Replit’s Amjad Masad on the Cursor deal, fighting Apple, and why he’d rather not sell

You know how some people are really good at building things, and other people are really good at selling things? Well, in the tech world right now, there’s a fascinating moment happening where AI coding tools have gotten so useful that the big players — we’re talking SpaceX, Microsoft, Google — are essentially showing up with shopping carts full of money trying to buy them. Cursor, a tool that helps programmers write code faster using AI, is apparently in talks to be acquired for $60 billion. Sixty. Billion. Dollars. For a coding assistant.

Replit is in the same neighborhood — it’s another AI-powered coding platform, but with a twist. Instead of just helping professional developers write code faster, Replit has always been more interested in letting regular people, beginners, and small business owners actually build software without needing a computer science degree. Think of it like the difference between a professional chef’s knife and a really good home kitchen setup. Cursor is sharpening knives for pros. Replit wants to teach everyone to cook. The founder seems genuinely more interested in building that vision than cashing out, which is actually pretty rare when someone waves that kind of money at you.

So why should you care? Because tools like Replit are getting good enough, fast enough, that the window for regular people to build their own simple apps, automate their own workflows, or launch small digital products is wider open than it has ever been.

Here’s how you could actually use this moment to your advantage:

Save money on custom software. Small business owners often spend thousands hiring developers for simple tools — booking forms, inventory trackers, client portals. Platforms like Replit let you describe what you want and get working prototypes without writing a single line of code yourself. Test it before you spend on a developer.

Start a micro-SaaS side hustle. A micro-SaaS is just a tiny software tool that solves one specific problem and charges a small monthly fee. Think a scheduling tool for dog groomers, or an invoice tracker for freelance photographers. AI coding platforms make building these far more accessible than even two years ago.

Learn enough to be dangerous. You don’t need to become a programmer. But spending a few hours on a free Replit account getting familiar with how apps get built will help you have smarter conversations with any developer you eventually hire — and stop you from getting overcharged for simple work.

The coding world is changing fast, and the people who benefit most won’t necessarily be the ones who can code — they’ll be the ones who understand enough to know what’s now possible.