Daniel Hsu

Early @everlance. Creator of Currently building SAO ( — Remember every hotel stay. Discover your next one.

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

Here to learn from the builders on X, all our lows as well as highs.

Figured I might as well introduce my latest project. SAO is a digital hotel journal to log all your favorite memories & to discover your next one.

Hotel lovers—this one's for you:

https://t.co/UsQ6EoCjjg

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@raiyanj3_ Yes it does

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

Building an iOS app in 2026 is worlds apart from 2015. I remember the good old days when successfully archiving a build on Xcode would take a solid afternoon.

Now, it's all automated with Xcode Cloud...and even AI agents in Codex.

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

Social proof is a marketing tactic as old as time. Is zero > organic growth fighting against an impossible wave?

Has anyone tried purchasing a few followers or likes on social platforms to “jumpstart” the engagement? This guy ran a convincing A/B test:

https://t.co/p2Qt3pQhgs

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@iamvishal16_ios That was so painful good times man. Honestly with Xcode cloud I sometimes find it faster to do it on my own command line than waiting on an agent to “think”

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

Mobile dev seems like the "easy" part these days, but I still believe in robust manual testing. AI is helpful with writing automated tests quickly though. Here's a question for X — how are others building and testing their products for quality?

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@JustinasRoland0 love how you put yourself into the user’s seat. I think the authenticity can be felt by your customers. The price as is seems fair but tbh I don’t really record videos (yet!)

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@ntnwlc will keep that in mind

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

Just launched our subreddit today r/saostay - https://t.co/JX1wRGDl3S.

Do you find offering a Reddit community to answer questions / request features for your app helpful?

[GREG ISENBERG @gregisenberg]

I literally can't think of a better risk/reward bet right now than building a ChatGPT plugin and getting in front of their 1.2 billion weekly users.

As of yesterday, ChatGPT recommends plugins in the middle of conversations. Millions of questions get asked every day with no plugin to recommend. Each one is an empty slot.

Facebook apps in 2007. iPhone apps in 2008. TikTok in 2019. Every big platform has a few months where distribution is free, and most people miss it.

I saw this firsthand when I lived in SF building venture backed companies. They are sacred times!

If I were starting this week:

1. Find a tool or workflow people already Google for or do by hand every week (PDF to Excel, invoice generator, weekly client reports)
2. Build it as a ChatGPT plugin
3. Write the description using the exact phrases people type into ChatGPT
4. Ship 5 of them and see which ones get picked up
5. Double down on the one with the most traction

In 12 months these slots will be crowded but right now they're pretty empty.

Most people will realize ChatGPT plugins were the biggest free distribution channel of 2026 sometime in 2027.

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@ntnwlc have you tried it before? just want to get closer to users

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@ColeKosco_ @_michaelfallon It seems like the slog gets easier over time? Been iterating content week after week but follower count increments ever so slightly more as time goes by.

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@SamVale29 spaceship and cloudflare - honestly, whichever is cheapest.

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@Joey_Walker82 And I just realized watching Slow horses is not resting your eyes..😅

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@Joey_Walker82 That's a great why! But don't forget to take care of your health along the way. Rest your eyes and maybe watch the latest Slow Horses season (like you I still haven't found time yet)!

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

https://t.co/fDvvMbEW5K

This is why we're building SAO. The moments we live for are the experiences we share with the people we care about. Hadn't even heard of La Bahia until reading this.

Bookmarking for a future Santa Cruz trip!

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

But came away with a few solid takeaways.

Still have more work to do diving into the why. Building software feels a lot like psychological introspection. Anyone else feel this way?

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

Just wrapped my first user call for SAO. It’s been a while, but it’s good to get out of building mode and get out there talking to real users.

A UX researcher once told me to avoid asking leading questions; it’s hard not to when you have a strong product vision in your mind.

[Daniel Hsu @DanielJHsu]

@Joey_Walker82 Congrats!!