My First Million

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I got rejected from YC (4x)…. now my side hustle is worth $1.16B

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Dec 11, 2024

Guest

Amjad Masad

01:12:47

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ANECDOTE

Replit's YC Journey

Amjad Masad's Replit was rejected four times by Y Combinator.
Despite initial setbacks, Paul Graham recognized Replit's potential, leading to their acceptance.

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ANECDOTE

Unlikely Success

Amjad Masad's success story is deemed 'unlikely' due to his background.
He started coding in Jordan and faced multiple YC rejections before achieving billion-dollar valuation.

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ANECDOTE

Leaving Facebook for Replit

Amjad Masad left Facebook in 2016 to focus on Replit after multiple YC rejections.
He invested his savings, including Bitcoin, after facing disinterest from VCs.

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The Frustrating Journey of Learning to Code

03:34 • 3min

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From Challenges to Breakthroughs in Tech

06:24 • 19min

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Navigating the YC Journey

25:22 • 14min

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Navigating Creativity and Technology for Financial Success

39:33 • 2min

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Transforming Startups with AI and Coding Tools

41:20 • 24min

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The Resilience of Steve Jobs: From Failure to Billions

01:05:11 • 4min

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The Sovereign Individual

Mastering the Transition to the Information Age

James Dale Davidson

William Rees-Mogg

The book explores the greatest economic and political transition in centuries, predicting the shift from an industrial to an information-based society. Davidson and Rees-Mogg argue that this transition will liberate individuals, alter the power of government, and lead to the rise of digital currency and cyberspace. They foresee a future where individuals will be freed from government oppression and prejudice, and where states will struggle to collect taxes due to the ease of transferring assets electronically. The authors also discuss the potential for prosperity and renewal in the face of radical changes in human history as we move into the new millennium[1][2][4].

The hard thing about hard things

building a business when there are no easy answers

Ben Horowitz

In this book, Ben Horowitz shares his personal and often humbling experiences in the tech industry to offer essential advice and practical wisdom. He addresses various hard decisions and challenges that business leaders face, such as firing friends, managing company culture, handling layoffs, and making tough strategic decisions. Horowitz emphasizes the importance of honesty, resilience, and adaptability in leadership, drawing from his experiences with companies like Loudcloud and Andreessen Horowitz.

Get our Business Monetization Playbook: https://clickhubspot.com/monetization

Episode 658: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Replit founder Amjad Masad ( https://x.com/amasad ) about the massive opportunities with AI Agents.

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Show Notes:

(0:00) Replit origin story

(9:27) Replit's 10-year overnight success

(12:27) Rejected 4x by YC

(17:28) Personal essays from Paul Graham

(20:17) "i hacked into my university to change my grades"

(25:55) Rickrolling into YC

(35:25) Shaan builds a food tracking app in 30 seconds

(43:19) Magic School: An AI application for educators 4M users in 1 year

(47:31) Amjad on Agents

(49:53) Building moats in a goldrush

(54:53) Replit is Shopify for software creators

(1:05:11) The most gangster story in Silicon Valley

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Links:

• Amjad essays - https://amasad.me/

• Replit - https://replit.com/

• Codeacademy - https://www.codecademy.com/

• Do What Makes The Best Story - https://amasad.me/story

• Magic School AI - https://www.magicschool.ai/

• 11x AI - https://www.11x.ai/

• Synthesis Tutor - https://www.synthesis.com/tutor

• The Sovereign Individual - https://tinyurl.com/4w6ns7b2

• 7 Powers - https://tinyurl.com/382ch557

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Check Out Shaan's Stuff:

Need to hire? You should use the same service Shaan uses to hire developers, designers, & Virtual Assistants → it’s called Shepherd (tell ‘em Shaan sent you): https://bit.ly/SupportShepherd

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Check Out Sam's Stuff:

• Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/

• Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/

• Copy That - https://copythat.com

• Hampton Wealth Survey - https://joinhampton.com/wealth

• Sam’s List - http://samslist.co/

My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by The HubSpot Podcast Network // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano

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