EB-4: The King Of Ding

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EB-4, the fourth episode of our podcast, dropped last week. Before I continue, the rules of the game are:

• Pods that CHART stay alive

• Pods that get a Follow on Apple Podcasts CHART

So FIRST, CLICK on the link below (opens up your Apple Podcasts app), and click “+Follow” (in the upper right-hand corner)

Then go ahead and listen to the podcast any way you want to on your preferred app, capiche mon ami?

Listen on

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Youtube

• RSS

Who

Yacine (@yacineMTB), the creator of Dingboard, an easy-to-use, browser-based image editing tool primarily used for making memes.

Highlights

Yacine

• On competing with big companies: "I can go nuclear... I can go get a job at McDonald's to keep Dingboard running."

• On the simplicity of Dingboard: "The actual loading of the Adobe homepage takes longer to load than Dingboard itself."

• On his ambitious goal: "I want every f***ing person on the planet to be using this thing... I'll be happy if I have a billion users, a billion, with a B."

• On the origin of the name: "Ding, I like write console.log dingus when I'm debugging JavaScript... holy sht, no one's bought dingboard? It's like f**ing seven bucks? I'm copying this right now."

• On debating AI risk with Rocco: "I basically created this debate with Rocco on Twitter Spaces, and then I lost the debate. I had a pre-recorded conversation of my wife yelling at me, and I played it during the Twitter Space. It was a lot of fun."

• On AI and consciousness: "If you ask me, is a banana conscious, I will say yes. But a banana is more conscious than a rock."

• On his take on AI and jobs: "The tiger's coming. It'll eat you, dude. Get on. Ha ha."

• On the power of AI: "I don't understand why more people don't do it. It's like, back to what you're saying about like, why don't like VC companies just like compete with Dingboard? I don't understand, dude."

Ate

• On reason for using a female AI voice: "Normally, guys tend to listen to female voices more often, right? Like it's more, it's like it penetrates more."

Why

• Dingboard aims to make image editing and meme creation accessible to the average user

• Traditional image editors like Photoshop have a steep learning curve and high costs, creating barriers for casual users

• Dingboard seeks to fill the gap for a simple, fast, and affordable image editing solution

How

• Dingboard runs entirely in the web browser, utilizing a combination of client-side and server-side processing for optimal performance

• The tool is designed with a focus on speed and simplicity, allowing users to create memes and edit images within seconds

• By leveraging AI models and distributing processing between the browser and server, Dingboard can offer advanced features while remaining lightweight and accessible

What He Found

• Dingboard has gained significant traction, with a growing user base and dedicated fans

• The tool's ease of use and speed have been key factors in its popularity

• Despite being a solo developer, Yacine has been able to compete with larger, venture-backed image editing startups by focusing on user needs and efficiency

What are the limitations and what's next

• Yacine acknowledges that Dingboard still has room for improvement in terms of user onboarding and feature discovery

• Future plans include expanding the user base to reach a billion users and making Dingboard as ubiquitous as tools like MS Paint

Why it matters

• Dingboard represents a shift towards more accessible, web-based tools that democratize creative tasks like image editing

• By lowering barriers to entry, Dingboard enables a wider range of people to participate in meme culture and visual communication

• The success of Dingboard demonstrates the potential for solo developers and small teams to disrupt established industries through innovative, user-centric design

Additional Notes

• The podcast covers a wide range of topics, from the technical aspects of Dingboard to the broader implications of AI and technology on society

• Yacine's perspective as a solo developer offers insights into the challenges and opportunities of building and scaling a successful web-based tool

Transcript

Important Historical Perspective

The Atlantic cursor crown

Dingboard Going Paid

On accepting payments intro dingboard, what does it cost to run:

Doubling MRR

On VC funding in the AI sector

On post scarcity

On the irony of job automation

On wokeness in big tech

On teasing the doomers

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