PandoMonthly: Tom Preston-Werner on starting Github

TL;DR

The content discusses the journey of the creator in selling Gravatar and how it led to the development of GitHub.

Transcript

yeah so gravatar was really gravatar was was doing it was very popular but made no money not a good that never happens out here but then also there's me and i don't know how to do venture capital i don't know how to raise money i don't know how to do that i don't have no connections and then i'm sure this will come up later when we're talking about... Read More

Key Insights

• 🐕‍🦺 Gravatar, a popular service, struggled to generate profits despite its popularity.
• 🤨 Lack of knowledge and connections in venture capital hindered the creator's ability to raise funds for Gravatar.
• 🤗 Selling Gravatar to Automatic provided financial relief and opened up new opportunities.
• 🥺 The resolution to focus on side projects with a clear business model led to the development of GitHub.
• 👨‍💻 GitHub aimed to make code sharing online more convenient and user-friendly.
• 😥 The journey from Gravatar to GitHub marked a turning point in the creator's financial stability.
• 🥶 Finally being debt-free allowed the creator to concentrate on new projects.

Questions & Answers

Q: Did the creator have any opposition to venture capital?

No, the creator didn't have any problem with venture capital but lacked connections and knowledge on how to raise money.

Q: How did the creator offload Gravatar and finally get out of debt?

The creator approached Automatic and they showed interest in acquiring Gravatar, which was just a domain and some code. Selling it provided some financial relief.

Q: What resolution did the creator make for future projects after selling Gravatar?

The resolution was to ensure that any future side project would have a business model from the beginning and be able to generate money.

Q: What was the concept behind GitHub and its original tagline?

The concept of GitHub was to make sharing code online easier. The original tagline was "git hosting no longer a pain in the ass."

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Gravatar, a popular service, struggled to make money and became a burden on the creator's time and finances.

• The creator sells Gravatar to Automatic, finally getting out of debt and gaining some financial stability.

• With the sale of Gravatar, the creator can now focus on a new project, which eventually becomes GitHub.