Iterating to globally distributed apps and databases

Kurt Mackey reflects on his innate curiosity and desire to build how things work, highlighting his evolution from dating back to early computer science projects, to founding companies that challenge conventional infrastructure models. His career showcases a consistent pursuit of innovative architectures like databases close to users, and a personal inclination for building tools for developers rather than just product perfection. Kurt emphasizes the importance of shipping, iterating, and solving real problems, rather than obsessing over perfect code, and discusses his broader approach to entrepreneurship, risk-taking, and the value of learning from failures.

The core mission of Fly.io is to enable developers to deploy apps close to their users globally, addressing latency and speed benefits by utilizing infrastructure in various regions worldwide. Kurt discusses the technical choices behind Fly, such as deploying full-stack apps and databases across multiple regions, leveraging private networks, and enabling databases like Postgres to operate with replicas everywhere. He highlights their focus on simplicity, developer experience, and making global distribution seamless and accessible for 'boring' applications. The company also aims to abstract complexity away, simplifying deployment without sacrificing performance.

Kurt elaborates on the evolution from traditional single-region databases to globally distributed solutions, with a specific focus on Postgres. He describes their approach to deploying regional read replicas that transparently handle requests based on proximity, enhancing performance for international users. He also mentions recent experiments with SQLite and tools like LightStream to provide production-level, reliable, and geographically accessible databases, aiming to eliminate the traditional need for complex infrastructure.

The discussion covers Kurt’s experience with fundraising, including multiple attempts, the strategic timing of raising capital based on product readiness, and the role of Y Combinator in accelerating growth. He emphasizes the importance of building a product that resonates with specific developer communities and how funding helps scale infrastructure, expand regions, and grow the user base. Kurt also reflects on the importance of consistent progress, celebrating small wins, and focusing on scalable, repeatable growth strategies rather than chasing immediate revenue alone.

Kurt explains Fly’s target audience—developer communities building full stack and backend apps—and their plan to hire more developers to fuel future growth. He discusses their commitment to providing useful, accessible tools that appeal to both small developers and large organizations, emphasizing trust, transparency, and partnership. The company is actively engaging in various developer ecosystems like Elixir, Ruby on Rails, and Shopify, aiming to become the default deployment platform for applications that require performance and global proximity.

Kurt shares upcoming plans for Fly, including expanding into new regions like South Korea and India, enhancing support for various databases, and improving multi-region deployments. He mentions innovation projects like SQLite streaming and same-region Postgres replicas, reflecting a focus on lowering infrastructure complexity, making app deployment truly global, and enabling seamless, high-performance applications. These developments aim to make Fly a trusted, default platform for developers worldwide, reducing reliance on traditional cloud providers.

Throughout the conversation, Kurt reveals his passion for barbecue, especially smoking wings and trout, sharing his recipes and experiments with different cooking techniques. His interest in food complements his technical mindset, showing a playful side and an appreciation for craftsmanship and patience—qualities also reflected in his approach to building infrastructure and company culture.