I Built Three Apps Solo in Weeks.
Two years ago, I had this idea amongst many others, but was stuck in a familiar loop: overly ambitious prototypes leading to abandoned repos. Integrating machine learning? Needed an expert. Blockchain micropayments? Complexity rabbit hole. Real-time computer vision and audio processing? WTF.
Fast forward to 2025 and—i'm shipping. No team. No burnouts. No funding.
The shift? AI-integrated tooling. I no longer have to choose between ambition and scope. With tools like Zed, I can build full-stack systems with the potential to bring my vision to reality.
This isn’t a productivity hack. It’s a structural shift in how software is made.
Traditional development follows a linear growth model: more features = more time = more people. But exponential developers operate differently. With AI-native development environments, they:
Offload complexity to AI agents
Rapidly prototype across technical domains
Maintain architectural integrity without mental overhead
What used to take a team of five over six months can now be done by one person in a few weeks.
The rise of the exponential developer sits at the intersection of:
Wright’s Law: Efficiency improves with cumulative experience
Moore’s Law: Computing power doubles roughly every two years
Kurzweil’s Law of Accelerating Returns: Technological change is exponential, not linear
We’ve hit an inflection: where AI doesn’t just assist code completion—it drives full system architecture.
Idea: A platform where artists monetize performance energy through real-time tips, verified by location.
Architecture:
Mantle blockchain micropayments
GPS-verified proof-of-presence protocol
WebRTC live streaming
Decentralized tipping infra
Old Way:
4-5 developers across frontend, blockchain, backend, and DevOps
8-12 months development
$500K+ budget
What I Did Instead: With Zed, I:
Deployed smart contracts in days, guided by AI-generated Solidity patterns
Built GPS proof-of-presence logic with AI code review support
Integrated WebRTC livestreaming using AI-guided React flows
Delivered the MVP in 1 week: https://megavibe.vercel.app
Results:
Deployed a fully working decentralized tipping platform
Shipped live to users for under $500 in infra/tooling costs (testing in beta at next event)
Goal: Real-time AI coaching with LLM orchestration and user motion tracking
Stack:
OpenAI, Gemini, Claude via serverless LLM router
Real-time motion tracking with MediaPipe
Blockchain-based identity verification
Supabase DB + AWS Lamda
Traditional Build Requirements:
AI/ML expert, blockchain dev, backend architect, UI/UX engineer
6-9 month timeline
My Reality:
Zed’s multibuffer editing enabled orchestration of multiple LLMs
AI agent helped debug API response issues across providers
Created the full system from scratch in under 4 weeks: https://imperfectcoach.netlify.app
Key Unlocks:
Zero external research required for AI model integration
Real-time code insights into system dependencies
Single codebase orchestration with full architectural visibility
There is ZERO chance I would ever have been able to navigate the complexity of AWS console + Supabase simultanously to deliver on this. Its performant and useful, super proud its out. For a limited time its free for users to try out, kindly share feedback and tweet about us: https://x.com/ifdotfun
Vision: Personalized breath coaching using computer vision and real-time audio processing
Technical Stack:
Computer vision for posture analysis
Real-time audio analysis for breath pattern detection
AI-generated coaching feedback
WebRTC for live coaching
Challenges:
Real-time ML pipelines
Cross-modal data synchronization
Frontend motion design
My Approach:
Built CV pipeline in 48 hours with AI assistance
Designed ML-based feedback loop without ML expertise
Streamlined complex UI animation using AI-injected CSS/JS logic
Output:
A functional, responsive platform demo in a week
Ready for real user feedback and live testing
Factor | Traditional Team | Exponential Dev (Me) |
---|---|---|
Timeline | 8-12 months | 3-4 weeks |
Team Size | 4-6 people | 1 |
Cost | $500K+ | <$20K |
Tooling | VS Code + plugins | Zed (AI-native) |
Debugging Time | 40+ hrs/week | ~10 hrs/week (AI-aided) |
These are not minor improvements. They're a restructuring of the cost-function of software development.
When I first came across it I was hesitant to download a dedicated IDE - why not just use an extension in VS CODE?! Turns out by vertically integrating their stack they can really optimise the user experience.
Key Differentiators:
<1s startup time
Native multiplayer coding
Context-aware AI via Agent Panel
Low memory + power usage
Full-codebase understanding
Table: Zed vs Others
Metric | Zed | VS Code | JetBrains |
Startup Time | <1 second | 3-5 sec | 5-10 sec |
RAM Usage | ~150MB | ~500MB | ~700MB |
Collaboration | Built-in | Plugins | Complex |
AI Context | Full | Partial | Plugin |
Source Model | Open (GPLv3) | Closed | Closed |
AI as a Teammate: Not a helper. I ask it hard questions. We design systems together.
Architectural Thinking Wins: Coding is easier now. The hard part is systems thinking.
Start Small, Iterate Fast: I don't aim for perfect. No problem is now unsolvable.
Imagination Is the New Bottleneck: Not tech skills.
The hardest part of building used to be execution. Now, it’s ideation and discernment. If you’re a developer who’s been burned by the complexity of full-stack ambitions, I’m here to tell you: it’s time to build again.
The tools have changed.
The game has changed.
And you? You just might just be a more exponential developer than I am, if you try!
All projects referenced in this article are live open-source repositories available on GitHub:
Supporting writers is beyond the call of duty, reading this far is its own form of glory, appreciate you.
Farcaster @papa — warpcast.com/@papa
Lens @papajams — lenster.xyz/u/papajams
Twitter @papajimjams — twitter.com/papajimjams
PAPA - runwayML: https://paragraph.com/@papajams.eth/from-photos-to-claymation-with-runwayml
PAPA - lens hackathon: https://fountain.ink/p/papajams/p0psmk45tcrp0c1rgd
PAPA - filecoin hackathon: https://paragraph.com/@papajams.eth/filecoin-hackathon
PAPA - mento hackathon: https://paragraph.com/@papajams.eth/global-stablecoin-hackathon