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August Trometer Terrible ideas that work.

August Trometer · Founder, technologist, reformed optimist

I build things that
weren't supposed
to work.

Occasionally, they do.

I made the world's first podcast client before podcasts were a thing anyone would admit to. I won an Edison Award for an app I built mostly to prove a point. I've shipped software used by millions of people, very little of which I was technically qualified to build at the time.

I work at the messy intersection of AI, product, and story. My whole career is a list of ideas that reasonable people called terrible — right up until the moment they stopped. My accountant calls that a diversified portfolio. Everyone else calls it a red flag.

World's first podcast client / Edison Award winner / 1.5M+ downloads / One acquisition / Millions of users

Currently selling

The whole store →
Available now

The Libronauts: Book One

A children's book for kids who'd rather build a rocket than read about one.

$18
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Questions a reasonable
person might ask

Who is August Trometer?
August Trometer is a serial founder and technologist who builds products at the intersection of AI, storytelling, and questionable timing. He created one of the earliest podcast clients and an Edison Award–winning mobile app, and has shipped software used by millions of people.
What does August Trometer build now?
AI-powered products, mostly — plus books, jokes, and the occasional company. The current, always-changing list lives on the store page.
What does “terrible ideas that work” mean?
Nearly every worthwhile thing August has built was called a terrible idea by someone reasonable, right up until it worked. He started keeping score. The terrible ideas are winning.
Can I work with or hire August Trometer?
Probably. If the project is brave, weird, or both, the contact page is the fastest way in.

Got a terrible idea?

Those are my favorite kind. If it's brave, weird, or unhireable anywhere else, we should probably talk.

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