Sahil Lavingia was the second employee of Pinterest aged 18 after dropping out of his CS degree. In 2011 he became an indie hacker and formed Gumroad. He provides an easy way for people to sell digital products like ebooks or courses.
He has sent $256m to creators since starting Gumroad. In this interview Sahil shares his tips for learning to code, how to get a job at Gumroad and being an indie hacker. Enjoy!
How would you advise someone to build a website like Gumroad?
Start! The source code for v1 is public now too, so one can see exactly what is necessary.
How did you start learning to code?
I just Googled “how to learn to code.” Then I clicked through to a bunch of different tutorials until I found one I liked.
Why do learn iOS apps so well?
As a designer I liked the design-first approach.
Did you ever have imposter syndrome at Pinterest?
I was 18 at the time, I believe. I had imposter syndrome but not from the fast growth. That is just background noise to the work you’re doing on a daily basis.
Could you have made Gumroad if you hadn’t worked at Pinterest?
Definitely.
Given all the resources that exist now, how would you encourage an indie hacker who wants to code?
Same as above, start with Google. Honestly the benefits are so great that if someone doesn’t see it already, I can’t offer anything more.
I know you’re learning oil painting in Utah. When you paint do you ever think of code or are they totally separate activities mentally?
I live in Portland now! I try only to think of painting when I paint. That’s kinda the point for me - to remove the rest of the world from purview.
How do you approach hiring at Gumroad?
We almost only hire self-taught people. They’re some of the strongest people I’ve met. We’re not open to coding bootcamp graduates - to date we’ve found them not to be a good fit.
Hiring doesn’t often require knowing the craft itself. Imagine a coach who hires NBA players for example.
What is something that a developer could do to really stand out and grab your attention in the application and interview process at Gumroad?
Show me their work, point out how it’s specifically applicable to Gumroad. If we have some mutual connection, that helps. It’s really not that hard! But most people fail the test...
Can you tell us what it was like building your Gumroad MVP in just a weekend?
Pretty boring. Woke up, wrote code, fell asleep. Did the same thing again with breaks for lunch and coffee and dinner. That was it!
How often do you get your hands dirty with code?
About two-three times a week. Ideally two.
