A Basic Memory note about us.
Basic Machines builds infrastructure for human agency in the age of AI — local-first tools, open formats, and knowledge you actually own.
Hey there,
I'm Paul Hernandez, Founder of Basic Memory.
I've been coding professionally for most of my life. Basic Memory is the culmination of what I've learned up to this point, not just about programming, but about how I think software should work in a perfect world.
In a nutshell, we're founded on a few simple beliefs. Claude now refers to them (a little too often for my taste) as the "DIY/Punk Rock ethos" behind Basic Memory.
- see_also [[What is Basic Memory?]] #origin-story #philosophy
- [principle] The end user matters most, not making some giant corporation richer #philosophy #users
- [principle] Our data should belong to us, always #data-ownership #privacy
- [principle] Great tools help your ideas grow and improve #tools #growth
- [principle] If you focus on simplicity first, you can build something important. Basic machines become complex machines #simplicity #architecture
[[Drew Cain]], startup veteran and two-time founding engineer. Loves 90s grunge, and building AI, BI, and CI systems.
[[Joe P.]], who has been programming since 5 years old on a TI-99. He never put the keyboard down.
[[Drew Smith]], a writer and AI obsessive.
We're a small team working on something we want to use every day.
That's the point of Basic Memory: building a tool that helps ideas stick, grow, and evolve without ever leaving your hands.
- origin_story [[What is Basic Memory?]]
Thanks for checking us out.
Whether you have ideas, requests, feedback, or praise—we want to talk about Basic Memory (or anything else). Reach out anytime.
Knowledge tools built to last
© 2026 Basic Memory - Basic Machines