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MS

Michael Seibel

02/17/22

@ Y Combinator

The initial Gmail invite system was not a clever growth hack; it was a necessity due to limited server space, forcing them to limit access until they could scale.

Video

YC

Things That Don't Scale, The Software Edition – Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel

@ Y Combinator

Things That Don't Scale, The Software Edition – Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel

02/17/22

Related Takeaways

PB

Paul Buchheit

10/25/18

@ Y Combinator

The key to Gmail's development was to focus on making users happy, which involved iterating on features based on their requests.

MS

Michael Seibel

02/17/22

@ Y Combinator

When Gmail was first developed, Paul Buchheit created a makeshift email interface using Google Groups, which allowed him to read his emails and led to the development of essential email features.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

05/23/25

@ Y Combinator

The Gmail system prompt serves as a basic email writer, producing emails that no individual would authentically write, which limits its effectiveness.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

05/23/25

@ Y Combinator

The Gmail team approached AI integration by asking how to slot AI into existing applications, rather than rethinking the application design to fully utilize AI's potential.

MS

Michael Seibel

02/17/22

@ Y Combinator

Paul Buchheit, the inventor of Gmail, built it as a side project at Google, focusing on doing things that don't scale, which ultimately led to a product used by 1.5 billion people.

PB

Paul Buchheit

10/25/18

@ Y Combinator

The first version of Gmail I wrote in a day; it wasn't very good, but it was a start, and I iterated based on user feedback.

IV

Ilya Volodarsky

08/01/19

@ Y Combinator

In the early days, we used Google Sheets as a CRM and relied on email for communication, avoiding expensive tools like Asana or Trello.

YC

Y Combinator Cast

05/16/25

@ Y Combinator

The integration of AI into existing platforms, like Gemini with Gmail, highlights the need for user empowerment and flexibility in system prompts.

RH

Reid Hoffman

10/15/14

@ Y Combinator

In the early days, we innovated by allowing users to upload their address books to see who else was on LinkedIn, which significantly changed our growth curve.