npm init Does Not Make You a Founder

I recently came across a LinkedIn post that genuinely moved me.

Someone launched an npm package. Called it a framework. Called it a movement. Tagged half of LinkedIn including Nikhil Kamath. Wrote 800 words about how India will now lead AI. All because of an npm package with 4100 downloads.

I have massive respect for this. Not everyone has the courage to run npm init, let ChatGPT write the entire thing, and then present it to the world as infrastructure. That takes a different kind of confidence. The kind that does not come from writing actual code.

The Numbers

Let me talk about those downloads for a second. 4100 downloads. Zero paid marketing. Sounds impressive until you realize that a test package literally called “is-odd” has millions of downloads. But 4100 is a special number because it takes real dedication to npm install your own package from different IPs enough times to hit that count.

The grind is truly underrated.

What makes it even more interesting is the timeline. Three weeks ago, the first launch post said 2351 downloads. Now suddenly it is 4100. The math checks out if you believe hard enough. Or if you have a script running somewhere.

But I should not question the numbers. The post said zero marketing. And we all know nobody has ever lied in a LinkedIn post before.

India’s First

The package is called “India’s first agent framework.” This is a bold claim considering LangChain has had Indian contributors since day one. Dozens of agent frameworks have already been built by Indian developers. The difference is those developers were too busy actually coding to write a LinkedIn manifesto about it.

But I get the strategy. Adding a country name to your project gives it emotional weight. People feel guilty not supporting it. You are not just launching a package. You are launching a movement. You are not asking for GitHub stars. You are asking for patriotism.

Wrapping nationalism around a package.json is honestly brilliant marketing. I wish I had thought of it.

The Code

I looked at the actual code. You should too.

“Infrastructure built by Indians, owned by Indians, controlled by Indians.” That is the tagline. The reality is a wrapper around API calls. Someone wrapped fetch in a function and called it sovereignty.

The README has more words than the source code. The LinkedIn post has more hashtags than the repo has functions. But that is fine. In 2026, marketing is the product.

The Playbook

I genuinely think more people should study this. It is a masterclass in how to manufacture a founder identity without the inconvenience of building anything real.

Step one. Pick a big word. AGI works. Nobody will check if your project has anything to do with AGI.

Step two. Add a country name for emotional leverage.

Step three. Vibe code something that technically runs. ChatGPT is very good at generating code that looks like a framework if you squint hard enough.

Step four. Install your own package a few thousand times. Nobody audits npm download numbers.

Step five. Write a post that sounds like a TED talk. Use words like ecosystem, movement, and infrastructure.

Step six. Tag everyone including people who will never read it. The notification alone creates social proof.

Step seven. Call yourself a founder.

That is it. No skills required. No actual users needed. Just ChatGPT and a LinkedIn account.

”I Am a Dev Not a Content Creator”

This was my favorite part. When I pointed out in the comments that using emojis instead of proper icons in the interface shows how much code was actually written, the response was “I am a dev not a content creator.”

The post had more hashtags than most content creators use. The README reads like a sales page. But sure. Just a dev. Quietly shipping.

The editing and deleting of comments afterward was also a nice touch. Nothing says confident builder like scrubbing your replies.

Who Actually Deserves Respect

The real builders in India are not writing manifestos. They are pushing commits at 2 AM with zero followers and no hashtags. They are contributing to open source without tagging investors. They are building products that people actually use without needing 800 words to explain why it matters.

If your code needs an 800 word LinkedIn post to justify its existence, the code should have spoken for itself.

I am not saying do not build things. Build things. Ship things. But if your entire product strategy is “launch npm package, write emotional post, tag famous people, hope someone notices,” you are not building a company. You are building a LinkedIn profile.

And LinkedIn profiles do not get funding. They do not get users. They do not change anything. They just get likes from other people doing the same thing.

Build Real Things

I have seen this pattern too many times now. Someone discovers that the founder title on LinkedIn gets engagement. So they reverse engineer the fastest path to that title. Not through building. Through posting.

The founder title means nothing if the foundation is ChatGPT output and self-installed npm downloads. A third year college student could do everything this person did in a weekend. The difference is the third year student probably would not write a manifesto about it.

Build things. Real things. Things that solve problems. Things that people use without being guilt tripped into it. Things where the code speaks louder than the LinkedIn post.

If you have to explain why your project matters in 800 words, it probably does not.