# 30M Users, No Co-Founder | Eugenia Kuyda (Replika, Wabi)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/solo-founders-7728246/30m-users-no-co-founder-eugenia-kuyda-replika-wabi
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/solo-founders-7728246/30m-users-no-co-founder-eugenia-kuyda-replika-wabi.md
Podcast: [Solo Founders](https://stenobird.com/podcast/solo-founders-7728246)
Published: 2026-03-25T17:23:30+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/94ccbab3
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/94ccbab3/6ac04e12.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/solo-founders-7728246/episodes/30m-users-no-co-founder-eugenia-kuyda-replika-wabi
Duration seconds: 4565

## Resource

Eugenia Kuyda has spent over a decade building at the frontier of AI consumer products. First by founding Replika in 2014, hitting 30M users in conversational AI before ChatGPT even existed. Now, building Wabi: giving everyone the ability to build personal software. In this episode, she breaks down why she’s repeatedly chosen the solo founder path, why “co-founders by pressure” create long-term damage, and what it actually takes to keep going when things get brutally hard. This is a conversation about conviction, authorship, loneliness, team-building, and the emotional reality of leading through uncertainty. Eugenia shares the difference between being truly solo vs. being isolated, why she treats founding as a team sport anyway, and how she thinks about hiring high-agency people who can operate like owners. Topics covered - Why many “co-founder” setups are functionally one decision-maker anyway - The risk of “co-founder by default” decisions - Why it’s better to be solo than misaligned at the top - Streamlining your startup's layers from three down to two by removing co-founders - Storytelling as a core founder advantage - Team-building without co-founder hierarchy - The emotional bear case for solo founding - The speed and clarity bull case for solo founding Guest: Eugenia Kuyda — founder and CEO behind visionary AI products like Replika and Wabi.

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## Transcript

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