How one founder’s bet on ‘the old school web’ is paying off Craig Campbell, a former Meta engineer, opted to start a website called Past Maps instead of pursuing AI ventures, despite investors offering a ‘blank check.’ The site allows users to view historical maps overlaid with modern ones and has grown to over 300,000 active users per month, primarily through organic Google search. Campbell utilizes AI tools to manage customer service and develop new features, emphasizing that while technology has evolved, core human principles of passion, utility, and community remain crucial for business success.

• Craig Campbell, a tech founder, chose to build a website called Past Maps over an AI company, rejecting investor offers for a ‘blank check.’
• Past Maps allows users to explore historical maps overlaid with current views, growing to over 300,000 monthly users mainly via organic search.
• The business model relies on subscriptions, protecting it from ad market fluctuations and Google’s dominance.
• Campbell leverages AI for customer service triage and is developing an OCR tool for historical maps, integrating human oversight with AI capabilities.
• The success of Past Maps highlights the value of building a useful product based on passion and community, even in a rapidly changing tech landscape. Continue reading https://www.theverge.com/tech/938245/past-maps-website-google-zero-ai