A maker on a mission: to let everyone build software without coding

Emmanuel Straschnov is the maker of Bubble, a powerful general-purpose visual framework that lets you create web applications by simply pointing and clicking. Born in Paris, he met his co-founder shortly after completing his MBA at Harvard Business School and is now based in New York City.

Tell us the story behind your latest product. Why did you build it?

What I’m working on currently is called Bubble. It’s a visual programming tool that lets anyone build software without writing code. It lets you build your interface visually and then define what happens when the user interacts with the application.

We could even rebuild Product Hunt, no code required 😅

My co-founder Josh and I started building Bubble because:

1 — We want to empower everyone to create technology instead of just being a user. Most jobs and activities will require some programming in future, but everyone can’t learn to code: it’s slow and tedious. There has to be a more efficient way to build things.

2 — Coding hasn’t really changed over the last 50 years. The languages have changed but the actual process has been the same since the beginning of the software industry. Creating software should be fun and visual. It’s similar to the jump that happened from MS-DOS to Windows. Before Windows, we had to type code to edit a text document. After Windows, we just double-click. Bubble does the same thing at the programming level.

After five years, I have to say that watching our users become makers themselves is one of the most rewarding things ever.

Who do you dream of collaborating with one day and why?

Bill Gates. He’s one of the most visionary minds of our time and is probably the human making the most impact on our world. In many ways, programs like Microsoft Office and Windows enabled the masses to access and use computers at a time where people had to be specialists to use computers.

These programs enabled globalization creating a common professional framework. Whether you’re in NY or Shanghai, you can send a file and the person on the other side of the earth will be able to open and edit it: this sounds obvious today, but was revolutionary at the time.

What advice can you give people looking for their next project or startup idea?

One of the most important things is to truly care about what you’re building. Ask yourself whether you would work on the same company without investment. If not, it’s a sign that the idea isn’t right venture for you.

What’s the best careers advice you’ve ever received?

When I was in business school, I was debating between a job at a big company overseas and staying in the US to try something entrepreneurial. The job was great but the appeal to stay in the US was strong. I went to a Harvard professor for advice and his answer was the best piece of advice I’ve ever had.

He said: “If I guarantee that you’ll be successful, no matter your decision, which option will you pick?” My immediate answer was “I would stay in the US.” That was it. It’s a clear message “Don’t make decisions out of insecurity”. Thinking about things in an optimistic way has always helped me since. Even if it turns out the decision leads to a tough situation, it feels good knowing the choice was made with confidence instead of insecurity.

What were some of your favourite products, toys or gadgets when you were growing up as a kid?

LEGO, without hesitation. As we were 4 children we had enough to mix all the different pieces and create new things!

What advice can you give people who want to break into tech but don’t know where to start?

This is something we talk about a lot with our users. They don’t code but have plenty of ideas of apps and want to launch them on Bubble. In general, I’d tell someone that wants to break into tech that he or she can learn a lot about product and that actually doesn’t necessarily require technical training. It’s about putting yourself in the shoes of the user and thinking about a product that solves their issues. Bubble helps you do this. Once you have this skill getting into tech, as an entrepreneur or as an employee, is much easier. You’ll have empathy with users that will be super useful.

What do you think will be the biggest shift in tech over the next 20 years?

I am biased as that’s what I spend my days on. The latest trend was Web 2.0 with user-generated content and I think the next revolution will be user-generated applications and software, Web 3.0!

What worries or scares you about the future of tech?

I am worried that we, as a society, rely on engineers to build the tools that we use to live, work, communicate, etc. We’re turning these engineers into an elite class that run our world. If we keep doing this, major tech companies will control all aspects of our lives. Instead, we need everyone to have the power to create the tools that runs their lives. That’s what drives us at Bubble.

Another related issue is that some people are going to have a hard time converting to new technologies to find jobs. I’m not sure whether automation or AI will destroy jobs, but what is certain is that our brain’s ability to learn new technologies does not improve exponentially, unlike technological development. That’s a very dangerous trend. I’m not sure if universal income is the way to solve this, but we certainly need to think about the right solutions to this issue.

What do you believe that few might agree with?

It’s about launching a product. While you should immediately go to market to get early users, wait as long as you can before promoting yourself and trying to be visible. Most people do this too soon. Iterating with early users is very important but I’d recommend waiting before putting yourself out there.

You’re on a desert island and you can only bring one app with you. Which app do you bring?

The news app, I’m a news addict!

If your curiosity is piqued, check out Emmanuel’s product Bubble and let him know what you think. If you have any questions or people you’d like us to interview, let us know in the comments. ✌️