When I see stats like this, or like the 400MM users&#x2F;40 devs, that WhatsApp had at one point, I can&#x27;t help but think back to, say, 1985. What would it take to develop and scale a software product to that number of users?<p>I worked for MultiScope in 1991. We had to order discs and have disc labels printed, copy the compiler onto the discs, have manuals and boxes printed, stuff and shrink-wrap the boxes, ship to Ingram Micro for distribution, and then wait 2-4 weeks for our product to show up on the shelves at Egghead. I recall 5 developers, and we were ecstatic to ship 4,000 copies of a major new version.<p>That gets me thinking in terms of leverage. The leverage that 2015 Internet technology affords a single developer is a potent economic force.