How Losing My Developer Forced Me to Bet Everything on AI—and Win

On October 31, 2024, my entire world crashed. My developer left, and with that, so did my sense of control. It felt like someone had yanked the engine out of a speeding car, leaving me skidding on an empty highway with no brakes.

I was totally shattered. Scrambling. No way out.

But instead of sitting in a corner and crying (okay, maybe I did that for a bit), I did what any desperate entrepreneur would do—I went on LinkedIn, searched for developers, and started messaging everyone.

I interviewed over 50 developers, convinced that one of them would be my savior. I couldn’t pay them upfront, but that didn’t stop me. I don’t know what kind of delusional confidence I had back then, but yeah, I basically told people, “Hey, work with me for free, and we’ll build something great together.” Sick, right?

Shockingly, two developers actually joined.

Even more shockingly, they left halfway through. 💀

Now I was not just back to square one, but somewhere worse—square minus ten. The cycle of hope and disappointment was exhausting. Searching for developers felt like an endless loop, a cruel joke the universe was playing on me.

When You’re Sick of Searching, You Start Building

At some point, I had enough. If I couldn’t find developers, what if I could replace them? That’s when I started looking into AI tools.

Could AI build applications?

I had no idea. But I was willing to bet on it.

I started digging into tools like Claude and V0—not because I was some AI geek, but because I was desperate. At first, the prototypes I made looked awful. Like, should-never-see-the-light-of-day awful. They were worse than bad—they were embarrassing.

But I kept trying. Over and over.

And after countless failed attempts, I realized something:

👉 AI wasn’t the problem. The tools just weren’t ready yet.

Enter Windsurf: The Game Changer

Months passed, and by God’s grace, AI was evolving alongside me. Then I stumbled upon Windsurf—a real AI coding agent that finally felt like a partner, not just another clunky tool.

With Windsurf, things took off. Fast.

Did I still fail? Yes.

Did I still get frustrated? Absolutely.

Did I stop? Hell no.

I built 36 different apps that all flopped before I finally hit gold with VibeSwiper—my 37th attempt.

What I Learned (That Might Save You Some Pain)

Losing key people isn’t the end—it’s the beginning. It forces you to evolve.

You don’t need permission to figure things out. You just need obsession.

AI isn’t perfect, but it’s the best partner when you have no other options.

Most people quit before they find what works. Keep going. Your 37th attempt might change everything.

Final Thought: Bet on Yourself

If my developer never left, I probably would’ve never explored AI. If I never failed 36 times, I wouldn’t have built something great on my 37th.

So, if you’re stuck, drowning in uncertainty, or feel like you have no way out—maybe you just haven’t failed enough times yet. Keep going. Pivot if needed. The breakthrough is always one more attempt away. 🚀

Would love to hear—have you ever turned a major setback into an opportunity? Drop your thoughts in the comments! 👇