Maddie Reese
Self Employed
Maddie Reese is an independent "vibe coder" based in San Diego who builds software using AI tools such as Lovable, Cursor and Replit without a traditional coding background. She discovered AI-assisted building in mid-2025, quit her job at her family's real estate business within months, and has since won multiple hackathons and produced viral projects including Startup Obituary, a memorial generator for failed startups, and Pet Hero Comics, which turns pet photos into comic covers. On In The Blink Of AI, Reese described how she builds without writing code, and why she treats joy as a productivity measure.
Key moments
Jump straight to the part of How to Build Cool Stuff With AI (No Code Needed) | Maddie Reese you want.
- 3:50 AI Hack of the Week: Poke bot + Suno music app
- 8:37 Maddie’s first project: cloning Google Drive in 4 hours
- 14:03 Startup Obituary: a memorial for your failed startup 💀
- 15:35 Debugging 101: what to do when API keys break everything
- 19:15 Roast My App: Guinea Pig of the Day 🐹
- 22:24 Using ChatGPT + Cursor + Lovable together
- 27:06 Snog / Marry / Avoid: Lovable, Replit Cursor
- 28:36 Quitting her family business to go full-time in AI
- 30:46 Getting through frustration (and proving ChatGPT wrong)
- 33:45 Why you should hit “Publish” even if it’s not perfect
Connections
Spot something wrong? Suggest a correction Updated 25 September 2026
Want a show of your own?
W2D1 Media — the team behind the Day One Network, which helped build Blackbird Ventures' Wild Hearts — builds and produces podcasts for funds, founders and operators. If you want a show built around your brand, let's talk.