Building a $200M Bootstrapped Chess Empire with Chess.com CEO Erik Allebest – No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology

Building a $200M Bootstrapped Chess Empire with Chess.com CEO Erik Allebest – No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups — Transcript

Market views

Bullish

CHESS— Chess.com has grown to 250M+ members and $200M+ revenue, with multiple growth waves (COVID, Queen's Gambit, 2023 spike) proving sustainable demand. The company is profitable, bootstrapped, and expanding into poker with a ratings-based approach that could drive additional revenue streams.
AIMODELS— AI is accelerating human learning and skill development across domains, with younger players reaching expertise faster than previous generations. Neural nets like Leela Chess Zero have made chess more exciting and pushed the game forward, demonstrating AI's ability to enhance rather than replace human activities.

Not investment advice.