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Keagan McClelland co-founded Start 9 in 2019 to simplify running Lightning nodes. He departed in 2022 as the company shifted focus toward operating system UX, redirecting his own work back to protocol-level cryptography and distributed systems.
Hill says Start 9 uses a custom system to run advanced AI models via Anthropic's $200/month Cloud Max plan, bypassing intended restrictions to gain capabilities that would otherwise require ten full-time employees.
Hill describes Start 9's upcoming router as a fork of OpenWRT built on RISC-V architecture, aiming to be the world's safest and simplest sovereign router by designing from user experience first.
Hill reports hardware costs are surging, forcing Start 9 to raise server prices by 20-30%; a 4TB SSD alone now costs $600, squeezing margins.
Odell recommends PPQ.ai as a starting point for AI experimentation because it offers many models and accepts Bitcoin, while Hill urges users to explore new services on the Start 9 marketplace.