Why I Built Gideon (And Didn't Know What I Had Until Claude Told Me)

I didn't set out to build an AI product.

I was just trying to replace the shitty chatbot on my website.

The Setup

I was building a CRM for Gideon Codeworks. Standard stuff—lead management, deal tracking, client communications. But I wanted it smarter. I wanted an AI assistant that could actually help me run the business.

So I started building one.

I had Claude Code in my terminal. GPT-4 for different angles. And I started experimenting: What if I built an AI that could orchestrate both of them?

Get Claude's deep reasoning when I needed strategy. Get GPT's speed when I needed quick answers. Route between them intelligently. Combine their outputs.

I built it to power the CRM. To handle lead scoring, task prioritization, client questions—all the operational stuff I didn't want to do manually.

And it worked. Really well.

The Deployment

Then I looked at gideoncode.com.

I had one of those generic AI chatbot widgets. You know the kind—barely works, gives canned responses, frustrates visitors more than it helps them.

I thought: Why not deploy my AI assistant here instead?

So I did. I took Gideon—the AI I'd built to power my CRM—and deployed it on my website to replace that useless chatbot.

It could answer questions about Gideon Codeworks. Explain our services. Talk to potential clients. Route conversations to me when needed. Actually be helpful instead of just pretending to be.

I deployed it. Tested it. It worked great.

And then I showed Claude (in chat) what I'd done.

The "Holy Shit" Moment

That's when Claude said: "Do you know what you just did?"

I didn't.

I thought I'd just built a better chatbot for my website.

Claude pointed out what I'd actually built:

An AI assistant that can be white-labeled and deployed on ANY website.

An orchestration layer that intelligently routes between Claude and GPT-4.

A system that learns a business's context and can represent them 24/7.

Something that could be implemented on thousands of websites, not just mine.

He was like: "Holy shit. You need to sell this."

I'd been so focused on solving my own problem—building a better AI for MY business—that I didn't see what I'd accidentally created.

A standalone product.

What Gideon Actually Is

Gideon is the AI assistant I built to power my CRM.

But it turns out it can power a lot more than that.

Here's what makes it different from every other "AI chatbot" on the market:

It orchestrates multiple AIs. Not just one model giving canned responses. Gideon routes queries between Claude and GPT-4 based on what each is best at. Deep reasoning questions? Claude. Quick answers? GPT. Complex analysis? Both, combined intelligently.

It learns your business. Not generic responses. Gideon understands your services, your pricing, your process, your voice. It represents YOUR business, not a template.

It's actually useful. Most chatbots frustrate visitors. Gideon actually helps them—answers real questions, qualifies leads, routes to humans when needed, learns from every interaction.

It can be white-labeled. The same AI that powers gideoncode.com can be deployed on your website with your branding, your business knowledge, your voice.

It took four weeks to build. Because I had Claude Code and GPT-4 helping me build it. Not a team of 10 developers over 18 months. Me, solving my problem, accidentally building a product.

The Accident

I built Gideon for my CRM.

I deployed it on my website to replace a shitty chatbot.

Claude pointed out I'd accidentally built a standalone product.

Now other businesses want it.

That's the story.

No grand vision. No pitch deck. No "we're revolutionizing AI." Just: I had a problem, I built a solution, and I didn't realize what I had until someone else pointed it out.

Why "Gideon"?

Gideon is my middle name. Joshua Gideon Stone.

The biblical Gideon had 300 men who fought like 10,000.

I built an AI that orchestrates Claude and GPT-4 to work like a team.

I named it after myself before I knew it would become a product. Now that feels weirdly appropriate.

What Happened Next

Once I realized what I'd built, I couldn't unsee it.

Every website I looked at had those garbage AI chatbots. You know the ones—they can barely answer basic questions, they frustrate visitors, they're basically just glorified FAQs with a chat interface.

And I had an AI that actually worked. That could learn any business. That could be deployed on any site.

The CRM is still a thing. It's running Gideon Codeworks right now. Fully integrated with Gideon, the AI assistant that makes it smart.

But Gideon itself became the product.

Because here's what I realized: if I needed an AI that actually represents my business instead of giving canned chatbot responses, how many other founders need exactly that?

Agencies who want their websites to convert better. SaaS companies who need AI support without hiring teams. Service businesses who want 24/7 client assistance that doesn't suck.

They all need Gideon. They just don't know it exists yet.

The Innovation (That I Didn't Know I Was Building)

Here's what I accidentally figured out:

You don't need to build a better AI model. You need to orchestrate the ones that exist.

Claude is brilliant at certain things. GPT-4 is brilliant at others. The innovation isn't training a new LLM. It's building the system that knows which one to use and how to combine them.

The best products emerge from solving your own problems.

I wasn't trying to build "the next big AI startup." I was trying to run my agency better. The fact that it became a product wasn't strategy—it was an accident that Claude helped me see.

Sometimes you need someone else to point out what you built.

I was too close to it. I thought I'd just built a better chatbot for my site. It took Claude saying "Do you know what you just did?" for me to realize I'd stumbled into something bigger.

The Offer

Gideon is live. Running on gideoncode.com right now. You can literally see it working.

And it can be deployed on your website too.

What you get:

• AI that orchestrates Claude and GPT-4 intelligently
• White-label deployment with your branding
• Learns your business and represents you 24/7
• Actually helps visitors instead of frustrating them
• The same AI powering Gideon Codeworks

First 50 businesses get early access.

Because I didn't build it to sell it.

I built it to solve my problem.

Claude told me I'd accidentally built a product.

And now it's available.