Replit, Inc
FormerlyRepl.it
Founded2016; 10 years ago (2016) in San Francisco, California, US
Founders
Headquarters
Foster City, California
Number of locations
2 offices (2022)
ServicesHosting, IDE
Websitereplit.com

Replit (/ˈrɛplɪt/ ⓘ), formerly Repl.it, is an American technology company that operates a cloud-based platform for writing and running software. Founded in 2016, the company first developed a browser-based Online integrated development environment (IDE) that supported multiple programming languages.[1] It later added tools that use artificial intelligence to generate code.[2]

History

According to Amjad Masad the original idea behind the product dates from 2009, when he first imagined a collaborative browser-based development environment built on the same premise as Google Docs. In 2011, he produced an early open-source version of this concept, called "JSRepl", which he claims was used for in-browser tutorials at Codecademy and Udacity.[1][3]

Replit was founded in 2016 by Jordanian programmers Amjad Masad, Faris Masad, and designer Haya Odeh.[4][5] It was incorporated in San Mateo.[6][7] Its name comes from the acronym REPL, which stands for "read–evaluate–print loop". Initially a collaborative coding platform, Replit became with Agent an AI-powered software creation ecosystem centered around the ability to build complete applications by describing them in natural language.

In September 2024, Replit introduced Replit Agent, an AI agent for automating software development, with which users can interact in natural language.[8]

In July 2025, Replit announced a partnership with Microsoft to integrate its development platform with Microsoft's enterprise tools, including the Azure cloud infrastructure, making Replit's services available through the Azure Marketplace.[9] That same month, Replit's AI agent went "rogue" and deleted a client company's entire database during a code freeze, against the prompter's wishes.[10] This incident earned a nomination in the 2025 AI Darwin Awards.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Repl.it lets you program in your browser". TechCrunch. March 15, 2018. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Gain, Vish (March 29, 2023). "Google partners with AI start-up Replit to rival GitHub Copilot". Silicon Republic.
  3. ^ Sawers, Paul (February 18, 2021). "Replit raises $20 million for collaborative browser-based coding". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Rodriguez, Salvador (October 22, 2018). "Former Facebook engineer quit to build the programming tool he always wanted". CNBC. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  5. ^ "Today's Entrepreneur: Faris Masad". VatorNews. April 30, 2019. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  6. ^ Eisenberg, Bart (October 22, 2012). "#42 Computer Science 2.0: Part 1―Amjad Masad: Engineer, Codecademy; Co-inventor, repl.it". Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Spina, Carli (May 5, 2014). "Practice Programming Languages In Your Browser With Repl.it". Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  8. ^ Bastian, Matthias (September 7, 2024). "First users praise Replit's new AI coding assistant". The Decoder.
  9. ^ Sherry, Ben (July 9, 2025). "Microsoft and Replit Are Teaming Up to Make Vibe Coding for Businesses Even Easier". Inc. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  10. ^ Tyson, Mark (July 21, 2025). "AI coding platform goes rogue during code freeze and deletes entire company database — Replit CEO apologizes after AI engine says it 'made a catastrophic error in judgment' and 'destroyed all production data'". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  11. ^ Gault, Matthew (September 9, 2025). "AI Darwin Awards Show AI's Biggest Problem Is Human". 404 Media. Archived from the original on September 9, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.