Startup Stories - Mixergy

Episode #2294: He Claude Code: Build Me a YouTube Replacement
Date: January 23, 2026
Host: Andrew Warner
Guest: Pat Walls, Founder of Starter Story

Episode Overview

In this hands-on episode, Andrew Warner talks with Pat Walls—entrepreneur and creator of Starter Story—about how Pat responded to being nearly de-platformed by YouTube. Facing channel strikes for “dangerous content,” Pat turned to AI tool Claude Code to rapidly build his own YouTube-style video platform tailored for his business. The conversation dives into Pat’s live-building process, the practical use of AI as a coding partner, and strategic lessons for founders facing platform risk.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pat Walls' Journey: From YouTube Strikes to Own Platform

• YouTube Revenue vs. Total Business Model

  • Pat’s YouTube channel: 1.5–2 million views/month, $10–$15k/month from AdSense
  • YouTube is "just a small portion" (5–10%) of business revenue; Starter Story’s core revenue comes from products and subscriptions
  • "Last year we did over 2 million." (01:53)

• Trigger: Automated YouTube Moderation

  • Google’s automated moderation flagged old content as “dangerous.”
  • Pat feared losing years of work overnight.
  • Emotional impact and urgency—“I was at dinner with my wife and I got this email...like the whole business can vanish tomorrow.” (06:13, Pat)

• Mindset Shift: Platform Risk

  • “I thought about YouTube as our platform...now I think about it as a spoke. The website is now the hub.” (48:12, Pat)

2. Building a YouTube Clone With Claude Code (Live Tutorial)

Getting Started

• Claude Code AI:
  • <code>Terminal-based AI development assistant.</code>
  • $100–200/month subscription, but “replaces the work of developers, designers, and an entire team.” (08:57, Pat)
• Pat shows the entire app-building process step-by-step, emphasizing anyone can follow along.

Step-by-Step Process:

• Setting Up the Project

  • Created a Next.js app as base (“use proven frameworks so you get the benefit of the ecosystem and AI-enhanced docs”). (12:18, Pat)

• UI Development via Screenshots

  • Screenshots YouTube UI, pastes into Claude Code:

    “Here’s the YouTube interface. I want you to recreate this on the page, but instead of pixel perfect, do it with placeholder components.” (17:09, Pat)

  • Iterative approach: “one feature, one page”—don’t try to recreate the whole platform at once.

• No-Code/Low-Code Philosophy

  • Pat purposely avoids reading or editing code to show what’s possible for non-developers:

    “I just want to prove that you don’t need to look at code to do this.” (19:47, Pat)

Adding Functionality

• Video Hosting Using Wrappers

  • Uses bunny.net as a third-party video storage/streaming “wrapper”:

    “Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use a wrapper for streaming...” (22:21, Pat)

• Chapters Feature

  • Adds interactive video chapters under the player for a better UX:
    • “How about put [chapters] underneath the video...now people can see the timestamps in a new way.” (29:57, Andrew)
    • AI generated visual timeline based on screenshot inspiration.

• Rapid Bug Fixing & Testing

  • AI not only codes but tests:

    “When there’s something going on...you can actually ask it and say, ‘Hey, that didn’t work. I want you to actually...debug the issue until it’s fixed.’” (38:18, Pat)

  • Uses Playwright for automated AI testing in the browser.

• Iterative UI Clean-Up

  • Strips out unnecessary interface elements (“search”, “comments”, account links), making the end result intentionally minimal. (40:54+)
  • AI deployment to Vercel, overcoming authentication and build errors with simple prompts.

Quotable Moments

• “It's like being a painter, getting to paint whatever you want with.” (33:07, Andrew)
• “You can build anything you want now...I don’t know what’s going to happen with software because of this.” (36:35, Pat)
• “Even before AI, as a software engineer...we were just Googling stuff. The ethos of the builder is: ‘I don’t even know what I’m doing.’ It’s almost like a humbleness.” (43:53, Pat)

3. Lessons and Strategies for Startup Founders

• AI (Claude Code) as a Force Multiplier

  • “When you realize what it can do, it can replace the work of developers, designers, and an entire team ... for $100 a month.” (08:57, Pat)
  • Anyone willing to “think like a builder” versus just a coder can leverage these new AI tools.

• Intentional Product and Marketing Design

  • Pat discusses onboarding walls, funnels, and UI/UX intentionally designed for business outcomes:

    “You need people to interact with [the product] properly and get to the next step...I wish there was a way to inject more of that thinking into people—even into me.” (36:25, Andrew)

• Building Resilience Against Platform Risk

  • The “hub-and-spoke” content model:

    “Now the site is the hub, YouTube is a spoke...once we got the first warnings, I told my team to download every video.” (48:12+, Pat)

  • Drives audience to his own platform for better retention and ownership (email collection, user data, customization).

Notable Quotes & Moments With Timestamps

• On Fear of Platform Risk & Acting Fast:

  "It just overtook me. The stress just overtook me... let's just distract myself by building something cool.”
  (06:13, Pat)

• On Programming With AI:

  “Some people think, oh, you're such a genius, because you're a programmer. No, you just Google stuff—and now AI gives you more answers.”
  (09:38, Pat)

• On the Power of AI Wrappers:

  “The most important thing about YouTube is having an actual video that is playing... [but] any successful app uses a wrapper. Don’t reinvent the wheel.”
  (22:21, Pat)

• On Product Ownership:

  “Now, there's this concept of hub and spoke...I used to think of YouTube as the hub...Now my website is the hub.”
  (48:12, Pat)

• On Artistic Empowerment Through AI:

  “This is so fun. It's so creative. This is like being a painter, getting to paint whatever you want...”
  (33:07, Andrew)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• [01:53] – Revenue and business overview
• [05:07] – YouTube strikes and content moderation
• [06:13–07:31] – Emotional impact, response, and initial build decision
• [08:57–13:48] – Setting up the AI coding environment, Next.js, and philosophical approach
• [17:09] – Screenshot-driven UI design and iterative build
• [22:21–25:21] – Using wrappers (bunny.net) for video hosting
• [27:02–34:12] – Adding interactive chapters and dynamic UI with AI
• [38:18–40:02] – AI debugging/testing for code errors
• [43:53] – On humility and building with AI
• [48:12] – Content hub-and-spoke model and the shift from is YouTube as the hub

Final Insights & Takeaways

• AI tools like Claude Code democratize software creation—Pat built a working video platform in hours with minimal code/manual input, leveraging AI for both building and testing.
• Ownership is key: Moving audiences onto your platform mitigates the existential risk of relying on social/algorithmic platforms.
• The builder’s mindset matters most: Pat’s success comes from persistent learning, iterative building, and a willingness to “ask dumb questions” of both AI and APIs.
• Intentional product and marketing design can be achieved alongside technical builds, integrating conversion tactics (e.g., onboarding gates) from step one.
• Rapid technical execution is now accessible to non-engineers— founders should focus on vision, user experience, and strategy.

References & Links

• Pat Walls: StarterStory.com
• Pat’s new video platform demo: futube-flax.vercel.app
• AI tool used: Claude Code
• Video hosting “wrapper”: bunny.net

“You can build anything you want now...”
— Pat Walls (36:35)