Why CEOs Are Hitting Pause After Trump’s Tariff AnnouncementFor many startups, the goal is to build a product that evolves over time based on user feedback.
However, Varun Mohan, CEO and cofounder of Windsurf, sees things differently.
According to Mohan, Windsurf’s culture revolves around making “big bets” and completely reinventing their products every six to twelve months.
This strategy is not about tweaking what’s already there; it’s about creating a new form of the product that renders the old one obsolete.
The aim? To stay ahead of the competition and maintain an innovative edge in the rapidly changing tech landscape.
Rebuilding Products to Stay Ahead
In a recent episode of Lenny’s Podcast, Mohan explained that the company’s philosophy is to constantly disrupt its own creations.
“We should be cannibalizing the existing state of our product every six to 12 months,” Mohan said.
This approach means that the product undergoes regular and radical reinvention, ensuring that it is always ahead of customer expectations and industry standards.
Windsurf, which was formerly known as Codeium, is focused on providing AI tools that help developers write code through natural language prompts.
As the company builds on the emerging trend of “vibe coding,” a term coined by OpenAI’s cofounder Andrej Karpathy, its products aim to simplify the coding process for developers by allowing them to focus more on the problem they’re trying to solve, rather than the technical intricacies of writing code.
Embracing ‘Vibe Coding’ and AI-Driven Innovation
Windsurf is part of a wave of startups embracing the idea of “vibe coding,” which Karpathy defines as a new way to work with AI by providing natural language prompts that help write the code.
This innovative approach frees developers from the constraints of traditional programming, giving them the ability to focus on high-level goals instead of worrying about syntax and specific coding structures.
The result? A product that is powerful, flexible, and, most importantly, easy to use.
Founded in 2021, Windsurf has already raised more than $200 million in venture capital and was valued at $1.25 billion during a round led by General Catalyst.
With backing from major investors like Greenoaks and Kleiner Perkins, Windsurf is quickly positioning itself as a leader in the AI and development tools space.
The Philosophy of Reinvention and Risk-Taking
What sets Windsurf apart from other startups is its willingness to take risks and pivot when necessary.
Uunlike other companies that focus on refining products based on customer feedback, Mohan believes that simply improving an existing product will not be enough to stay ahead of the competition.
“The value of that is going to depreciate very quickly,” he says.
Instead, Windsurf continually pushes the boundaries by shifting its focus and creating entirely new products that challenge the status quo.
“We were making money on this,” Mohan explained in the podcast, referring to the company’s earlier product.
“And we were just like, ‘Hey, we’re going to pivot entirely from this.'”
Despite already having raised $28 million, the company decided to change direction because they no longer believed in the value of their original product.
Mohan emphasizes that startups that try to chase the next big thing while holding on to outdated products are doomed to fail.
Risk, Reinvention, and the Value of Getting Things Wrong
Mohan’s approach acknowledges that failure is a natural part of innovation.
Windsurf has undergone several pivots since its inception, moving from building graphics processing unit (GPU) virtualization infrastructure to developing an integrated development environment (IDE) plugin, and eventually launching its own full IDE.
Each of these shifts involved risk, but the company’s willingness to embrace failure has ultimately led to its growth.
“Every year is a new lease on life for us,” Mohan says.
“It’s almost a new way for us to test out an entirely new set of hypotheses.”
This mindset allows Windsurf to constantly challenge its assumptions and explore new opportunities.
The belief is that even when they get things wrong, they are setting the stage for the next big breakthrough.
Conclusion: The Windsurf Model of Innovation
Windsurf’s strategy of blowing up its products and constantly reinventing itself is a bold approach in the fast-paced world of AI and tech.
With a culture that embraces risk and disruption, the company is positioned to stay ahead of the curve and continue innovating in ways that traditional startups might shy away from.
By continually asking hard questions, taking risks, and being willing to change course when necessary, Windsurf is building a company that could redefine the way developers work and how AI tools are integrated into the development process.
As Windsurf continues to grow, its unique approach could serve as a model for other startups seeking to make a lasting impact in the tech world.
The question remains: will this strategy of reinvention every 6 to 12 months be the key to long-term success? Only time will tell, but for now, it’s a gamble that seems to be paying off.