Phil Brewer

building AI spreadsheets | YC F24 | Ex-Bain

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

Directly next to each other on the NYC subway. Is this the invisible hand?

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

8/ The lesson: Your environment isn't neutral. Choose it as carefully as you choose your career.
Where you live might be the most important decision you make for your accomplisments.

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

🧵 Why do breakthrough innovations cluster in specific cities? Paul Graham's "Cities and Ambition" explains many grouping patterns in human achievement.
Here's my re-hashing on why geography shapes destiny:

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

7/ Fighting network effects is incredibly hard.
Think long and hard before you reject them. Sometimes the "right" move isn't following your passion—it's moving to where your passion has the best odds of succeeding.

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

Excited to launch the Melder Excel sidekick, our AI spreadsheet agent. Type what you want and Melder builds it.

It's all directly in Excel, available today, and free to get started!

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

Coachella lineup out 4 months earlier than normal? The stench of desperation is strong

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

Just tasted 0 carb high fiber rice from Diva Rice nyc…it mostly just taste likes rice. Pretty cool!

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

cool to see one camera on a high power iPhone again. Multiple cameras doesn’t feel like a Steve Jobs move (camera not being flush still doesn’t)

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

I got beat 21-0 by my co-founder in cornhole, good reminder to work with someone more talented than you

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

The coworking space I’m at today seems to have repurposed the local frat’sbeer pong tables as desks

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

3/ API usage >> chat app usage. Claude is used way less than ChatGPT, but their API usage levels are much more comparable. Engineers care about great models and developer experience – that's where the real AI potential lies. Thoughts?

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

Anthropic just raised at $183B – still closing the gap w/ OpenAI. I think it's going to overtake OpenAI by 2026. Here's why 🧵

[Phil Brewer @phil_melder]

2/ Their employees care about the mission. OpenAI's Battle of the Board had most top execs leave and their safety ethos was lost. Most serious safety people still end up at Anthropic – motivation beyond just comp matters.