# Building the Universal AI Automation Layer
**Featuring n8n CEO Jan Oberhauser – Interview by Sequoia Capital**
*2025-10-14, Beijing*
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> **"Everything we provide for free eventually benefits every user, and in the long run drives more usage and revenue growth — versus features designed solely for enterprise clients."**
*Image source: EU-Startups*
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## 🔑 Key Highlights
- The **AI wave** can be a major opportunity — or the end of a company. n8n is betting on the former.
- n8n was made **free** not merely out of generosity, but as part of building a sustainable business model.
- Focusing on enterprise first makes it hard to expand downward — **bottom-up growth** wins the wider market.
- Long-term goal: **n8n should become the single name people think of when building with AI**.
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## 📌 Interview Context
- **Date**: August 26, 2025
- **Interviewer/Hosts**: Pat Grady & George Robson (Sequoia Capital)
- **Guest**: Jan Oberhauser, founder & CEO of **n8n**
- **Topic**: Evolution from workflow automation → **AI orchestration layer**
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## Journey from Workflows to AI Orchestration
**Pat Grady**: Revenue quadrupled in eight months after six steady years. What drove this?
**Jan Oberhauser**:
1. **AI focus** — rather than adding features, n8n became part of the **AI value chain** by enabling users to **build AI-powered apps** through orchestration.
2. **Dropping lead generation targets** — invested in **community growth** and top-of-funnel adoption.
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## Doubling Down on the Community
**Actions Taken**:
- Removed lead-generation target pressures.
- Targeted **large-organization adoption via bottom-up users**.
- Hosted more events and published educational content.
- Empowered community creators (especially on YouTube), leading to organic growth and improved rankings.
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**Insight**: Platforms like [AiToEarn官网](https://aitoearn.ai/) embody this **community-first** approach — connecting AI generation tools with publishing, analytics, and monetization across multiple global platforms.
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## Early Stage Lessons & Values
- **Community from day one** — first hire was a **Head of DevRel**.
- **Transparent licensing** — code is free to use, but **commercial reuse is prohibited**.
- Maintains **dual-licensing model** to avoid later license changes that alienate communities.
- Adapted to opportunities (AI was not planned initially) — seizing them defines sustainable companies.
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## Managing a Global Community
**Strategies**:
- Share big changes early in the community forum → explain, get feedback, iterate.
- Empower contributors — e.g., hiring long-time contributor Ricardo.
- Foster creator output: tutorials, integrations, content.
- Operate with **open-source spirit**, even without OSI-approved license.
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## Balancing Requests vs Long-Term Vision
- Early: built **directly from community votes**.
- Mature stage: balance community requests with **market trends & sustainability**.
- Example: Prioritizing **enterprise features** alongside user-driven needs like AI capabilities.
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## The Do-or-Die AI Pivot
Trigger: Pinecone repositioned from **vector DB** to **AI DB**, attracting massive funding.
Action: n8n positioned itself **as an advanced AI Agents builder** — low/no-code creation of agents with tools, memory, integrations.
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**Parallel Insight**:
Platforms like [AiToEarn开源地址](https://github.com/yikart/AiToEarn) show how **open ecosystems** can broaden impact — enabling AI-driven creators to reach audiences across global social networks.
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## Open Source in AI
- **Strength**: Accelerates innovation through a distributed contributor base.
- **Myth**: Not always cheaper — self-hosting often **costs more** but **improves control and data privacy**.
- n8n sees demand for self-hosting in secure private cloud environments.
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## Standardization’s Role: MCP
- MCP likened to **HTTP for AI workflows** — enabling agent-to-agent communication.
- Potential foundation for marketplaces, plug-and-play integrations.
- n8n aims to be the **orchestration layer** bridging MCP-compatible tools.
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## Explaining n8n to Newcomers
- **Easiest yet most powerful way to build AI Agents**.
- Rapid from idea → prototype → production.
- **Stack-agnostic**: works with any LLM, memory, store, application.
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## Observed Trends
- Continued reliance on **Google tools** and messaging platforms like **Slack/Telegram**.
- Flexible to connect **apps** and **internal tools** equally well.
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## User Base Quality Post-Growth
- New users are either skilled or have strong problem focus.
- Some learn coding via n8n to extend capabilities.
- **Technical talent & high engagement remain strong**.
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## Founder's Pressure in 2025
- Shift from predictable planning → **constant uncertainty**.
- Need to balance **trend awareness** without **blind pursuit**.
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## CEO Decision-Making & Signal Weighting
- Balance **enterprise partnerships** with massive **free user base**.
- **Free features** drive product quality & long-term revenue.
- Bottom-up adoption often leads into large organizations.
- **Avoid enterprise-only strategy** — it hampers expansion.
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## AI Innovation Pace
- Recent slowdown after early "low-hanging fruit" — expected **temporary** before next acceleration.
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## Horizontal vs Vertical Future
- Vertical apps excel at one task; horizontal tools like n8n connect them.
- AI trend is toward **complex verticals → need for orchestration**.
- n8n prepared to serve **both integration and in-tool build scenarios**.
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## Long-Term Vision
- **“Excel of AI” analogy** — n8n as the default build/orchestration tool.
- Evolving from build tool → deployment + agent discovery.
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## Scaling Globally
- Started in Europe, expanding into **U.S. market** (New York office).
- Hiring in engineering, support, marketing, and community.
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## Quickfire Round
- **Lesson learned**: Avoid overloading with parallel opportunities — but bold bets often pay off.
- **Favourite AI-related film**: *Her* — from sci-fi to near-reality.
- **Recently enjoyed tool**: Granola — simple, useful, well-designed.
- **Next 6–12 months trend**: AI-powered internal tools.
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## ⚙️ AI Orchestration + Monetization Ecosystem
- **n8n**: automates workflows & AI agent orchestration.
- **[AiToEarn官网](https://aitoearn.ai/)**: open-source AI content monetization — generate once, publish across multiple platforms ([AiToEarn文档](https://docs.aitoearn.ai/)).
- Shared philosophy: empower users with **horizontal infrastructure** for both innovation and sustainable scaling.
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**🎯 Original Source**: [YouTube Interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUHU-w4Lz1I)
*Compiled by Yuchen for Z Potentials*
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