In this episode of Spotlight On, Accel’s Christine Esserman sits down with Merrill Lutsky, co-founder and CEO of Graphite, to discuss how his company is redefining code review for the AI era. Merrill shares how he and his co-founders have fostered an unconventional yet deeply effective approach to building trust through weekly Monday dinners and co-founder “therapy” sessions. They discuss the unique challenges of building a developer tools platform inspired by Meta’s engineering culture and how Graphite’s AI-powered code review companion, Diamond, enables teams to work smarter and faster.
From navigating pivots to scaling a fast-growing AI startup headquartered in New York City, Merrill offers insights into the messy, exhilarating process of building a company that’s reshaping how developers collaborate in the age of AI.
Conversation Highlights
- [00:32] What is Graphite? Merrill explains the AI-powered code review platform transforming developer workflows.
- [01:02] Graphite’s $52M Series B and its impact on scaling operations.
- [03:09] Merrill’s first startup experience and how it shaped his approach to founding companies.
- [04:27] The framework Merrill uses to evaluate team, idea, and market timing before launching new ventures.
- [05:33] Building trust and collaboration with co-founders—how Monday night dinners and co-founder therapy strengthened their dynamic.
- [11:17] Pivoting to Graphite: The unexpected demand for better code review tools inspired by Meta’s engineering culture.
- [16:17] The origin of the name “Graphite” and its connection to iterative workflows.
- [27:17] Navigating seismic shifts in software development with AI—how Graphite adapted to the rise of LLMs.
- [32:15] Launching Diamond, Graphite’s AI-powered code reviewer, and how it passed the “Dave Test.”
- [42:40] Merrill’s personal pursuits—running marathons and DJing in New York—and how they fuel his energy as a founder.
