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Anton Osika is the co-founder and CEO of Lovable, which is building what they call “the last piece of software”—an AI-powered tool that turns descriptions into working products without requiring any coding knowledge. Since launching three months ago, Lovable hit $4 million ARR in the first four weeks and $10 million ARR in two months with a team of just 15 people, making it Europe’s fastest-growing startup ever.

What you’ll learn:

1. Why you need to be in the top 1% of AI tool users

2. Watch Lovable build a functional Airbnb clone in 30 seconds—complete with working features and modern design

3. The unconventional hiring approach that helped build a 15-person team capable of extraordinary execution

4. How traditional product development will look with AI

5. What skills will matter most to product teams going forward

6. How Anton’s team discovered a breakthrough in AI “unsticking itself”

Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-lovable-anton-osika

Some takeaways:

1. Lovable’s approach to software development lets users describe an app in natural language and have AI generate production-ready code in real time​. This is opening the door for non-programmers to create complex web applications, pointing to a future where building software is as simple as writing a wish list.

2. Anton’s team discovered a breakthrough in AI “unsticking itself”—allowing the AI to keep improving and fixing its own bugs.

3. The biggest bottleneck in product development is shifting—from “Who can build it?” to “Who knows what to build?”

4. Community and open source as a growth lever: By first releasing the CLI tool GPT-Engineer to the open source community (earning 52K stars on GitHub), Lovable built a passionate early user base​. This community-driven approach not only validated the product but also created buzz that propelled its subscription growth post-launch.

5. Being in the top 1% of AI tool users will set you apart professionally in the coming months—spend a full week using AI tools to solve real problems to get there.

6. Product taste, user understanding, and the ability to define problems clearly are becoming more valuable than pure coding skills as AI handles more implementation.

7. Their approach to hiring focuses on:

   1. People who deeply care about the product and users

   2. High raw cognitive capabilities

   3. Startup mindset, prioritizing speed over process

   4. Generalist capabilities with one superpower

   5. Using work trials (one day to one week) to evaluate fit

8. Keys to effective AI tool mastery:

   1. Spend a full week solving a real problem end-to-end

   2. Surround yourself with others interested in AI tools

   3. Focus on clear communication of requirements

   4. Be patient and curious about understanding how things work

   5. Practice explaining exactly what you want and expect

Where to find Anton Osika:

• X: https://x.com/antonosika

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonosika/

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction to Anton and Lovable

(05:12) Lovable’s rapid growth

(09:39) Live demo: Building an Airbnb clone

(18:34) Tips for mastering Lovable

(21:42) The origin story

(26:50) Scaling laws and getting AI unstuck

(33:20) Reliability and unique features

(36:25) The vision and future of Lovable

(38:14) Skills and job market evolution in the age of AI

(40:30) Hiring philosophy and team dynamics

(46:21) Building in Europe

(48:02) Prioritization and product roadmap

(51:38) Tools and work environment

(53:17) Tactics for moving fast

(54:37) Advice for building product teams

(57:11) Empowering non-technical founders

(58:31) Future developments and user support

(01:01:23) Failure corner

(01:05:20) Final thoughts and advice

Referenced:

• Lovable: https://lovable.dev/

• Lovable Launched: https://launched.lovable.app/

• Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/

• Superbase: https://www.superbase.com/

• GPT engineer: https://github.com/gpt-engineer-org/gptengineer.app

• Microsoft Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com/chats/cmFw8dTsGU8D6b9siqQ6U

• Fabian Hedin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabian-hedin-2377b0144/

• Behind the product: Replit | Amjad Masad (co-founder and CEO): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/behind-the-product-replit-amjad-masad

• Replit: https://replit.com/

• Cursor: https://www.cursor.com

• Bolt: https://bolt.new/

• GitHub: https://github.com/

• Lane Shackleton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laneshackleton/

• FigJam: https://www.figma.com/figjam/

• Linear: https://linear.app/

• Sana Labs: https://sanalabs.com/

• Duolingo: https://www.duolingo.com/

• Claude: https://claude.ai/

• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/

• Lovable on X: https://x.com/Lovable_dev

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.