “vibe coding”; intro to Layers and MAD DB updates
• 06:10–25:49: Interview with Mike Khristo (Layers): Automating marketing for developers
• 26:29–29:26: Ari & Eric: Funding announcement and strategic growth
• 29:26–38:09: Analysis: AI product launches, self-serve and automated platforms (Reddit, Amazon, Vyant)
• 38:31–41:11: ‘Agentic’ ad tech, IAB vs. ADCP, AI agents in TV/linear
• 41:11–47:18: Retail media (Walmart Connect), major partnerships, publisher automation, and industry rumors
• 47:39–48:37: Ari’s open call for Jeff Green to join the podcast, sign-off

Summary Takeaway

CES 2026 set a tone of urgent experimentation, with AI-driven automation and platform consolidation at the forefront of marketing technology. Developers are closer than ever to being solo founders, with tools like Layers handling the marketing grunt work. The next frontier? Full “set and forget” AI-driven buying and selling on both publisher and advertiser sides, but many open questions about advertiser preferences, brand safety, and platform power plays remain.

For more, visit Marketecture.tv.