How Chess.com Became the World’s Biggest Chess Community with CEO Erik Allebest
Aug 13, 2026 · 46:08
Erik Allebest, CEO of Chess.com, tells host Sarah Guo how he turned a $56,000 bankruptcy-auction domain into a 250-million-member platform with 10 million daily users and $200M+ revenue. He bootstrapped after VCs called chess an uninvestable niche, and credits cultural spikes like Queen's Gambit and COVID for growth. General Atlantic and CVC bought secondary shares, keeping the company capital-light. He argues chess engines made the game more exciting, not obsolete, and AI now powers coaching, puzzles, and internal ops. He discusses Gambit, a poker site applying Chess.com ratings to prioritize skill over chips. He advises founders to ignore market dogma and offers cautious AGI optimism, stressing guardrails and cultural change.
