Mukund Jha: Emergent democratizes software development for non-technical users, overcomes software testing bottlenecks, and redefines the second mover advantage | Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Emergent's AI platform revolutionizes app creation by enabling non-technical users to build production-ready software.

Listen on Y Combinator Startup Podcast

Share

Add us on Google by Editorial Team Apr. 10, 2026

Key takeaways

• Emergent empowers individuals to build production-ready software using AI agents, democratizing software development.
• Software testing is a significant bottleneck in rapid software deployment.
• Verification is key to automating software engineering processes.
• Emergent’s coding agent achieved the top spot on the Sweebench benchmark, showcasing its effectiveness.
• A majority of Emergent’s users are non-technical, indicating a shift in app creation demographics.
• Second movers can learn from first movers’ mistakes, offering a strategic advantage.
• Automating software engineering requires replicating the best practices of top engineering teams.
• Products must be significantly superior to existing options to gain market attention.
• The last mile of engineering, including deployment, is often neglected in product development.
• Consistent infrastructure during build and deployment phases minimizes deployment issues.
• Emergent’s platform supports non-technical users in creating apps that run real businesses.
• The strategic advantage of second movers challenges the traditional first mover advantage.
• High standards in platform development are necessary for software engineering automation.
• Product excellence is crucial in a crowded market to capture attention.
• Consistent infrastructure is vital for reducing software deployment problems.

Guest intro

Mukund Jha is the CEO and Co-Founder of Emergent, an AI platform that enables anyone to build and ship production-ready software. He previously served as CTO of Dunzo, the Indian delivery startup that scaled to millions of users across multiple cities. Alongside his twin brother Madhav, he built Emergent from India for a global audience, achieving over 7 million user-created apps in eight months.

How Emergent is democratizing software development

• Emergent enables individuals to build and ship production-ready software using AI agents.

• If you have like some agency of interest and you wanna start your own business and have autonomy over your life like you are empowering that at scale

  — Mukund Jha

• The platform empowers users, including non-technical ones, to create functional applications.
• 80% of users on the platform are non-technical, building apps that run real businesses.

• 80% of users who are on the platform are non-technical users with zero programming knowledge

  — Mukund Jha

• This shift indicates a democratization of app creation, allowing broader participation.
• Emergent’s approach challenges traditional software development barriers.
• The platform’s success highlights a trend towards accessible software development tools.

Overcoming bottlenecks in software development

• Software testing is identified as the biggest bottleneck in shipping software quickly.

• One of the things that I observed when I was running this large engineering team was that software testing was the biggest bottleneck in shipping fast

  — Mukund Jha

• Verification is crucial for automating software engineering processes.

• We realized that if you can solve for verification…you can actually automate all the software engineering

  — Mukund Jha

• Addressing these bottlenecks is key to rapid software deployment.
• Emergent’s platform aims to streamline these processes for efficiency.
• The focus on verification underpins the automation of software engineering.
• Solving these challenges can significantly enhance development speed and quality.

The strategic advantage of second movers

• Second movers can benefit from learning what doesn’t work for first movers.

• One of the advantages of starting second right is that you can actually learn from what is not working for the current competition

  — Mukund Jha

• This perspective challenges the traditional notion of first mover advantage.
• Second movers can start with a different perspective, informed by others’ experiences.
• This strategy can lead to more informed and effective market entry.
• Emergent leverages this approach to refine its offerings and strategies.
• Learning from competitors can lead to innovation and differentiation.
• The approach emphasizes strategic patience and observation in competitive markets.

Achieving excellence in product development

• A product must be significantly superior to existing options to gain market attention.

• Even if your product is really really strong…you’ll have to enter the market with a really really strong product

  — Mukund Jha

• Product excellence is crucial in a crowded market to capture attention.
• The last mile of engineering, including deployment, is often neglected.

• The last mile that you mentioned right is always what people neglect

  — Mukund Jha

• Ensuring both development and deployment are prioritized is essential.
• Emergent emphasizes the importance of comprehensive product development.
• The focus on excellence reflects a commitment to quality and innovation.

The importance of consistent infrastructure

• Providing agents with the same infrastructure during build and deployment minimizes problems.

• If you give your agents the same infra during the build time and the same infra during the deploy time then…you don’t encounter those many problems

  — Mukund Jha

• Consistent infrastructure is vital for reducing software deployment issues.
• This strategy enhances reliability and efficiency in software engineering.
• Emergent’s approach highlights the importance of infrastructure consistency.
• Reducing deployment issues is critical for successful software launches.
• The focus on infrastructure aligns with best practices in engineering.
• Consistency in infrastructure supports smoother transitions from development to deployment.

The role of AI in software engineering automation

• Verification is key to automating software engineering processes.

• Verification is the loop which sort of keeps agent running for a longer longer period of time

  — Mukund Jha

• Automating software engineering requires replicating best practices of top teams.

• To automate all of software engineering you will have to build a platform that replicates what best engineering team do

  — Mukund Jha

• AI plays a crucial role in streamlining and enhancing development processes.
• Emergent leverages AI to address challenges in software engineering.
• The focus on AI reflects a commitment to innovation and efficiency.
• Automation through AI can significantly transform software development landscapes.

Emergent’s competitive success

• Emergent’s coding agent became world number one on the Sweebench benchmark.

• We built soda coding agents which became world number one on suitebench

  — Mukund Jha

• This achievement showcases the effectiveness and innovation of their coding agent.
• The platform’s success highlights its competitive edge in the industry.
• Achieving top rankings reflects Emergent’s commitment to excellence.
• The benchmark success underscores the platform’s technological advancements.
• Emergent’s competitive success positions it as a leader in AI-driven development.
• The achievement demonstrates the platform’s capability and potential in the market.

Shifting demographics in app creation

• The majority of users on the platform are non-technical, indicating a shift in who can build applications.

• 80% of users who are on the platform are non-technical users with zero programming knowledge

  — Mukund Jha

• This shift highlights a democratization of app creation and software development.
• Non-technical users are increasingly able to create functional applications.
• Emergent’s platform supports this trend by providing accessible development tools.
• The shift in demographics reflects broader changes in the tech industry.
• Empowering non-technical users aligns with trends towards inclusivity in tech.
• The platform’s user base indicates a growing demand for accessible software solutions.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.