A year ago, I didn't know any of this.

I'm Steve. For decades, I've worked in industrial robotics — programming real, physical robots that weld car parts and move things on assembly lines. Not exactly Silicon Valley.

In the spring of 2025, I watched a YouTube video about building apps with AI. I don't remember who recommended it. I just remember thinking: “Wait... I could build software? Me?”

I'd never written a line of code in my life. I didn't know what JavaScript was. I thought “frontend” and “backend” were parts of a house. When someone mentioned an API, I nodded like I understood. I did not understand.

The rabbit hole

But I went down the rabbit hole anyway. I started using ChatGPT. Then Claude. Then I discovered tools like Windsurf and Cursor that could actually write code for me — I just had to describe what I wanted.

The first month was rough. I broke things constantly. I didn't know what error messages meant. I spent entire evenings debugging something that turned out to be a missing comma. But I kept going, because every time something actually worked, it felt like magic.

Within six months, I'd built a full web application — a recipe platform with user accounts, image uploads, a smart grocery list, and an AI-powered recipe scanner. From scratch. By myself. Using AI tools to write most of the code.

The moment it clicked

The breakthrough wasn't technical. It was realizing that I didn't need to understand everything — I just needed to understand enough to ask the right questions. Once I learned the language, the tools did the heavy lifting.

That's what this site is about. You don't need to become a nerd. You just need to learn to speak nerd.

I built SpeakNerd.ai because I wish it existed a year ago. When I was drowning in jargon, feeling like everyone else got the memo I missed — I needed someone to just explain things in plain English. No academic papers. No 45-minute YouTube videos. Just: “Here's what this word means, here's why you should care, and here's a one-liner you can use at dinner parties.”

What I believe

• You don't need a CS degree to build with AI. You need curiosity and stubbornness.
• Age is an advantage, not a limitation. Life experience makes you a better problem-solver.
• The best way to learn is by doing, not by watching someone else do it.
• If I can figure this out, anyone can. I'm living proof.

Want to follow along?

I'm building in public. Follow me on X (@SteveBuilds_AI) to see what I'm working on, the mistakes I make, and the things I learn along the way. No polished highlight reel — just real building. Or drop me a line at steve@speaknerd.ai. I read every email.