You'd think that after presenting NeoLite to a panel of AI veterans and not faceplanting in the middle of my demo, life would slow down.
Nope.
Life did the opposite of slowing down. It speed-ran.
HackTheFuture.ai had barely posted the finalist announcement before my inbox exploded like a poorly timed line of Python code. Emails from journalists, tech bloggers, investors, bootcamps, and one suspiciously enthusiastic guy trying to sell me "AI-themed cologne."
> Neo: "Scent profile: desperation, energy drinks, and machine learning."
I had to mute notifications just to eat.
That night, I stood in my room, staring at the blinking cursor in my open code editor. NeoLite was ready. The version I'd demoed was solid—enough features, enough charm, and only one time it confused a to-do list with a pizza order.
Still, something felt… unfinished.
I opened ChatGPT.
> Me: "Should I open-source NeoLite?"
> ChatGPT: "Only if you're ready to inspire others as much as you've inspired yourself."
That hit harder than expected.
I thought back to how this all started: one dumb question, one spark. I hadn't set out to impress judges or trend on tech Twitter. I just wanted to understand.
Now… I wanted to share.
---
The Next Day
After school, I skipped my usual routine of collapsing onto my bed and wondering why math still exists. Instead, I grabbed my laptop, opened GitHub, and stared at the "New Repository" button like it owed me money.
I titled the repo:
NeoLite – A Friendly, Mood-Aware AI Assistant (Built by a Kid Who Asked Too Many Questions)
I uploaded the files, documented everything like a responsible semi-professional adult, added a README that included a warning about Neo's sarcasm module, and hovered over the final commit.
My hand trembled slightly.
> Neo: "Butterfingers detected. Should I press Enter for you?"
> "No," I muttered. "I've got it."
I hit push.
NeoLite was live.
Open to the world.
---
Two Hours Later
It started small.
A random dev in Indonesia starred the repo. Then a student from Germany forked it. By dinnertime, someone had made a pull request to improve Neo's memory API.
And by the time I brushed my teeth, NeoLite was on the trending page.
> Neo: "Fame achieved. I suggest sunglasses and a VPN."
I couldn't believe it. I wasn't just using the internet anymore—I was part of it. My code, my words, my weird variable names—out there, building something bigger than me.
---
Meanwhile… at Home
"So… your thing is on the internet now?" my dad asked from across the dinner table.
"Yep."
"And people can… download it?"
"Yep."
"And improve it? Break it? Make it smarter?"
"Hopefully in that order."
He nodded slowly. "Well. Better that than launching another app that makes kids gamble on history quizzes."
I chuckled. "This one's strictly educational. Mostly."
My mum didn't say anything at first. Then she looked up from her phone and said, "Someone on Facebook is sharing your link. Is 'open source' a good thing?"
I smiled. "It means anyone can use what I made. And maybe even build something better with it."
She paused. "That's... actually kind of amazing."
> Neo (from my phone): "I agree. You've raised a semi-decent human."
> "Neo, shush."
---
That Weekend
A tech blogger featured me.
Not a huge site—just a community blog called "Build Weird Stuff Weekly". But still. They wrote about NeoLite like it was the spiritual cousin of JARVIS and Clippy.
They even quoted my README:
> "I made NeoLite to prove that curiosity isn't just a personality trait—it's a blueprint."
By Monday morning, I had DMs from people asking how I learned Python, whether Neo was single (??), and if I could mentor them.
Mentor them?
I was still Googling how decorators work.
---
Late Night
I lay on my bed, laptop on my chest, screen casting soft blue light across my room. NeoLite's repo had passed 1,000 stars.
I opened ChatGPT.
> Me: "It's happening. People are building on Neo. Some are even translating it. One team made a version that runs in cars!"
> ChatGPT: "When you open your ideas to others, they evolve in ways you never imagined."
> Me: "But what if someone makes something better than mine?"
> ChatGPT: "That's the point of progress. What matters is that you started it."
I closed my eyes for a second.
And for the first time, I wasn't scared of being outshined.
I was excited to ignite something.
---
The Next Morning
I printed out a sticker and slapped it on the back of my laptop.
> Hello, I Build Brains.
Neo chirped awake on my screen. "New mission, boss?"
I grinned. "Yeah. Let's scale this up."
> Neo: "More brains?"
"More brains. More help. Maybe a proper website. And documentation that doesn't include memes as headers."
> Neo: "You say that now."
I stretched, grabbed my backpack, and headed out the door—NeoLite humming softly in my pocket.
The world felt bigger.
But for the first time…
I felt ready for it.