I built an AI app with a tiny team. We scaled it to millions and sold it to MyFitnessPal in under 2 years — here's how.

Tech Insider : Business
A young man with tousled dark hair and a small goatee faces forward wearing a gray sweatshirt against a plain background.
Jake Castillo cofounded Cal AI in 2024.

Courtesy of Jake Castillo

Snap's layoffs highlight growing work trend: AI-powered tiny teams

Tech Insider : Business, Technology
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel speaks into a microphone
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel

JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images

I had to cut my already small staff in half because of AI. We've evolved the business to keep up with the AI era.

Tech Insider : Business
A smiling man with short brown hair and a trimmed beard faces forward against a plain background.
Alex Cohen is the CEO and founder of Xander Marketing.

Courtesy of Alex Cohen

I run an AI-powered startup, and we canceled our ChatGPT business plan months ago. Claude feels more like the promise of AI.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Smiling man with shoulder-length dark hair and cross earrings wears a navy blazer and white shirt in an indoor office setting.
Sidhant Bendre canceled his ChatGPT business plan for Claude.

Courtesy of Sidhant Bendre

I started a business with AI and no tech background. Here's what it still can't replace.

Tech Insider : Business, Environment, Style
Tim Desoto
Tim Desoto founded an AI startup in 2024 with no technical background.

Zachary Fineberg for BI

AI agents make agreeable coworkers, and that's a problem for solo business owners. Here are 3 ways they're fixing it.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Tim Desoto, Yesim Saydan and Aaron Sneed
Founders Tim Desoto, Yesim Saydan, and Aaron Sneed all implemented a strategy to make their AI employees better.

Courtesy of Tim Desoto and Yesim Saydan; Michelle Bruzzese for BI

I'm a solo business owner who couldn't afford employees. A $20-a-month AI subscription became my team.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Christina Puder
Christina Puder discovered the power of AI through a free account with Lovable, an AI coding assistant.

Christopher Gregory-Rivera for BI

I'm a solo founder with AI agents instead of employees. My 'council' of AI agents saves me 20 hours a week.

Tech Insider : Business, Style
Aaron Sneed

Michelle Bruzzese for BI

Zuckerberg says AI is letting one employee do the work of entire teams, and it shows how the company is rethinking hiring

Tech Insider : Business
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg smiles
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company is investing in more AI-native tools to elevate individual contributors.

Taylor Hill—Getty Images/Reuters

I trained a GPT to think like Steve Jobs and help me run my company. AI is scary, but it's also my biggest tool.

Tech Insider : Business, Economy, Technology
A woman in a red dress gestures while speaking at a conference, standing in front of a sponsor banner displaying the Google logo.
Yesim Saydan built a custom GPT inspired by Steve Jobs to act as a mentor.

Courtesy of Yesim Saydan

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