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My First MillionThis App Entrepreneur Made $10,000,000 By Cloning A Viral Game
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WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Wordle clone fallout sparks debate on building in public and identity
- Ben Levy recounts how Zach Shaked cloned Wordle into a weekend-built mobile app that went viral, then became a public ethics controversy that ended with Apple pulling down Wordle-named apps.
- The hosts use the story to debate ‘build in public,’ arguing that public bragging can turn a business move into a reputational lightning rod that attracts journalists, mobs, and platform enforcement.
- The conversation shifts to creator Pomp as an example of massive daily output, with the hosts estimating multiple revenue streams while questioning the sustainability and lifestyle trade-offs.
- Shaan explains why he and Ben launched a daily crypto newsletter, The Milk Road, and describes the grind and the deliberate choice of a ‘prison’ that aligns with their interests.
- The episode closes on broader themes: choose projects carefully, avoid identity traps, and prioritize work that gives you energy over work that merely signals effort.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasCloning a viral product can scale fast, but the reputational blowback can hit even faster.
Ben Levy tells the story of Zach Shaked quickly launching “Wordle the App,” watching it go viral, and then getting publicly criticized after a reporter and tech Twitter framed it as unethical cloning—leading to app takedowns.
“Building in public” can create unnecessary risk when you’re doing something controversial or ambiguous.
Shaan Puri and Sam Parr argue that Zach’s real mistake wasn’t only cloning—it was narrating the whole thing on Twitter in a way that made it easy to spotlight and shame, which they believe helped turn it into a story that reached Apple.
The episode frames transparency as optional and strategic, not a moral obligation.
Shaan says he prefers transparency with people he trusts (family, coworkers) but not “strangers on the internet,” and he explicitly says he shares details when it benefits him and doesn’t when it doesn’t.
Personal branding can lock you into behaviors that stop serving you.
Shaan describes “identity” (e.g., being “the build-in-public guy”) as a self-built prison that can force consistency even when circumstances change; he also emphasizes being willing to change your mind.
A content/media ‘empire’ can be powerful, but the daily schedule can become a ‘have to do it’ prison.
Shaan and Sam pivot to discussing high-output creator Pomp and speculate about how his “empire” works (newsletter, sponsors, courses, job board, investing), while also questioning how sustainable a daily multi-hour schedule is.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesThe story isn't that other people- there are apps in the store called Wordle that are owned by different people. That's not the story. The story is, look at this guy r- cloning this thing, ripping it off, bragging about it, and then getting shit on on Twitter.
— Shaan Puri
When you're crushing it, you shut up.
— Sam Parr
People have an identity, and then they'll like, uh, you know, they use it to build a little prison for themselves.
— Shaan Puri
When there's a huge wave happening, it kinda doesn't matter exactly what you do. You just need to make sure you're out in the water paddling with your board.
— Shaan Puri
More fiction gets written in Excel than in, than in books.
— Shaan Puri
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SPEAKERS
Ben Levy
guestApp entrepreneur who built and discussed the viral Wordle-clone app story and related app-store/trademark dynamics.
Sam Parr
hostCo-host of My First Million and entrepreneur (founder of The Hustle).
Shaan Puri
hostCo-host of My First Million and entrepreneur (co-creator of the Milk Road crypto newsletter).
High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.
