Spotlight On Bonus Episode: n8n’s Jan Oberhauser on building the Excel of AI
Oct 9, 2025
Jan Oberhauser, Founder and CEO of n8n, transitioned from a visual effects artist to an entrepreneur on a mission to streamline workflow automation. He shares his journey of founding n8n to combat tedious tasks and build tools for everyone. The duo discusses n8n’s community-building strategies that keep users loyal, the challenges of adapting to AI innovations, and the bold vision of becoming the 'Excel of AI.' Jan emphasizes the importance of hiring humble individuals passionate about the company’s mission, creating a thriving culture that balances work and joy.
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Building n8n From Frustration With Repetition
- Jan explains how repetitive engineering tasks at startups led him to build n8n as reusable building blocks.
- He launched a soft version in June 2019, iterated with community feedback, and did a proper launch in October.
Avoid The 80% Trap
- Jan argues low-code tools often fail at the last 20% needed for production readiness.
- n8n chose flexibility and power over extreme simplicity to avoid that trap.
Build And Reward A Helping Community
- Invest early in community and personally support users until community members can help each other.
- Build programs (navigators, points, leaderboards) so top contributors scale your support.