Who needs VCs when you have friends like these?

Zhen Lu, Co-founder and CEO of RunPod, shares how he and his co-founder bootstrapped an AI GPU cloud platform by launching to developer communities instead of seeking VC funding. Starting with servers in their basements and a free Reddit launch, they gathered direct feedback and iterated based on real user needs. The conversation covers RunPod's evolution from simple GPU-enabled dev environments to a global infrastructure partner network with serverless autoscaling, their data-first architecture philosophy, and reflections on how AI is changing software development craft, developer identity, and the value of collaborative struggle with technical problems.