William Imoh Built Mural Without Knowing Swift or Kotlin
William Imoh used Codex and GPT-Live to build Mural in Swift without writing native code, proving language familiarity no longer dictates tech stacks.
1,000 days of Duolingo didn't work. So he built his own app with Codex.
With Claire Vo, William Imoh · Monday, November 9, 2026
William Imoh, founder of Hackmamba, details how he built Mural—a real-time voice app for learning Norwegian—using Codex and GPT-Live without writing any native Swift or Kotlin code. He explains how prompt specificity and design vocabulary enabled him to achieve high-end native UI aesthetics, while contrasting real immersion against Duolingo's limitations. Additionally, Imoh shares his autonomous agent infrastructure, using a Lord of the Rings-themed Grok Bot fellowship and full tool access to run operations as a solo founder, alongside the existential dread of becoming operationally dependent on AI.
Key takeaways
- William Imoh built Mural, a real-time voice app for learning Norwegian, in Swift and Kotlin without writing native code himself. Read more →
- William Imoh gives autonomous agents unrestricted read and write access to his email, calendar, Linear, and Notion, restricting only raw customer data and company bank accounts. Read more →
- William Imoh, founder of Hackmamba, automated core company operations by building a multi-agent system in Grok Bot instead of hiring administrative staff. Read more →
- William Imoh built Mural, a real-time voice app for learning Norwegian, using Codex and GPT-Live without writing native Swift or Kotlin code. Read more →
- William Imoh maintained a 1,000-day streak on Duolingo and passed his official Norwegian exams, yet could not hold a basic conversation after moving to Norway. Read more →
5 articles from this episode
William Imoh Gives AI Agents Complete System Access
Hackmamba founder William Imoh explains why he gives AI agents full system access and how custom databases replace traditional SaaS.
William Imoh Built a Fellowship of AI Agents to Run His Startup
William Imoh built an AI fellowship inside Grok Bot to run Hackmamba across sales, finance, and engineering without hiring admin headcount.
William Imoh Built Mural by Giving Codex Real Design Vocabulary
William Imoh used precise design vocabulary and negative constraints in Codex to build Mural without writing Swift code. Here is his exact approach.
Why a 1,000-Day Duolingo Streak Cannot Teach You to Speak
William Imoh kept a 1,000-day streak on Duolingo but could not speak Norwegian. Here is why gamified learning fails real conversation.
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