Chris Messina

Inventor of the hashtag
#1 Product Hunter
Investor & Product designer

Hey, I’m Chris Messina. I’m best known for inventing the hashtag (Google it), I have spent my career attempting to make myself useful. I’m a strong proponent of an open, decentralized social web.

Find me on Threads, Bluesky, Spotify, Raycast, and Medium.

Learn more about working with me or book Product Hunt launch coaching.

Check out my Playlists and Good Stuff.

On a mission to make myself useful

I value curiosity, open-mindedness, good faith arguments, communication, clarity, patience, growth, conscientiousness, and ambition. I try to not take myself too seriously (operative word: try).

Through the Ride Home AI Fund, I invest in the application of generative AI.

I’ve called the Bay Area home since 2004 and now live in Oakland. I’ve worked at large tech companies like Google and Uber, have consulted small, medium, and large organizations, and have founded several businesses. I’m happy to share my experience to help you thrive in your own journey.

There’s much to share, so do read on….

Working with me

I provide coaching to help founders and builders nail their Product Hunt launches as well as one-on-one sessions on product strategy, positioning, validation, and design.