Back in 2009, the app store just launched and I knew it was going to change the world. I cobbled whatever money I had left and decided to build apps. But first I needed engineers. The cheaper the better.
I did what any bootstrapper would do. I scoured the internet looking for technical talents. Stackoverflow, Github, forums, university fb pages, etc.
After some weeks I connected w/ a few engineers based in Hanoi. So I booked a Saigon-Hanoi flight. My plan was going to fly up there, spend the next day talking to them and fly back the same night.
On my way to the airport I lost my passport. When I checked in they didn't let me board.
That night, not waiting to cancel my hard earned appointments, I took the train. It was the 1st time I had taken the fabled Reunification express. It was old, rickety and took more than 25 hours.
But I got what I wanted. Out of those few candidates I found one of the most creative and talented engineers I ever had the privilege to work with.
Together we built novel puzzle generators using various graph algorithms. They didn't make money but they were pure labor of love. And those years were some of my most fruitful.
