The Morning Brief ET in the Valley: Grant Lee, Co-Founder & CEO of Gamma
Nov 26, 2025
Grant Lee, Co-founder and CEO of Gamma, shares insights on his innovative design and AI-native productivity platform. Frustrated by tedious slide formatting, he transformed presentations with a writing-first approach that gained traction in India and Asia. Grant discusses Gamma's expansion plans, the role of AI in user experience, and the importance of a lean, collaborative work culture. He also addresses hiring challenges due to visa issues and emphasizes the essential skills for a future heavily influenced by AI.
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Founding From Consultant Frustration
- Grant Lee started Gamma after frustrated nights formatting Google Slides as a consultant.
- He and two former colleagues prototyped for months and raised pre-seed in 2020 to pursue a writing-first approach.
Writing-First Design Unlocks Speed
- Gamma adopted a writing-first philosophy to separate content creation from design decisions early on.
- Integrating AI lets Gamma preassemble building blocks so new users get a helpful first draft instantly.
Product Hunt Spike Then Rebuild
- Before the AI launch, Gamma spiked on Product Hunt but plateaued due to low organic virality.
- After four months of reworking the first 30 seconds of the UX, the March 2023 AI launch produced thousands of signups per day with no marketing.