Yeah, I did it backwards

This is my first time building in public, and my first ever post about it.

They tell you do customer interviews before you write a line of code. Find problem-solution fit first. Etc, etc.

Well, my product idea required an entire infrastructure that didn’t exist, based on open standards that weren’t finished. I knew it was going to be the most challenging code I’ve ever written and I didn’t know how long it would take.

So I decided to take as long as I needed write a bucket load of code to build the entire base platform from scratch. Was it a wise thing to do? Probably not. But now I have a ton of exclusive IP that implements a technology that I think is about to take over the world.

In short, I did it backwards and built the solution. Now I’m choosing which specific problem to solve.

We’re talking about quantum-safe end-to-end encryption between devices. You’re probably thinking to yourself, “don’t we already have that with Signal, and a bunch of other apps?” The answer is yes and no.

Yes, there are platforms that implement E2EE with varying levels of post-quantum encryption. But none of them interoperate. Imagine if users on Gmail and Microsoft Exchange couldn’t email each other. The standardization of email protocols way back when created a robust ecosystem of servers, applications, and services that would have been impossible otherwise.

Fast forward to today, and the Internet Engineering Task Force has created a new E2EE standard that allows for such an ecosystem. We can now have a mesh of cloud-hosted and self-hosted servers, independent client apps, and IoT devices that all maintain E2EE guarantees with provable security.

We also have a way of enabling features like records retention and eDiscovery.

On top of that, I also added quantum-safe proof of possession to the authentication tokens. What’s the point of quantum-safe messaging if your auth session isn’t also quantum-safe. To my knowledge, no one else has that bit.

The tech is solid. But what’s the product? That’s where you can help.

I have some ideas of my own that I’m building on this platform. But I’d love to know if you use any E2EE systems, especially in a business setting, and what you don’t like about them or wish you could do with them. Apps like Signal or Proton Mail, or even non-E2EE systems like Mattermost or AI agents.

Help me out and put your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to brainstorm a bit.

Thanks!