cover of episode #440 – Pieter Levels: Programming, Viral AI Startups, and Digital Nomad Life

#440 – Pieter Levels: Programming, Viral AI Startups, and Digital Nomad Life

2024/8/20
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Pieter Levels discusses his unique startup philosophy, which emphasizes rapid iteration, personal involvement in all aspects of development, and prioritizing validation through user payment.

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Pieter Levels (aka levelsio on X) is a self-taught developer and entrepreneur who has designed, programmed, launched over 40 startups, many of which are highly successful. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep440-sc) See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

Transcript: https://lexfridman.com/pieter-levels-transcript)

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EPISODE LINKS: Pieter’s X: https://x.com/levelsio) Pieter’s Techno Optimist Shop: https://levelsio.com/) Indie Maker Handbook: https://readmake.com/) Nomad List: https://nomadlist.com) Remote OK: https://remoteok.com) Hoodmaps: https://hoodmaps.com)

SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to https://shopify.com/lex) Motific: Generative ai deployment. Go to https://motific.ai) AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drinks. Go to https://drinkag1.com/lex) MasterClass: Online classes from world-class experts. Go to https://masterclass.com/lexpod) BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling. Go to https://betterhelp.com/lex) Eight Sleep: Temp-controlled smart mattress. Go to https://eightsleep.com/lex)

OUTLINE: (00:00) – Introduction (11:38) – Startup philosophy (19:09) – Low points (22:37) – 12 startups in 12 months (29:29) – Traveling and depression (42:08) – Indie hacking (46:11) – Photo AI (1:22:28) – How to learn AI (1:31:04) – Robots (1:39:21) – Hoodmaps (2:03:26) – Learning new programming languages (2:12:58) – Monetize your website (2:19:34) – Fighting SPAM (2:23:07) – Automation (2:34:33) – When to sell startup (2:37:26) – Coding solo (2:43:28) – Ship fast (2:52:13) – Best IDE for programming (3:01:43) – Andrej Karpathy (3:11:09) – Productivity (3:24:56) – Minimalism (3:33:41) – Emails (3:40:54) – Coffee (3:48:40) – E/acc (3:50:56) – Advice for young people

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