How Sahil Lavingia uses AI to code faster

Sahil Lavingia, the founder of Gumroad, is no stranger to innovation.

He’s been pushing the boundaries of entrepreneurship and product creation for years. And now, he’s doing it with code.

I sat down with him for 2 hours recently to talk about how he’s using AI to code faster and smarter. He walked us through how he leverages AI to combine the best of both no-code and code-based development, making the process of learning to code quicker, easier, and more efficient.

Whether you’re a beginner interested in coding or a seasoned developer, his methods will give you a fresh perspective on how AI can be a partner in your learning and building process.

Here’s a taste of what Sahil shared during the session:

Using AI to bridge code and no-code tools

Sahil kicked off the workshop by talking about the shift from no-code to AI-assisted code. No-code tools are great for quick prototypes and getting projects off the ground. But as your needs grow, no-code can only take you so far.

Here’s how Sahil uses AI to bridge that gap:

No-Code’s Flexibility, Code’s Power: No-code is excellent for experimenting and iterating quickly, but it comes with limitations—especially when dealing with APIs or databases. AI tools like Cursor provide the best of both worlds: they write code for you while still giving you full control over it.
AI-Assisted Coding: Sahil talked about how AI allows him to skip the design process in tools like Figma and go straight to coding. This significantly speeds up development time while still allowing for high levels of customisation.

Learning to code: Mastering the fundamentals with AI

Even with the power of AI, Sahil emphasised how important it is to understand basic coding principles. Using AI as a partner doesn’t mean skipping the hard stuff. As always, it’s about using AI to enhance your learning process rather than replace anything entirely.

Here’s how Sahil uses AI to help him with coding fundamentals:

Understanding Variables, Loops, and Conditionals: Sahil compares learning to code to learning how to draw using perspective. Just like you need to know how perspective works to draw a face, you need to understand coding’s foundational elements like variables, loops, and conditionals before jumping into complex projects.
Practical Learning with a GPA Calculator: During the workshop, he guided us through a hands-on project—a simple GPA calculator—using Python, HTML, and JavaScript. He explained how AI could assist in writing and debugging the code, making the learning experience smoother and more accessible.

AI’s role in founder mode vs. manager mode

As a founder, Sahil discussed the transition from Founder Mode (when you're involved in all aspects of building) to Manager Mode (when you're overseeing teams). With AI, Sahil finds he can remain in Founder Mode much longer, directly contributing to product development without being bogged down by the need for a large team.

Here’s how AI plays a role in this:

Founder Mode: Sahil stays deeply involved in the product, using AI tools like Cursor to write and ship code at an incredible speed. This hands-on approach allows him to innovate and iterate faster than before.
Encouraging Team AI Adoption: At Gumroad, team members are incentivised to adopt AI in their workflows, boosting productivity and output. Those who embrace AI see an increase in their value to the company, while those who resist may struggle to keep up.

AI and coding projects: Building real-world solutions

Sahil’s approach to coding is practical and hands-on. He learns by doing, using real-world projects to reinforce fundamental coding concepts. A highlight of the workshop was Sahil’s demo of building a GPA calculator - a simple yet powerful project for those looking to get into coding.

Here’s how AI helped in building the project:

AI-Assisted Learning and Debugging: Sahil used AI to write parts of the Python script for the GPA calculator and debug issues along the way. By doing this, he showed how AI could act as a learning partner, guiding you through the process and helping you solve problems as they arise.
Expanding the Project with HTML and JavaScript: Once the Python script was completed, Sahil expanded the GPA calculator into a web-based tool using HTML and JavaScript, again showing how AI can assist in making the project functional and user-friendly.

The future of software engineering with AI

We talked about Sahil’s vision for the future of software engineering. He sees AI as more than a tool for writing code. For him, it’s fundamentally changing the way we think about work and productivity.

In Sahil’s opinion, AI won’t replace developers but will instead make them more efficient. With AI tools, coders can produce 10 to 20 times more output, allowing them to focus on creative problem-solving rather than repetitive tasks. He also touched on AI’s tendency to hallucinate and produce incorrect results. It’s why understanding coding fundamentals is crucial - so you can spot and correct these errors.

Wrapping it up

This was a meaty beast of a session that clearly demonstrated how AI is transforming coding and product development. When you combine AI with a strong foundation in coding fundamentals, you can not only build faster but also innovate more effectively. It was a pleasure to see how AI isn’t just about speeding up work for Sahil - it’s about empowering him to stay in the creative zone for longer. Something I think we could all benefit from, coders or not.

For anyone who’s interested in code - as a total beginner or an expert looking to leverage AI - this workshop is one not to miss. Get the full recording here (available to paying Ben’s Bites members, along with the full transcript and downloadable cheatsheet).

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