In this conversation, Simon Grimm interviews Ben Awad, a successful YouTuber and co-founder of the app Voidpet. They discuss Ben's journey from content creation to app development, the challenges and successes he faced, and the technical aspects of building his applications. The conversation also touches on the importance of user experience, monetization strategies, and the evolution of Ben's career in the tech industry. In this conversation, Ben Awad discusses his experiences and insights into React Native, game development, and the integration of AI tools in programming. He shares his journey from Android development to embracing React Native, the challenges of real-time gaming, and the evolution of the developer experience. Ben also touches on animation techniques in game development, his literary interests, and the future of his projects, including Voidpet and the Voidlog series.

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Ben Awad

• Ben X: https://x.com/benawad
• Ben YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bawad
• Ben Github: https://github.com/benawad

Links

• Voidpet: https://voidpet.com
• Voidpet garden: https://voidpet.com/o/garden
• Hands of Greed book: https://handsofgreed.com
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Takeaways

• Ben Awad transitioned from YouTube content creation to app development.
• Voidpet gained popularity on TikTok before any code was written.
• He has learned from both successful and failed projects.
• The Voidpet app focuses on mental health themes.
• Ben's cooking app, Saffron, is still active and successful.
• He emphasizes the importance of user experience in app development.
• Ben uses a simple tech stack for his apps to avoid over-engineering.
• He believes that offline capabilities in apps are not always necessary.
• Ben prefers native styling in React Native over other styles.
• A time API is essential for validating timestamps in games.
• Ben's early experiences with Android development were frustrating.
• React Native's developer experience has significantly improved over the years.
• Real-time gaming in React Native presents unique challenges.
• Animation techniques are crucial for enhancing game visuals.
• Choosing React Native for game development was a strategic decision.
• AI tools have become integral to Ben's coding workflow.