Why Build from Scratch?
You could just use the ChatGPT API. Why build your own?
| API User | Builder (you, after this) |
|---|---|
| "It's magic" | "I know exactly how it works" |
| Can't debug weird outputs | "Oh, that's an attention issue" |
| "Why is it hallucinating?" | "The training data didn't cover this" |
| Fears being replaced by AI | Can BUILD the AI |
| Uses tools | Creates tools |
API User
"It's magic"
Builder (you, after this)
"I know exactly how it works"
API User
Can't debug weird outputs
Builder (you, after this)
"Oh, that's an attention issue"
API User
"Why is it hallucinating?"
Builder (you, after this)
"The training data didn't cover this"
API User
Fears being replaced by AI
Builder (you, after this)
Can BUILD the AI
API User
Uses tools
Builder (you, after this)
Creates tools
Career Value
- Interview advantage — "I've built a transformer from scratch" beats "I've used the API"
- Debug skills — When LLMs misbehave, you'll know why
- Research literacy — Read papers and actually understand them
- Future-proof — Frameworks change, fundamentals don't
The goal isn't to replace ChatGPT. It's to understand it deeply enough that you could rebuild it if you had to. That understanding changes how you think about AI forever.
Helpful?