Tell HN: My 3 competitors are all super polished companies run by solo devs
5 gametorch 40 7/7/2025, 5:03:46 PM
I'm a solo developer that runs a small AI startup in the game development industry.
The demand is good. After initial marketing, I've seen a lot of organic growth. I get 3-5 new paying customers per day without doing anything. I'm crossing 300 signups soon.
I quickly ran into competitors building the same exact product. These looked like super polished, well-established companies. The websites look nice. The engineering looks solid.
As far as I can tell, they're all run by individual solo developers, too.
I built my entire startup with o3. I already considered myself a good engineer. I think I shipped 2-3x faster than ever before, when building this startup, due to AI. It seems that other developers are exhibiting similar gains.
How long until the first 1-person $100m company? I would bet it happens in 2026. Maybe even 2025.
A very long time until a 1-person unicorn. For good reason. You need a lot more than software. Even if you say oh well AI can also automate marketing and customer support, etc. Bulls---. Only to a degree.
You want to know why Facebook was successful while others weren't? Or why people couldn't just copy them? It's not the software.
including security? auth? database design?
I basically just architect the solutions and it implements it for me.
I think ORM is harmful in 2025.
In rust, you can get compile-time SQL syntax and type validation; it won't compile if the corresponding columns, tables, etc. don't exist.
Combine that with LLMs generating the code for you and it's pointless to use an ORM.
ORMs are insanely opaque and prone to horrible bugs and performance losses that are completely avoidable now, imho.
I also had two different LLMs audit the codebase pre launch and once every so often.
It's very possible that you are focusing on the wrong features, which enables solo devs to out-compete your product with simple changes. Unless your offering is unique or superior, it will almost certainly lose out to the rest of the market. This kind of market dilution will stop you from attaining $10,000 MRR, let alone a $100m valuation.
I am well on my way to $10k MRR. I am already cash-flow positive.
People would rather drag you down in the hole that they're in than climb out themselves.
Your own stats page refutes this.
Within one month of launching I'm already less than one order of magnitude away from that MRR.
Why are you so obsessed with how my business is doing?
Might as well email Mark Cuban then, sounds like you're a surefire hit.
2. You're using HN (repeatedly) for self-promotion and ought to be prepared for the responses this site will garner your product. This isn't natural propagation of your business, it is first-party advertising orchestrated by you.
3. The product you have made is a nothingburger and I guarantee it won't exist in 3 years' time. If you lack the foresight to acknowledge that, then I look forward to the related Tell HN posts detailing the struggles you face.
Just straight up slander. I asked for specific numbers and you refuse.
Wishing you well.
It's good to hear that you're not doing it for flattery, though. I'll keep commenting if you continue promoting your product like this. Au revoir!
I consider the first month a huge success to get in that order of magnitude, certainly "well on its way."
See you in three years. I'll reach out.
I know nothing about product, but think how many people could have done it with the same tools as you.
Ideally, you want a lot of clones, but all of them more expensive or inferior quality than you.
That's something that can beat any first-mover advantage.
Cost of anything that is purely driven by code is falling like a rock now.
I don't have an answer to this question. I don't have an answer to the moat question.
Best guess is some sort of "network/platform value" upon which you deliver the commoditized output of a model.
It is more correct to say that cheap code always had a large supply compared to expensive code, and LLMs haven't changed that.
Expensive code, though, is expensive. LLMs also haven't changed that.
Expensive code accurately and efficiently encapsulates knowledge. There is no horizon for humans getting rid of this need.
People have money. People use money to buy things. Money is limited. It can move, and shift, but not grow. People earn X and will spend a portion of that on stuff on different things.
If there's a lot of similar competitors of similar cost and quality, they'll share the money pool (what people are willing to spend on your kind of thing).
AI is, therefore, irrelevant. It drives your costs down, but it also drives the cost down for everyone. Any competitor can use it to achieve similar results. If you base your production on it, you get no edge.
What can you do that is unique and you can offer to your potential customers?
Nothing new under the sun.
In my life, its not as long that I can fill each discussion, I've seen quite a few situations, where I said "thats it. Thats an perfect idea no one have had before" -> nope. Each one turned out to be not as good as I thought and, I wasn't the only one who came up with that... My experience tell me, you need a differentiator. You have to solve a pain, but the medicine must be better than of your competitors.
In your case, I would rather say "if the others, like you, are really solo-interpreneurs and do exactly the same thing as you do. Then it will be ok, as long none of the others start to invest heavily in marketing with a dedicated marketing department. That will be the differentiator that might break your neck."
Stop dreamin, reinvest the gains and employ some people to bring your business to a new level. Don't risk it without necessities. Dont slow down your pace with "principles". My opinion.
I may be wrong, but I'm a different risk profile. I like to have everything under control. What is your risk taking capabilities?
may be, this will be some kind of inspiration. That guy build and sold for 100mio as a solo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR2H7X1HBEM
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