6 months ago, I couldn't code. Today I'm launching a SaaS I built with AI. Here's the unfiltered truth.

Background: Non-technical founder. Needed better project management tools. Decided to build one myself using AI (Claude) as my coding teacher.

What Worked

Using AI as a Mentor

• Asked progressively better questions over 6 months

• Learned by breaking things and fixing them

• Got unstuck on syntax/API issues in minutes

Experienced CS Professionals

• Asked a lot of questions

• Shared files for review

• Got roasted for mistakes, then guided to the right path with the why

Stack: Next.js + TypeScript + Supabase + OpenAI All stuff I'd never touched before. AI held my hand through each one.

What Didn't Work

Mistake 1: Zero Database Security Users could see each other's data. Didn't understand Row Level Security. Took a full 2 days to fix what should have been configured from day one.  Happened more than once.

Mistake 2: Method Mismatch Frontend sends DELETE. Backend expects POST. They couldn't talk. AI wrote both sides perfectly - to different specs.

Mistake 3: Wrong Table Queries Queried team_members table. My data was in integrations table. Every API call failed for 2 hours before I figured it out.

The Pattern: AI gives you correct code. Doesn't tell you if you're solving the wrong problem.

Today's Reality

4-hour debugging session this morning:

• Dropdown empty

• Buttons broken

• APIs 404ing

Root cause? All same issue - one wrong table reference.

Honest Take on "AI Lets Anyone Build Software"

True: I built a working SaaS in 6 months with zero coding experience.

Also True:

• Shipped bugs I didn't understand

• Made architecture decisions I'll regret

• Wrote code that works but isn't great

• Still needed experienced devs to review

AI is powerful. But you still need to learn what you're building.

What I'd Do Differently

1. Find a technical co-founder or advisor (AI can't review architecture)

2. Start even smaller (I over-built v1)

3. Learn fundamentals first (rushed to shipping)

4. Budget 3x the time (always takes longer than AI suggests)

The Product

AI-powered project management that:

• Predicts project failures before they happen

• Auto-routes tasks based on workload/skills

• Detects risks from Slack conversations

Launching beta today. It works. Has rough edges. Solves real problems.

Questions for You

• Other non-technical founders using AI to build: what surprised you most?

• What mistakes did AI not help you avoid?

• How do you balance shipping fast vs learning properly?

The Reality: AI is an incredible tool. But building software is still hard. Just hard in different ways than before.

Built by someone who learned what TypeScript was 6 months ago.