Replit, the Computer

Back in my first years studying computer science at university, the idea of a World Brain kept intriguing me. A future where all human knowledge is instantly accessible to anyone, anywhere. I remember reading about how this concept had gained momentum in the last century. In 1926, Nikola Tesla said:

“When wireless is perfectly applied, the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain.”

Then, between 1936 and 1938, H.G. Wells wrote a series of essays titled World Brain, imagining a World Encyclopedia that would offer universal access to information resources.

But it seems like it was J. C. R. Licklider who really got the ball rolling for a generation of researchers. A revolution that eventually brought us the PC, the internet (or The Intergalactic Network as Licklider initially called it), and the resurgence of AI enthusiasm from 2020 to 2023.

In his 1960 work, Man-Computer Symbiosis, Licklider mentioned two points that feel relevant in 2023:

“It is often said that programming for a computing machine forces one to think clearly, that it disciplines the thought process. If the user can think his problem through in advance, symbiotic association with a computing machine is not necessary.”

The first part matches current research showing that LLMs trained on code perform better even in non-coding tasks. The second part hints at something new: a shift from just inputting data into machines to being helped by them in our tasks and research. Licklider also quoted Henri Poincaré:

“The question is not, ‘What is the answer?’ The question is, ‘What is the question?’”

Computing Pre-Seed

Early computers were enormous, expensive, and slow. They were also single-player. One operator would manually input a program and wait for its execution. But in 1961, John McCarthy and Fernando J. Corbató introduced the first interactive, general-purpose time-sharing system. Multiple users could now interact with a computer simultaneously. Kind of like today’s multi-player environments in computing.

But these computers remained within universities and large enterprises. Users could only use them for a limited time before giving space for someone else. So what came next should be obvious. People like Licklider were already dreaming about picking up their computer hobby projects again at home, after dinner, not having to wait until the next morning to go to work. And then Personal Computers came along and brought computing power directly into the hands of individuals.

Fast forward to the 2010s, and we found ourselves with powerful mini-computers in our pockets: smartphones. But despite all this progress, one thing stayed the same: most people remained consumers, while a small niche of expert programmers created the software for everyone else.

By 2023, it seems we are closing a chapter: the “pre-seed era of computing.” We are transitioning to a time where we not only ask, “What is the answer?” but also, and crucially, “What is the question?”

Replit, the Toy

In 2010, in Jordan, Amjad Masad asked a question that would soon challenge coding practices:

“Why can’t I just start writing code in any language by simply opening a new tab in my browser?”

At that time, developers needed extensive expertise just to set up their programming environments. Installing tools and applications on their computers before they could write even a single line of code. This was time-consuming and annoying. And it often stopped developers from trying anything outside their familiar tech stack.

Amjad, one of the co-founders of Replit, wanted to change this. He began by open-sourcing “Repl.it” in 2010 with a clear goal: democratize coding literacy globally. After several years working on related stuff at Codecademy and Facebook, Amjad grew impatient with the slow pace of progress. By 2016, he realised the best path forward was to turn his original open-source project into a full-fledged company.

In its early days, Replit was a simple but ambitious tool. By enabling users to write their first line of code in a web browser, it broke down traditional barriers to coding. Much like the ‘World Brain’ sought to break down barriers to knowledge.

And then things moved fast. By 2020, they reached 5 million users. Impressive in itself, but even more so when you consider there were fewer than 30 million professional developers worldwide. This went beyond the software itself. Replit had captured the attention of teenagers experimenting with programming for the first time. Some were just dabbling, but others were diving into a new world that would shape their careers.

Replit, the Business

It had already become startup folklore that the next big company would start out looking like a toy. So it wasn’t surprising that world-class investors like Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, YC, and A16Z were eager to back Replit.

By this time, Replit’s mission was crystal clear: Empower the next billion software creators. The early success validated both the team and their ambitious mission. But a new tension emerged: How do you balance a long-term goal to distribute knowledge and wealth more evenly with the immediate financial needs of a venture-capital-backed startup?

This balancing act can actually be a powerful driver for creative destruction and rapid progress. But the critical question is: Can Replit evolve from its initial niche into a platform for both professionals and enterprises, while also democratising coding for a billion people?

That’s the phase Replit is in right now. They’ve been running several experiments, from a bounties marketplace to 1-click deployments. There’s always the risk that chasing revenue could distract them from the core mission. Even then, Replit could still become a massive company. But the bigger question is whether it can go beyond that. Become a broader movement and a generational business.

Before moving on, here’s some speculation on monetisation strategies Replit might explore:

• Reach professional developers with side-projects as a point of entry: Many developers engage in side projects. Platforms like Netlify and Vercel have captured this market with their user-friendly deployment processes. And eventually, these same developers also started to bring these new alternatives to their day-jobs. Replit’s roadmap is possibly full of items for this, like improving the developer experience for deployments or using LLMs to unlock a new standard for going to production.

• Target CEOs and Product Managers: Replit could develop tools tailored for product teams, enabling non-developers to create designed and coded prototypes. This could extend to features that analyse existing codebases, helping product teams understand technical feasibility before involving engineers.

• Replit Immigration: There are over 700M adults in the world who would like to migrate to another country. High skilled immigration through software engineering is one of the safest bets. Replit could launch a paid product and community to support these goals. A broader vision might include a software engineering certification for immigration purposes, like the TOEFL for language proficiency.

• Enterprise education: Companies like PluralSight and Go1 tap into substantial enterprise learning and development budgets. While initially less attractive due to the need for a sales approach, Replit’s strong brand could follow Atlassian’s growth strategy. All you need is a motivated champion in a large enterprise already playing with Replit on the side.

• Replit Ventures 3.0: “We pay you $2k to skip work for a week and build an MVP for your idea”. An exciting angle here would be to target aspiring founders without technical co-founders and make it easy for them to get started with Bounties credits.

• Replit Accelerator: In many countries outside the US, there are influential accelerators and startup communities with thousands of members. Many individuals with ideas lack technical co-founders but you currently only see a few learning to code. There’s potential here to sell core subscription packages for such people solving several things in one go: Building the MVP, choosing the tech-stack, hosting, deploying and launching.

Replit, the Movement

In late 2023, Chamath Palihapitiya tweeted about returning to a CEO role after years as an investor. He casually mentioned using “Replit” to don his hacker hat and brainstorm solutions for company challenges through coding.

This is a good example of what Replit can become: the movement that makes software creation normal for people who aren’t trained software engineers. And this era starts now. We’ve seen the rise of AI-assisted coding, with professional developers using it daily. The next step is obvious and technically feasible: A full unlock of coding for everyone. The question is: Which company will capture mindshare as the go-to platform for AI-powered software development?

And here’s where priorities get tricky. Should Replit launch a 10x better deployment experience to take revenue from companies like Netlify and Vercel? Or should it build closer relationships with university incubators where startup ideas are born?

Probably a bit of both. But one thing stands out: To go beyond a successful IPO or acquisition and become a generational company like General Electric or Apple, Replit must evolve beyond being just a tool. It needs to become a movement. A household brand that everyone pays attention to and expects big things from in each new wave of technology.

Replit, the Computer

If Replit evolves into a movement, it sets the stage for how it will be used in the future. No matter what hardware paradigm becomes the norm, “Replit” will be what people think of when they need to collaborate with AI on something that software can help with. Whether they’re just looking for an answer, or whether AI is challenging them on how to think about a problem.

Think about the evolution of personal computing and the impact it had on problem-solving. Imagine an office assistant in 1960 organising birthday gifts for every customer. It would involve a lot of creative, manual planning. Fast forward to 2010, and the first thing that comes to mind in a similar situation is: use a computer. Even before thinking about what software or where to get the customer list from.

That’s the ambitious possibility for Replit. It can capture mindshare in a similar way to how computers did. Replit not just as a tool, but as a brand, a movement, a computer. In the near future, you might hear a board member ask another: “Can’t you just replit that and see if it works?”

Replit’s future is more than just a coding platform. It’s a continuation of the ‘World Brain’ legacy. A time where coding and software development are essential components of global knowledge and creativity. And in that sense, Replit is not just shaping the future of computing. It’s making real a long-envisioned dream of universal knowledge accessibility.

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As someone who migrated from Brazil to Australia through software engineering, I’ve seen firsthand how coding literacy can transform lives. The barrier I faced wasn’t talent or motivation. It was access. Replit is removing that barrier for a billion people, and that’s why I’m paying attention.