The $1B Rails Startup: Scaling from 0 to Unicorn in Four Years

We started when Rails was “dead.” Everyone said it wouldn’t scale, wasn’t fast enough, and that no one used it anymore. Four years later, we’ve processed $1B+, handle 150k RPM, and run a feature-complete marketplace with real-time chat, notifications, payments, and live streaming - all on a Rails monolith with just 15 engineers.

This talk breaks down how Rails gave us a competitive edge, the technical and hiring challenges we faced, and what Rails needs to improve to stay the best framework for startups.