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Eric Simons, co-founder and CEO of Bolt, and Jon Noronha, co-founder and CPO of Gamma, join The General Podcast to discuss building two of AI's fastest-growing products. They share how years of investment in foundational technology positioned both companies for the AI boom, why Bolt was able to scale so quickly after launch, and how Gamma adapted as AI reshaped the market around it.
Together, they discuss the advantages and drawbacks of competition, why both companies have remained intentional about their headcounts, how AI is changing the relationship among product, engineering, and design, and why scaling still requires people, even in a world of AI agents.
In this conversation, you’ll learn:
• Why being early can look a lot like being wrong
• The Figma-inspired strategy of building the technology before the application
• What it takes to scale to millions in ARR within weeks of launch
• How competition sharpened Bolt's focus
• The power of trust, and how long-standing teams helped Bolt and Gamma scale
• How Gamma's early assumptions about AI are changing
• How Eric and Jon think about hiring during rapid growth
• How customer-facing teams are becoming product creators
• How AI is enabling people to work across product, engineering, and design
Where to find Eric Simons:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-simons-a464a664
Where to find Jon Noronha:
• X: https://x.com/thatsjonsense
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnoronha
Where to find The General Partnership:
• Website: https://thegp.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-general-partnership/
• X: https://x.com/thegp
Timestamps
(00:00) Intro
(02:49) StackBlitz's origin story
(07:06) StackBlitz's first customers and building Bolt
(09:39) Gamma's early days and how it took off
(11:24) Hitting product-market fit and scaling Gamma
(13:22) Navigating the crowded vibecoding market
(14:59) The value of long-standing teams during rapid growth
(16:46) Gamma's early years without competition
(18:26) How fierce competition sharpened Bolt's focus
(20:53) The risks of trying to do everything
(24:09) Gamma’s early mistake in underestimating AI
(26:16) The case for low headcount
(28:45) Gamma’s current size and how they think about headcount
(30:59) The blurring lines between engineering, design, and product
(37:50) How Bolt and Gamma empower non-technical builders
(41:54) Why scaling with AI still requires more people
Referenced:
• Bolt: https://bolt.new
• Gamma: https://gamma.app
• Albert Pai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertpai
• Dylan Field on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanfield
• Evan Wallace’s website: https://madebyevan.com
• Figma: https://www.figma.com
• Fable: https://www.anthropic.com/claude/fable
