1. Who is Pieter Levels?
Pieter is the internet’s favourite solo entrepreneur.
Known for launching 12 startups in 12 months, he ended up with two breakout successes:
- NomadList — community + data platform for remote workers (>$3M ARR)
- RemoteOK — global job board for remote tech hiring (>$1M ARR)
His newest wave? AI-first tools like Rebase, a headshot generator making ~$40k/month… all built on the same automation engine.
2. Philosophy — Leverage, not labour
Pieter has:
- No employees
- No office
- No meetings
His formula:
Write code. Automate everything. Charge money. Go surfing. 🌊
He builds products that run themselves using:
- Cron jobs + scripts
- Web scraping
- APIs
- Ghost + Next.js
- Stripe + Gumroad
- AI tooling
The output looks like magic. In reality, it’s ruthless systemisation.
3. How His Automation Stack Works
| Layer | Tools | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Data | Scrapers, Google Sheets API | Fresh content (jobs, cities, salaries) |
| Product | Custom PHP/JS + Tailwind | Lightweight, fast, scalable UIs |
| Ops | Scripts + cron | Auto-updates DB & sends newsletters |
| Monetisation | Stripe / Gumroad | Instant payments + subscriptions |
| Growth | SEO + backlinks | Evergreen traffic (no ad spend) |
He only does what doesn’t scale initially → then automates everything that works.
4. New AI Products (2024–2025 Wave)
With GPT-4, Pieter launched:
- Rebase.co — AI headshot generator → $40K/mo
- InteriorAI — AI room design mockups → sold to designers
- AvatarAI.me — AI avatar generator
- PhotoAI — AI photographer SaaS
Same approach:
- Launch fast → test pricing → automate → scale without humans
5. Revenue Snapshot
| Product | Est. Revenue | Built By |
|---|---|---|
| NomadList | $250K/mo | Solo |
| RemoteOK | $100K/mo | Solo |
| Rebase | $40K/mo | Solo |
| Total | $3.5M+/yr | One guy with scripts |
His cost base? < $200/mo in infrastructure + tools.
6. Buildloop Takeaways
| Principle | Use It Like This |
|---|---|
| Ship fast | Launch → learn → improve (don’t over-plan) |
| Automate ruthlessly | Remove yourself from repeat tasks |
| Layer multiple small wins | 3 products at $20K/mo beat 1 at $100K/mo risk |
| Sell early | Charge even for MVP – real feedback comes from payers |
| Be visible | Pieter tweets → community drives growth |
Final Thought
Pieter proves that in 2025, the most powerful “team” isn’t headcount… it’s code, servers, leverage, consistency, and courage.
You don’t need permission. You need systems.
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