Instinct Employees & AI Founders - User Growth Analysis

It's been about six months since I left Aptos, and I've spent most of that time deep in AI. I did a few hackathons at the intersection of AI and web3, built small things, broke them, and spent a lot of time thinking about what comes next. I also started a boardgame content page on Instagram with friends, @theboardgameboulevard, and finished Hyrox doubles, which is my biggest flex right now. Before that I spent five years building ecosystems in India. I started The Phoenix Guild in 2022, a diversity-first builder community that eventually ran across 13 chapters and got a lot of people their first crypto job. It's not running anymore but it's still the thing I'm proudest of. Then Hashed Emergent, where I worked on accelerator programs and India Blockchain Week, and then Aptos, where I built out the India ecosystem and later moved into a global role supporting founders. Most of that work was the unglamorous side of growth. Getting builders in the door, keeping them there, and figuring out which programs actually moved a number versus which ones just looked good in a recap post. That's what I'm good at, so I started digging into how AI companies acquire and keep their users, and I'm going to write it up. One company a week, how they grow, where it leaks, and what I'd change. Most of them will be AI companies because that's where I'm spending my time now. I haven't left crypto though, so if you're building there I'd still love to hear from you. First one is Instinct, the assistant you text. They're reportedly raising at a valuation of $10 billion, and the founder shares percentages and averages about users but never how many there are. Tell me where I'm wrong, especially if you're building at one of these companies.