In One Year, Using ChatGPT, Achan Went From Quitting His Job to Hitting the Global GitHub Trending List

February 26, 2024

At the end of January, Achan published an article on his WeChat public account "Kenengba" about how he emerged from the post-resignation fog and, with ChatGPT's assistance, developed three products on his own (one of which even made GitHub's global trending list) and subsequently provided AI-related consulting services for two companies.

Achan is one of China's earliest bloggers. He founded the tech media outlet GeekPark and later worked as a product manager at internet companies. His WeChat public account "Kenengba" carries significant influence. This article about using ChatGPT has been read by over 20,000 people so far.

We've known Achan for a long time. At the end of January, we invited him to join "Crossroads" to share why he left his previous company, how he uses ChatGPT, why he described ChatGPT as a "brilliant intern" in his article, how a plugin he built with ChatGPT's help made GitHub's global trending list, and why — despite being so adept with ChatGPT — he's choosing not to start a company for now.

🚦 Welcome to "Crossroads," where we track the industry shifts and entrepreneurial opportunities brought by the new wave of AI technology. "Crossroads" was Steve Jobs's metaphor for Apple — standing at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, where great products are born. AI is transforming every industry. We seek out, interview, and bring together "active actors" of the AI era to explore and embrace the changes and new possibilities.

👦🏻 Host Koji: Co-founder of The Fair and Tangdao, an active actor diving into AI. On Jike: a self-introduction by Koji

👧🏻 Host Ronghui: Works at a tech VC, former Silicon Valley correspondent for Yicai Weekly. On Jike

Add our assistant on WeChat at Rwkfbcianvd to join the Crossroads community:

🦀 Daily AI Fresh News Morning Brief

👫🏻 Encouraging everyone to date/make friends/find future collaborators

Timeline:

5:43 Why he left the "mid-tier factory"

7:48 Laid low for three months after resigning, didn't notice ChatGPT at first

8:04 "The scariest thing is not knowing what to do next"

8:42 The more he searched for what to do next, the more painful it became

9:52 The milestone moment: starting to use ChatGPT

12:13 After two months with ChatGPT, having it write scripts for him and helping family and friends set up prompts

14:07 With ChatGPT's help, built a Chrome extension called Macify

18:12 Side project MyIP, built by a former product manager, hits GitHub's global trending list; realizing "I might understand how to use ChatGPT better than most people — maybe I can make money with it"

22:15 Learning new tools with purpose, feeling freedom and joy

23:22 Why ChatGPT is like a brilliant intern

26:46 How to "let ChatGPT help ChatGPT"

29:34 "Most people don't get the answers they want from ChatGPT because they haven't explained themselves clearly enough"

31:18 The stages of using ChatGPT: gradually learning how to make it work more efficiently

33:32 To use ChatGPT better, treat it like a person

35:13 Bochana, a consulting project helping companies leverage AI

45:41 If I were the client, would I feel the money spent on AI consulting was worth it?

47:42 Not really into long-term planning anymore; broadly bullish on VR/AR and AI for entrepreneurship

48:45 Despite researching AI for so long, hasn't yet seen what he could build as a founder

53:00 Startup ideas don't come from forcing yourself to think about them every day

54:40 Recommended sources for AI-related information

55:37 Lessons from getting MyIP on GitHub

1:06:01 Best practice for integrating AI into daily work and life: use it to solve a problem you've already tried but haven't fully cracked