Steal These AI Business Ideas (Before They Go Mainstream)

Author

Joshua Clear
May 28, 2025

In partnership with

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Guillermo Rauch, the high school dropout from Argentina who hacked his way from teenage coder to Silicon Valley heavyweight. Guillermo is the founder of Vercel (valued at ~$3 billion), creator of Next.js, and a prolific open source contributor whose early work shaped the modern web. He’s the kind of guy who went from writing code at age 10 to getting job offers from Facebook as a teen, and now he’s building cutting-edge AI tools that are changing how websites get made1.

🎙️ EPISODE SNAPSHOT

Ever wondered how a high school dropout from Argentina could end up shaping the internet—and then go on to ride the AI wave to even bigger heights? This episode is a masterclass in spotting unfair advantages, hacking your way into opportunity, and building AI businesses that actually print money. If you want to find the next big thing before everyone else, Guillermo and the hosts show you exactly where to look (and how to pounce)1.

💡 KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Bet on Asymmetries: The biggest wins come from spotting “unfair advantages” in tech—like how JavaScript became the only language browsers understand, giving early adopters a massive edge1.

  • Open Source = Opportunity: Contributing to open source isn’t just altruism—it’s a cheat code for networking, learning, and getting job offers from the world’s hottest startups. Your GitHub repo is your new resume1.

  • Teaching is a Growth Hack: Start your career by teaching what you know, even if it’s basic. Tutorials, guides, and open-source docs don’t just help others—they build your reputation and attract opportunities (and sometimes, your first clients)1.

  • AI Agents Are the Future: The next wave of business will be built on AI agents that automate complex tasks—think tools that build websites or manage workflows with minimal human input. The winners will be those who ship fast and iterate relentlessly1.

  • “Worse is Better” Wins: Sometimes, the simplest (even “worse”) solutions win because they’re more flexible and easier to evolve—just like JavaScript did. Don’t over-engineer; ship, learn, and adapt1.

🛠️ TOOLS, WEBSITES, RESOURCES MENTIONED

  • Vercel: Guillermo’s company, a cloud platform for frontend frameworks and static sites, built to help developers ship faster and scale effortlessly1.

  • Next.js: The React framework that’s become the backbone of modern web apps—open source, community-driven, and used by everyone from hobbyists to Fortune 500s1.

  • MooTools: The early JavaScript library that put Guillermo on the map and inspired Facebook’s JavaScript infrastructure1.

  • GitHub: The go-to platform for open source contributions, networking, and showing off your code cred1.

  • HubSpot’s Big Company Playbook: A cheat sheet for identifying high-growth markets and strategies, recommended as a “must-download” for aspiring founders1.

💼 BUSINESS IDEAS & OPPORTUNITIES

  • AI Website Builders: Build or white-label AI agents that can design, code, and deploy websites with minimal human intervention. Think “Squarespace on steroids,” but for any niche or vertical1.

  • Open Source SaaS: Create developer tools or frameworks, open source them, and monetize via premium features, support, or cloud hosting (the Vercel playbook)1.

  • Freelance Marketplaces for AI Talent: Launch platforms connecting businesses with AI specialists, leveraging the same “early Upwork” arbitrage Guillermo used as a kid1.

  • Niche AI Agents: Develop specialized AI agents for industries like law, finance, or healthcare—automating repetitive tasks and unlocking new revenue streams1.

🧠 LIFE HACKS

  • Teach to Learn: Don’t just hoard knowledge—share it. Writing tutorials or guides not only cements your own understanding but also builds a personal brand that attracts opportunities1.

  • Network via Contribution: Want to get noticed by top startups? Contribute to their open source projects. It’s the ultimate “in” for landing interviews and job offers1.

  • Go Pro Early: If you’re young and talented, don’t be afraid to “go pro” before finishing school—think LeBron James for coders. But make sure you’ve built a solid foundation first1.

💸 BEST FAST-MONEY IDEAS

  • AI Agents for Website Creation: These tools are already hot, and the demand is only growing. If you can ship a working MVP, you’ll have clients lined up yesterday1.

  • Open Source Tools with Paid Upsells: Build something developers love, open source it, and then charge for hosting, support, or advanced features. This model scales fast and attracts big enterprise contracts1.

  • JavaScript’s Ubiquity: Every web browser on the planet runs JavaScript—no other language comes close. Betting early on JS was like buying beachfront property before the highway got built1.

  • Open Source as a Talent Magnet: Companies now routinely hire from their open source contributor lists, making public contributions more valuable than traditional resumes1.

  • AI Agent Adoption: The explosion of AI tools that automate creative and technical work is a clear signal: the future belongs to those who can build and deploy AI agents at scale1.

🔑 ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES

  • Find Your Asymmetry: Look for “unfair advantages” in tech—platforms, languages, or markets where you can get in early and ride the wave as it grows1.

  • Contribute, Don’t Just Consume: Instead of just using open source tools, contribute to them. Write docs, fix bugs, or build features—this is your ticket to the inner circle1.

  • Ship Fast, Iterate Faster: Don’t wait for perfection. Launch early, get feedback, and evolve your product—just like JavaScript evolved from a “toy” to the world’s most important language1.

  • Teach as You Go: Document your learning process and share it publicly. This builds your authority and attracts collaborators, clients, and investors1.

  • “What Would Charles Darwin Think About Clean Slate Architectures?” (Article, not a book, but cited as a must-read for understanding how tech evolves more like nature than by design)1.

🚀 GROWTH HACKS & CHEAT CODES

  • Leverage Open Source for Job Offers: Want to work at a hot startup? Contribute to their stack, then slide into their DMs with your PRs as your portfolio1.

  • Bet on “Worse is Better”: Don’t over-engineer—sometimes the simplest, most “hacky” solution is the one that scales and wins the market1.

  • Download Playbooks: Use cheat sheets and playbooks (like HubSpot’s) to shortcut your market research and strategy planning1.

📝 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Guillermo Rauch’s journey from teenage coder in Argentina to Silicon Valley unicorn builder is a roadmap for anyone looking to cash in on the next wave of AI business ideas. The episode hammers home that the best opportunities are hiding in plain sight—inside open source communities, in the quirks of programming languages, and in the “worse is better” solutions everyone else overlooks. If you want to build a business that prints money (and maybe shapes the internet), start by contributing, teaching, and shipping AI agents that solve real problems. The common thread? Find your unfair advantage, move fast, and don’t be afraid to go pro before the rest of the world even knows the game has started1.

Common Theme of the Podcast:
Spotting and exploiting “unfair advantages” in tech—whether it’s a programming language, an open source project, or a new AI trend—is the secret sauce behind the biggest business wins. The hosts and guests riff on how to find these hidden gems, double down, and build businesses that scale like crazy1.

Context for Businesses Mentioned:
Every business idea is discussed through the lens of “what’s working now”—from AI website builders (already gaining traction) to open source SaaS (proven by Vercel’s meteoric rise). The context is always about finding scalable, high-margin opportunities that leverage the latest tech trends and community-driven growth

Full episode we pulled our notes from here: