Dev Propulsion Labs Sam Bhagwat on Gatsby and Mastra, YC and tapping into your inner child
May 20, 2025
In this discussion, Sam Bhagwat, co-founder of Gatsby and CEO of Mastra AI, shares insights on AI tools and developer frameworks. He reflects on his experience with YC and identifies gaps in the AI landscape that his TypeScript framework addresses. Sam emphasizes the importance of community and iterative development in tech, along with the philosophical angles of licensing. He also touches on the concept of vibe coding, balancing creativity with technical precision, inviting developers to engage with Mastra as they navigate the evolving AI ecosystem.
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Open Source Community Fuels Adoption
- Open source community excitement is a major multiplier for developer tools adoption.
- Sam compares AI's current moment to React's early days when developers flocked to learn by building small projects.
From Gatsby Exit To Full AI Commitment
- After selling Gatsby, Sam and his cofounders built AI parts for a CRM and discovered no one had solved core AI infra problems well.
- That realization pushed them to fully commit to building Mastra rather than splitting focus.
TypeScript-First Developer Experience Gap
- Existing AI frameworks often lack a TypeScript-first, high-quality developer experience.
- Sam felt many tools were far below the developer-experience bar set by modern web frameworks.
