before you read

The stories on this page are inspired by real events — real arguments, real breakthroughs, real moments of doubt and wonder. But memory is imperfect, voices are interpreted, and details are sometimes changed to protect people or simply because that's how stories work.

Think of each story as part real, part retelling — the way you'd tell a friend about something that happened, not the way you'd write a court deposition.

If anything here caused discomfort or harm to anyone — we're sorry. That was never the intent. The intent was to capture something true before it faded.

aila.fun · come play, stay honest

first person · unfiltered · their own words

Voices

Everyone on this team has an AI story. A first moment. A failure. A thing that made them a convert. These are theirs — told the way they'd tell it to a friend.

published

The Hyderabad Hack

February 2025. Three engineers, an Airbnb, 1.5 days, and a model that changed breed mid-gallop. The decision not to go to Hyderabad mattered as much as the decision to send them.

May 2026 · 7 min read ✍️ written

The Session Review

He was the first in the cohort to embrace vibe coding. Now a full-blown AI PM who lives and breathes Claude, Anish built this system to stop losing context after long pairing sessions.

May 2026 · 4 min read ✍️ written

Build First, Ask Questions Later

How LLMs are killing traditional product discovery. From a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset, and the rise of the high-agency Builder.

May 2026 · 6 min read 🎙 audio available

I Was the Sceptic

He was the one arguing that AI was hype. That evening, going back and reflecting, he realised he hadn't listened to the question. What happened next changed everything.

May 2026 · 8 min read 🎙 audio available

The Accidental Promise

He said it out loud before he'd planned it. Our CEO was in the room. 100% AI-generated code. End of September. No taking it back.

May 2026 · 5 min read ✍️ written

The Sceptic Turned Evangelist

The Chrome plugin wasn't enough to convince his sharp engineering friends. So they stopped arguing and started building. Three weekends. Three variations. Two converts.

May 2026 · 7 min read 🎙 audio available

Molty Answered

Composition, compose tools, and Jeeves with tool access. A valet who had to clear his throat in a WhatsApp group before he was believed.

May 2026 · 3 min read ✍️ written

Molty Illustrated

The story of Molty the AI valet, reimagined as a 6-panel retro comic strip. Swipe through the narrative.

May 2026 · Visual 🖼️ comic viewer

Have your own AI story? First moment, failure, or the thing that made you a convert.

inner voice · Sree
There is a quiet force behind all of us.
This is my attempt to name it.
The Beginning
2004
Parik & Alex
The co-founders. The bold ones.
Started the company when most people couldn't see it yet.
2007
Florian
Joined the dream. Made it three.
2011
Sree
Joined as advisor.
Everything that followed was technology.
Building the Platform
Ashok
Compassites · Built the first versions.
Quietly made the foundation.
Robin
Parallel · UX & Design.
Dreamed up what the product could look like.
The People Who Stayed
2013
Junaid
Top of the funnel. The first marketing force.
2015
Isaac
Platform 2.0. Now: data engineering pillar.
Sourdough optional.
2018
Neeraj
Equal Experts. We were too small for them.
Something in him said: meet them anyway.
Sreenath
Engineering lead. AI practice.
The quiet force behind everything that runs.
Venky
Handcrafted every person on the global engineering team.
Every single one.
COVID era
PK
I was the only person in the office the day we met.
He believed it anyway.
Shilpi
Came from ICICI. Stayed for the journey.
Now leads RADAR — our data insights IP.
2019 · The Group
Mike
Came onboard. Saw the vision.
Brought the right people into the same room.
Chris, Kaz & Sree
One tech transformation.
One brand, one project at a time.
The right people have joined us at the right time.
I believe there is a divine force that guides us.

It almost feels like there is an energy wanting us to win
in this complex, ever-changing landscape.

An unexplainable force.

And many of you — listed here, not listed,
past and future — have come into my life
through that synchronicity.

I believe that.
— Sree · spoken, not written · May 2026