In this episode, we sit down with Gabriele Cirulli, who created the viral hit game 2048 when he was just 19 years old. 

What started as a five-day coding experiment became a worldwide phenomenon, leading Gabriele through an unexpected journey of viral success, burnout, and eventually finding peace with his creation. After stepping away from the game for years, he recently quit his job at 1Password to work on 2048 full-time, launching a completely reimagined version with new features and improved performance. 

Surprisingly, Gabriele shares his unconventional view on the thousands of copycats his game inspired, seeing them as a beautiful extension of creativity rather than theft. From dealing with the pressure of unexpected success to embracing an open-source mindset, Gabriele's story offers unique insights into what happens when a side project suddenly becomes a global sensation.

Check out Gabriele's Resources:

https://play2048.co
https://classic.play2048.co/

https://x.com/gabrielecirulli/
https://gabrielecirulli.github.io/2048
https://github.com/gabrielecirulli/2048
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielecirulli/
https://www.facebook.com/2048.by.Gabriele.Cirulli/

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Check out our brainy games:

Sumplete - https://sumplete.com
Squeezy - https://imsqueezy.com/
Kakuro Conquest - https://kakuroconquest.com
Mathler - https://mathler.com
Crosswordle - https://crosswordle.com
Sudoku Conquest - https://sudokuconquest.com
Hitori Conquest - https://hitoriconquest.com
Wordga - https://wordga.com