Paul Klein IV: How to Build Browsers for AI Agents

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- React Africa (partner): https://react-africa.com/

- Browserbase: https://browserbase.com/

- Browserbase Series A Announcement: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/perspectives/browserbase-AI-seriesa/

- Paul on X: https://x.com/pk_iv

Summary

In this conversation, we talk to Paul Klein IV, the founder of BrowserBase. We discuss the concept of browser-based software and its potential to automate tasks on the web. Paul explains that the future of software is one where it does the work for us, and Browserbase is designed to power this future by providing a programmable web browser for AI applications. 

We also touch on the challenges of running browser automation frameworks in production and how Browserbase solves these challenges. Paul introduces Stagehand, an open-source SDK that helps developers automate web workflows, and emphasizes the importance of ethical use of browser automation tools. Customers are building various applications on Browserbase, including web scraping, testing, AI agents, B2B software, and professional services. 

The company has experienced rapid growth, with thousands of hours of browser sessions per week. To handle the scale, Browserbase had to make architectural changes, such as moving from Postgres to ClickHouse for better performance. They also had to address challenges like connection management, resource allocation, and debugging customer issues. The founder believes they have achieved product-market fit based on strong customer retention and repeatable growth strategies. 

Browserbase is a technical product, so the number one priority for hiring is that candidates are technical and understand what Browserbase does. The team is currently focused on growing the top of the funnel and the sales edge side. They have specific roles for growth engineers and customer-focused engineers. The company recently raised a Series A round of $27M, with the goal of becoming a category-defining infrastructure company. The pricing model for Browserbase includes a hobby plan, a startup plan, and a scale plan. The company offers 10 free sessions for users to try out the product.

Chapters

00:00:00 Paul Klein IV

00:04:41 Why Browserbase?

00:11:57 What is Browserbase?

00:19:09 Stagehand: the open source SDK

00:35:30 How People are Using Browserbase

00:49:17 Creating web APIs where there are none

00:59:40 Product-Market Fit

01:06:16 AI Engineering at Browserbase

01:08:42 Remote Work vs. Onsite

01:13:36 Browserbase's Series A Round

01:20:02 AI Fatigue

01:28:11 Advice for Founders

01:32:10 Conclusion

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