Scaling DevTools

Eric Allam, cofounder of Trigger.dev, shares insights on his platform for open-source background jobs. He discusses the iterative process behind Trigger's evolution, revealing how user feedback led to significant improvements. Eric dives into the development of serverless functions tailored for API calls, and the integration with Superbase for triggering workflows. He also explores the challenges of adding enterprise features and highlights the growth Trigger.dev has achieved by adapting to developer needs and fostering community support.

Kyle Galbraith, cofounder of Depot, shares his journey of building a developer tool that skyrocketed to over $1M in ARR with just three people. He dives into the challenges of growing a lean team while managing operations across different time zones. The power of user feedback and authentic testimonials is emphasized as crucial for credibility. Kyle also discusses strategies for reducing build times in software development and creating sustainable business models, ensuring the product aligns with the unique needs of engineers.

In this insightful conversation, Jason Lengstorf, founder of CodeTV and a whiz in developer tools marketing, shares his expertise. He emphasizes the need for consistent messaging to avoid customer confusion and discusses how enterprise features enhance developer experiences. Jason also highlights the role of video in marketing, showcasing its power to build community and brand loyalty. Additionally, he delves into the evolving challenges of web development, advocating for tools that adapt to developers’ needs.

Sunil Pai, now at Cloudflare after his startup PartyKit's acquisition and a former member of the React core team at Meta, dives into the fascinating world of AI agents. He discusses innovative applications in banking and the tech landscape's challenges, contrasting Cloudflare’s forward-thinking approach with traditional companies. Sunil also shares insights on reducing latency with Cloudflare workers, the impact of business automation, and how durable objects transform real-time app development, paving the way for a new wave of AI-driven tools.

Thomas Paul Mann, co-founder of Raycast, discusses the evolution of their productivity tool designed for developers. He shares insights from their unique Y Combinator journey, particularly how they adapted to challenges during the pandemic. The conversation dives into maintaining quality while rapidly shipping features and how user feedback shapes their development. Mann also explores the exciting integration of AI, highlighting innovative ways it enhances workflow and user interaction, making technology more accessible through voice commands.

Russ D’Sa, founder of LiveKit, shares insights from his journey in building a real-time audio and video tool that powers voice chat for ChatGPT. He discusses the science behind lightning and how it parallels startup challenges. Russ reveals his bold decision to turn down a $20M acquisition offer and explains the ups and downs of partnering with OpenAI. The conversation delves into the intricacies of scaling a startup, navigating streaming tech challenges, and the evolving role of AI in human-computer interaction.

Chris Evans and Pete Hamilton, cofounders of Incident.io, share their insights on creating effective incident management tools. They discuss the role of humor in branding, emphasizing how a light-hearted approach can build camaraderie and improve company culture. The pair also reflect on their initial choice to start on Heroku for quick shipping over perfect scalability. Additionally, they explore the integration of AI in streamlining incidents and the importance of designing tools for users like themselves.

David Cramer, co-founder of Sentry, dives into the world of mergers and acquisitions, arguing that startups often overlook this valuable strategy when facing challenges. He discusses the common pitfalls of ego in entrepreneurship and the importance of hiring talent through acqui-hiring. Cramer emphasizes branding as a pivotal tool for fostering trust and demand, drawing lessons from brands like Liquid Death. He also critiques the unrealistic expectations surrounding startup success and the shifting dynamics of corporate branding in tech.

Ramon, creator of Raylib, joins us to discuss his journey from building an educational tool to establishing one of the most popular open-source game engines. As of February 2025, Raylib is the second most popular open-source game engine behind Godot, boasting 25,000 GitHub stars, 13,000 Discord community members, and over 8,000 subreddit members. Ramon has transitioned from lecturing and consulting to focusing on his paid tools built around Raylib.We discuss:How Raylib started as a teaching project to help art students learn programming through simple and intuitive function naming.The active community behind Raylib and how Ramon personally engages with new members, contributing to the project's growth.Why simplicity and not making assumptions about prior knowledge can create a strong foundation for both beginners and experienced developers.The benefits of using a low-level library like Raylib versus higher-level game engines like Unity, particularly for small indie games.Ramon's approach to managing his workload as a solo developer, emphasizing organization, automation, and using his own tools to build tools.His method of testing new tools by quickly launching them, observing market response, and iterating on the most successful ones.The importance of enjoying the process of building an open-source project rather than focusing solely on commercial success.This episode is brought to you by WorkOS. If you're thinking about selling to enterprise customers, WorkOS can help you add enterprise features like Single Sign On and audit logs. https://workos.com/Links:Raylib (https://www.raylib.com/)Cat and Onion game (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2781210/CAT__ONION/)Raylib GitHub (https://github.com/raysan5/raylib)Raylib Discord (https://discord.gg/raylib)Raylib Subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/raylib/)Ramon's Tools (https://raylibtech.com/tools/)

Maxim Fateev and Samar Abbas from Temporal join us to discuss how their durable execution platform ensures processes complete reliably at scale.We discuss:How Temporal gained enterprise adoption with companies like Airbnb, HashiCorp, and Snapchat.Why Temporal compensates salespeople based on customer consumption.Temporal’s role in Snapchat’s story processing and Taco Bell’s Taco Tuesday scalability.How Temporal earns enterprise trust through security, reliability, and scalability.The structure of Temporal’s sales team and their focus on long-term customer success.Exciting trends in AI and low-code/no-code development.This episode is brought to you by WorkOS. If you're thinking about selling to enterprise customers, WorkOS can help you add enterprise features like Single Sign On and audit logs. Links: Temporal Temporal GitHub