Last year, at Hatch Conference, I finally had a chance to talk with Nad Chishtie in person.
Not in a rush between talks. Not in a Zoom window. But in a space that felt genuinely inspiring — surrounded by builders, designers, and people who were clearly there to create, not just to perform.
At that moment, I was actively looking for role models for this new season of Growthmates. People who don’t just talk about creativity, but live it — often in unconventional ways.
Nad immediately stood out. Not because of a polished career story, but because of how calmly and honestly he spoke about uncertainty, rebuilding, and starting over.
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Welcome to the new season of Growthmates — The Creator’s Path
This season is for people who never fully fit into the “standard” career story.
For those who learned by doing — not waiting. Who experimented before they had permission. Who broke things, rebuilt them, and kept going even when the path wasn’t clear.
The Creator’s Path is about unconventional journeys. About designers, founders, and builders who didn’t follow the expected route — and created their own instead.
We’re living in a moment where AI is fundamentally changing how we work. Tools are faster. Barriers are lower. Creation is no longer reserved for a narrow group with the “right” background, credentials, or titles.
But this shift raises a deeper question:
What does it really mean to create — when almost anyone can build?
Nad Chishtie, Head of Design at Lovable
This season explores that question through honest conversations with people who are already living in this new reality — navigating uncertainty, embracing imperfection, and redefining what creative work looks like today.
Nad’s story felt like the perfect place to begin.
From dropping out to building without limits
In this episode of Growthmates, I sit down with Nad Chishtie — Head of Design at Lovable, founding designer, and former game developer who has built products used by over 50 million people across Asia.
Nad dropped out of university at 18. Not out of rebellion — but because the system couldn’t keep up. When Gmail launched with Ajax, he saw the future arriving faster than the curriculum allowed. Using modern tools was forbidden. Curiosity was constrained. And staying no longer made sense.
That decision wasn’t about quitting education — it was about choosing learning over structure.
Being “B+ at many things” is an unfair advantage
Instead of specializing early, Nad became a generalist.
Design;
Code;
Games;
Systems thinking.
For years, that didn’t fit neatly into job titles. But over time, it became his biggest advantage.
We talk about why being “B+ at many things” enables faster creation, stronger end-to-end ownership, and clearer decision-making — especially in small, high-leverage teams.
“Modern product work became over-fragmented. Too many roles. Too much consensus. And almost no one truly responsible for the whole.”
Lovable was built differently.
AI as a playground — not a shortcut
One of the most powerful parts of this conversation is how Nad thinks about AI.
AI didn’t come up in our conversation as a productivity hack. And definitely not as a replacement for creativity. We kept returning to a different framing — AI as a playground. A space where ideas can be tried, reshaped, and learned through building, not permission.
At Lovable, AI lowered the cost of both creation and deletion. That’s why the team rebuilt the product from scratch — three times. No sunk cost fallacy. No attachment to outdated decisions.
We talk about why perfectionism holds creators back, why starting before you’re ready matters, and how AI makes experimentation safer — especially for people who’ve never seen themselves as “technical.”
For Nad, the real shift isn’t speed.It’s freedom.
Creating software for people the system ignores
Some of the most meaningful stories Nad shares aren’t about scale — but about individuals.
We talked about people building personal software for themselves. About neurodivergent users finally creating tools that fit how they think. About creators who were never the “default user” — until now.
When the barrier to creation drops, software becomes personal again. And that changes who gets to participate.
A future with no creative ceilings
We end the conversation looking forward.
We also touched on what this means for the next generation. A world without a hard skill ceiling. Kids growing up assuming they can build whatever they imagine. Creation no longer gated by credentials, tools, or permission — just curiosity and intent.
This episode isn’t about hacks or frameworks. It’s about what becomes possible when systems stop getting in the way.
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