Charles Esther
When it comes to building a product from scratch, more people often lead to more problems.
That’s the warning from Varun Mohan, CEO of Windsurf, who believes that oversized teams can doom a product before it even has a chance.
Speaking on the “Twenty Minute VC” podcast, Mohan said having up to 10 people on a new, unvalidated idea “can backfire fast.”
“Everyone has opinions. Everyone has ideas. And nobody’s ideas are wrong — because no one has proven anything,” he explained.
Why Small Teams Work Best
Mohan strongly recommends early-stage product teams remain lean, ideally with just three to four people.
“It’s very hard to get alignment,” he said.
“It’s very hard for people to work in one direction without causing communication issues.”
Windsurf — originally founded as Codeium in 2021 — has raised $243 million in VC funding, according to PitchBook.
The company is known for its AI-powered code generation tools and rapid development cycles.
In Mohan’s view, the ideal product team might include two or three engineers and one designer — or just engineers if the problem is purely technical.
Speed, Focus, and Flexibility Win
A small, focused, and “opinionated” team can move quickly to validate an idea, Mohan added.
Even a rough version of a good idea can be a breakthrough if it works.
“Once you’ve proven the crappy version has legs,” he said, “you can then go and resource more people on the project.”
This strategy — start small, prove fast, scale later — helps avoid wasted time and resources.
Lean Teams Are the New Normal in AI
Windsurf isn’t alone in this approach.
Other major AI startups, like Anysphere (makers of Cursor), have also adopted ultra-lean team structures.
According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, this is just the beginning.
“We’re going to see 10-person companies with billion-dollar valuations pretty soon,” he said in February 2024.
No Fixed Budgets for New Ideas
Windsurf also avoids setting specific budgets for early-stage projects.
Instead, the company allows its teams to experiment in an “unconstrained market.”
“If the technology could accelerate software development, it’s so valuable to customers that it’s worth the risk,” Mohan noted.
Windsurf evaluates these projects over time, deciding whether to keep pushing, pivot, or pause.
“That’s not a democratic process,” Mohan clarified.
“It’s a little bit of a top-down process.”
The Bottom Line
In the world of product development, smaller teams may not just be faster — they may be smarter.
By keeping early-stage teams lean and decision-making centralized, Windsurf is betting on speed, clarity, and adaptability.
And for companies trying to break into AI or any fast-moving tech space, that could be the winning formula.
