FirstVersion takes you on a journey through time, recreating the first versions of today’s tech giants with AI, collaboratively refined and maintained by the community – and updated for free. You can also duplicate them for free and build your own versions.
Hi PH community!
On the final day of 2024, I’m excited to share FirstVersion which showcases the first versions of iconic tech companies, rebuilt by AI, along with their inspiring startup stories.
Why FirstVersion?🚀
Every great product began with a simple Version 1.0. FirstVersion takes you on a journey through time, recreating the humble beginnings of today’s tech giants to showcase how simplicity and focus sparked their success.
We hope this inspires you to embrace simplicity, solve real problems, and take that first step toward your own great product!
Google (1998)YouTube (2005)Product Hunt (2013)Airbnb (2008)Twitter (2006)X.com (1999)Yahoo! (1994)eBay (2002)
FirstVersion itself and all the recreated websites are built using Trickle AI, collaboratively refined and maintained by the community. The project will be continually updated and is completely free.
Why did we decide to launch this on PH?🐱
Product Hunt is the birthplace of countless innovative ideas and products. Every day, solomakers and entrepreneurs launch their "Version One" here, just as the tech giants did in their early days. And as 2024 closes, I wanted to honor the past while inspiring the next wave of tech pioneers.
Special thanks to archive.org, firstversions.com, and versionmuseum.com for preserving these historical snapshots and screenshots, making our rebuilds possible. 🫶
Very interesting to see that companies wr know as giants today really focused on the core parts of their applications when they started, nothing fancy. I'm inspired!
I love the concept of FirstVersion, @victoria_wu! Reimagining the initial versions of tech giants is a brilliant way to inspire new creators. The use of AI to bring these early stages back to life is fascinating. Could there be a feature to compare these first versions with their current counterparts to highlight their evolution? That could provide some great learning moments for aspiring entrepreneurs!
I love this! Makes me very nostalgic and its inspiring to see how far these companies have come
🚀 Big congrats on launching FirstVersion! 🎉 As someone who understands how crucial those early iterations are, I love how you're tackling the often-overlooked challenges of turning an idea into a tangible product.
The focus on simplicity and iteration is exactly what creators need to avoid the paralysis of perfection. The demo looks seamless, and it’s clear how much thought has gone into making this intuitive for users at any stage of their product journey.
Quick question: How does FirstVersion handle user feedback loops to guide future iterations? I’d love to hear more about how you see this evolving for creators as they scale.
Wishing you massive success—I'll be keeping an eye out for updates! 🚀
Fascinating project! As someone who's been in tech for years, FirstVersion fills a crucial educational gap in our industry.
What I love most:
1. The AI reconstruction approach is brilliant - it's not just about showing screenshots, but actually rebuilding functional versions
2. The community-driven refinement ensures accuracy and continuous improvement
3. The ability to duplicate and build upon these first versions is incredibly valuable for learning
Suggestion for future development:
Consider adding a timeline feature showing key pivotal changes that led to today's version. This could help founders understand critical decision points in product evolution.
Question for the team:
How do you ensure the AI reconstructions are as accurate as possible to the original versions? Do you cross-reference with historical data or early employees?
This is exactly the kind of tool I wish existed when I started building products. It's like having a time machine for product development! 🚀
This is so right for a 31st of December! It's great to see how the big ones started. Makes me want to start something too!
People always remember success but forget how it all started. This product really makes people reflect. Congrats!
So fun to tweak and play with these early versions of big tech. Definitely a great tool for my curious!
This is such a nostalgic and inspiring idea! 🚀 It’s incredible to see how these tech giants started with such humble beginnings, yet they solved real problems and grew into the icons we know today. FirstVersion feels like a tribute to the power of simplicity and just starting.
omg i was always wondering about how the original youtube looks. this is super fun. these are the real mvps!!
