S13E4: From Sleeping at AOL to Building Bolt.new with Eric Simons, Founder and CEO of StackBlitz

Description

Welcome back to The Room Podcast! This week, Claudia and Madison sit down with Eric Simons, Co-Founder and CEO of StackBlitz and creator of Bolt.new, the AI-powered development platform redefining how people build web and mobile apps. From humble beginnings coding in Naperville, Illinois, to literally living inside AOL’s Palo Alto offices at age 19, Eric’s journey is a Silicon Valley legend. StackBlitz emerged from a desire to eliminate setup friction for developers, enabling instant browser-based coding environments that reimagined how software gets built.In this episode, Eric shares the highs and lows of the founder journey — from near-shutdown to a $20M ARR turnaround powered by Bolt’s viral AI tools. He offers candid advice on knowing when to pivot, how to approach investors during uncertain times, and why obsession and experimentation are critical to surviving the startup grind. Tune in for insights on product-market fit, storytelling as a leadership superpower, and what the “vibe coder” movement means for the next generation of builders.(04:40) Where did Eric grow up and how has that shaped his view of the world?(06:08) Did Eric always think he would become a founder?(08:06) How did Eric’s early interests, like acting, shape his storytelling and leadership today?(08:08) How did Eric gain attention as the “AOL Squatter” and what did that experience teach him?(12:04) What was the original idea behind StackBlitz and the aha moment that started it?(14:52) How did Eric convince early investors and engineers that StackBlitz was even possible?(16:48) How did StackBlitz navigate finding product-market fit and monetization challenges?(19:55) What advice does Eric have for founders at a crossroads between pivoting or shutting down?(21:51) In Eric’s words, what is Bolt and who is it built for?(22:59) How did Eric shift his storytelling as Bolt expanded beyond developers?(24:37) Who was the first person to believe in Eric and say yes to his vision?(25:43) What advice would Eric give to founders raising early-stage capi