GM. This is Needs to Exist (aka NTE), today with a startup idea to fix those annoying group chats.

There are more ideas where this came from. Check out past ideas in our past newsletters.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today.

• Daily Idea - Chat Meets GitHub

• Deep Research

Upgrade Group Chats Now

Inspired by this tweet thread

The One Liner

Group chats with branches you control.

The 140 character tweet (or X) version

Group chats where you can test changes—add/remove people, start side convos—without wrecking the main chat.

The Longer Story Version

The Problem

Group chats are a mess when things change.

Add a new person to a chat and suddenly the vibe shifts. Maybe you want to try bringing someone in for a few days—just to see how they fit—but if they don't, it’s awkward to remove them.

Or, you’ve got a side convo idea. You want to kick it off, but you don’t want to spam the main chat and annoy everyone with notifications. Now you're stuck either creating a whole new chat or clogging up the current one.

Once you make a change in a group chat, there’s no turning back. No trial runs. No graceful ways to test or reset.

The Solution

Ever seen how software developers collaborate? They use a system called branching.

When developers want to test a feature, they don’t mess with the main version of the app. They create a branch—a temporary copy of the project. They experiment, make changes, and test it out. If the feature works, they merge it back into the main project. If it doesn’t, they scrap the branch. Simple. No disruption, no drama.

What if group chats worked the same way?

Here’s how:

1. Branch It: Want to test a new group setup—maybe add some people, or start a convo about your upcoming Vegas trip? Create a branch of the chat.

2. Experiment: The new branch lets you test without affecting the main chat. Add/remove people or topics. If it doesn’t work? Delete the branch. No one’s feelings are hurt, and nothing gets messy.

3. Merge with Consent: If the new branch works, you can merge it back into the main chat—but only after the group agrees. Democracy in action.

It’s flexible, reversible, and keeps your digital social life organized.

Tools We’d Use

This isn’t rocket science. Here’s the stack:

• Chat Engine: Twilio or Sendbird to handle messaging and real-time updates.

• Branch & Merge Logic: Firebase or AWS Amplify for backend tracking and smooth sync.

• Approval System: Custom API to manage votes and approvals.

• Multi-Platform: Flutter or React Native to hit mobile and web in one go.

• Data Insights: Amplitude for analytics on how users engage with branches and merges.

Why It Needs to Exist

Because life moves fast, and your chats should too.

Social groups evolve. Work projects shift. One day, you need a tight project team chat. The next, you’re inviting friends to plan a reunion. Things change, and static group chats just can’t keep up.

This tool makes managing conversations as dynamic as your life. Stop getting stuck in group chat limbo. Start adapting. Someone should build this.

New Game-Changer from OpenAI 

Deep Research

This isn’t just another AI update. OpenAI just dropped a feature called Deep Research, and it’s gonna make life hard for startups that aren’t paying attention.

Here’s the gist:
Deep Research is like your personal McKinsey consultant—except it doesn’t need lunch breaks, doesn’t bill by the hour, and won’t ghost you on Slack.

How It Works

You give it a prompt (the more detailed, the better). It might ask a few clarifying questions, then boom—it’s off to the races. Over the next 5-30 minutes, it reads the internet for you like a caffeinated researcher with zero distractions. Think of it as “autonomous browsing,” synthesizing info from blogs, PDFs, images, and even niche journal articles.

The kicker? You can actually watch it work in real-time via a live panel that shows its thought process, sources, and reasoning.

Right now, it's only for Pro users (the $200/month version), but it’ll roll out to others soon.

Why This Matters: Products & Disruption

Here’s where things get juicy.

This tool isn’t just some academic flex—it’s a startup idea factory. Imagine being able to:

• Spot market trends before your competition.

• Discover white spaces your competitors haven’t noticed.

• Make product decisions based on hours of analysis in minutes.

🚀 Example 1: Want to disrupt Peloton? Ask Deep Research to scan wellness trends, competitor strategies, and customer pain points. Maybe it tells you people are flocking to hybrid mental + physical wellness solutions. Now you've got a blueprint for your next product launch.

🚀 Example 2: Let’s say you’re in fintech. You ask it to pull global regulations on crypto wallets. In 20 minutes, you’ve got a list of compliance hurdles, emerging markets, and potential product pivots. Weeks of research, done faster than you can finish a Netflix binge.

This changes the game for early-stage founders who don’t have research teams. Speed kills in startups, and Deep Research gives you the speed.

On the Flip Side: How Startups Get Disrupted

If you don’t use this eventually, good luck. Here’s why:

1. Time-to-market gets crushed – Your competitor is already testing a product while you’re stuck reading outdated analyst reports.

2. R&D Advantage – Startups using AI can cut dev cycles in half. Biotech, engineering, finance… you name it.

3. Smarter Products – Imagine a travel app powered by real-time research on destinations, weather, and prices. AI-first companies are building smarter, more adaptive consumer experiences.

If you’re slow, you’re toast.

AI Power Stack

Deep Research isn’t the only tool shaking things up. Here are a few more that can help you move fast and break things:

• Deepseek: Another agentic AI making waves in research.

• Perplexity AI: Quick answers backed by sources (like Google, but without the SEO junk).

• Notion AI: Automates content creation and project planning for startups.

• Google Gemini: Think of it like a research assistant with access to real-time data.

Combine these with Deep Research, and you’ve got a full-stack disruption toolkit.

Use Cases in the Wild

Let’s bring it home with some real-world examples:

💡 Product Dev: A medtech startup uses Deep Research to scan thousands of papers on new treatment protocols. Boom—quicker path to FDA approval.

💡 Consumer Decisions: Say you’re buying an EV. Deep Research gathers thousands of reviews, safety reports, and price trends to give you a personalized comparison guide. Tesla or Rivian? Let the AI decide.

💡 Marketing: Imagine using AI to surface emerging subcultures. You’d know which micro-communities are growing and what kind of messaging resonates—before anyone else.

Limitations (AKA: Don’t Trust AI Blindly)

OpenAI admits it’s not perfect. Deep Research can still hallucinate and spit out false info. So yeah, double-check the receipts. Use it as a partner, not your only brain.

But if you keep an eye on things, this tool is a game-changer.

TL;DR: Use It or Get Left Behind

Tools like Deep Research are turning hours of work into minutes. Entrepreneurs who embrace this can think faster, test quicker, and pivot sooner than ever. If you're in the game of product creation and disruption, this is your cheat code.

One More Meme