What happens when a college student builds an AI tool that goes viral overnight — and changes how thousands of students study?

Summary:

In this episode of Lobster Talks, Gabriel sits down with David Yu, co-founder of YouLearn — the YC-backed AI tutor that transforms PDFs, class recordings, and YouTube videos into quizzes, notes, and a personal tutor. From a dorm-room side project to a viral social growth engine, this episode is packed with tactics, conviction, and bold bets on the future of learning.

You’ll learn:

How YouLearn hit 10,000 users in 24 hours from a single post

The exact tactics they used to blow up on Instagram and TikTok

Why most AI tools in education fail — and how YouLearn avoids it

The truth about retention, virality, and real product usage

How David thinks about AI hallucinations and data safety

What learning could look like in 2030 with Neuralink, glasses, and beyond

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Chapters:

00:00 Viral Launch on Social Media

00:20 Introduction to YouLearn

00:47 Meet the Founder: David Yu

01:09 The Birth of YouLearn

02:37 Early Challenges and Successes

05:09 Going Viral Again

05:45 Handling Rapid Growth

08:14 Maintaining Motivation

10:53 The Importance of Co-Founders

12:00 Transition to Full-Time

15:30 Iterating on the Product

18:36 Joining Y Combinator

21:04 Investor Skepticism Towards YC

21:49 Misconceptions About Joining YC

22:33 Right and Wrong Reasons to Join YC

23:28 Maximizing YC Experience

25:08 Navigating YC with Existing Revenue

30:26 AI's Role in Education

31:48 Future of Learning with AI

34:05 Misconceptions About AI in Learning

35:10 The Evolution of Learning Tools

40:26 Final Thoughts and Future Prospects

🎧 Listen on the go:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4m2K7ah

Apple: https://apple.co/4cZ8RMm

My other YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@GJarrosson