Names have always fascinated me, probably because I've had a few (I was adopted, and later changed my name again after realizing it was offensive in many cultures). So when I saw my TikTok feed becoming flooded with "baby name consultants" and endless "name list" videos, I wasn't surprised, but I kept thinking: why isn't naming more scientific? Why aren't we using advanced pattern recognition and machine learning in that space? I could do that. I'd love to do that. So on May 1st, I opened a new folder and typed the first line of code for Naymt. By summer, it had become the biggest enriched name database in the world, over 130,000 verified names, all structured, searchable, and alive. The more content I put out, the faster users came. It wasn't just another app. It was proof I'd finally found a lane. And as for the internal tools behind it, easily my most impressive builds so far, but I'll keep those in stealth for now (wink).

One night I was scrolling Reddit and saw a girl posting half-nude photos of herself asking strangers to tell her what "Kibbe type" she was. I couldn't believe it. The system itself is smart and empowering, but the best option being to post vulnerable photos of yourself to Reddit felt... off. I couldn't stop thinking about it. There was something there, a real problem to solve (drool). So I bought the kibbebody domain. On day one the traffic was ten times higher than Knekte's, and it wasn't even indexed. I decided to build my own version, a complex setup using machine learning and advanced body measurements to determine Kibbe type from a single photo. And of course, it had to be beautiful. It took a couple of months of all-day sprints, late-night debugging, and existential snacks, but one day... it worked. So I put it live.

The connection app idea from the cabin had always stuck with me. Shouldn't we be able to meet people who go to the same places we do? It felt like the most natural way to connect in the digital era. I knew the anti-AI wave would come just as fast as AI itself. People would crave authentic. Real. Speed dating, record players, human connection. So I brought the idea back. On August 27, 2023, I decided I'd build it myself. I sat down with GPT-3.5 and asked it to teach me. I didn't even know what a terminal was. I must have started over a hundred times. It took almost a year, but eventually I got the hang of it. I clicked Submit for Review. Then I went all in.

I called an emergency meeting with a group of friends: sushi and the news of ChatGPT. I couldn't stop talking about it. I was basically a walking press release. I'd known the AI age was coming for almost a decade, and here it was, the beginning. I was ecstatic. When I got home that night, there was a package waiting at concierge. I'd ordered scrunchies, but inside was a book on coding interviews (?!). I tried to return it, but support told me it was "impossible" for that to happen because of their weight-scanning system. Cool. A glitch in the Matrix. So I took the hint. I opened the first page and started reading. That was the night everything shifted. I was ready to get back in the game.

I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit. People used to point out little things, like how I'd trade my brother coins for bills because bills could rip or burn (so technically, coins were "more valuable"). Or the time I set up a beer stand instead of a lemonade stand because I thought it would make more money (I didn't know about DUIs. I was ten). But the real game-changer was Facebook. While my friends had the Jonas Brothers on their walls, I had Mark Zuckerberg. The Social Network is still my comfort movie, and honestly, I'm convinced that film alone turned an entire generation of us into developers.