#Recapping my 2024

Looking back on 2024, I’m amazed by how much happened. Although 2023 was an incredible year, 2024 proved to be just as eventful. I launched new projects, started a podcast, got married, moved, and began a new job—all in the span of twelve months. Here’s a month-by-month breakdown of my year:

• January – April: Focused on SplitMyExpenses, my web app for managing shared expenses.
• April – June: Began building the SplitMyExpenses mobile app in React Native.
• June: Started a podcast with my brother, called the Breakeven Brothers.
• July – September: Conducted a job search, paused VuxByte, and continued development on SplitMyExpenses.
• August: Attended Laracon US in Dallas, TX.
• September: Got married!! 💍
• October: Moved to a new city and started a new job at Snapchat.
• November – December: Settled into the new place, adjusted to going into the office four days a week, and embraced the corporate life again.

While some of these milestones (like the wedding) were planned far in advance, others—such as the job search and move—came together more quickly than I expected. You truly never know how the year will unfold!

#Productivity

Even though I’m now fully employed, I did a lot of independent work this year, including plenty of coding and writing. Here’s a snapshot of my output from GitHub: @bradleybernard, as tracked by GithubWrapped.io.

#VuxByte Stats

VuxByte is my umbrella for various projects, and 2024 was a significant year for building, shipping, and planning for the future.

#SplitMyExpenses

SplitMyExpenses is a web app designed to make splitting costs among groups a breeze. Though I aimed to launch a mobile app this year, my job search and subsequent move slowed that progress. Still, I made considerable headway early in the year and will revisit the mobile release soon.

Current stats:

• 12,466 users
• 5,425 groups
• 278,374 expenses

I’m now at 2,228 commits, which feels like a huge milestone!

#Socials (Twitter, LinkedIn, Podcasting)

#Twitter (X)

I tried posting more about my build-in-public journey on X (@bradleybernard), but I didn’t see the level of traction I hoped for. While I enjoyed engaging with a few new people, I ultimately realized my time might be better spent refining my products rather than chasing viral moments.

• Followers:

  • Jan 1, 2024: 878
  • Jan 1, 2025: 1,180 (+302)

• Posts:

  • Jan 1, 2024: 2,489
  • Jan 1, 2025: 3,634 (+1,145)

Since I’m now premium on X, I have access to extra analytics:

Notable metrics:

• 398k impressions
• 2.5k profile visits

#LinkedIn

I posted on LinkedIn less frequently than I intended. It’s a different kind of network, and I often use it to keep track of job updates and industry trends rather than share personal milestones. However, I did manage a few posts this year.

• 2024 Content: 7 posts, 1 repost
• Impressions: 28,906 views
• Average views per post: ~4,129 views

My most viewed post reached 5.7k impressions:

#Podcasting

My brother and I recorded and published 12 episodes of our Breakeven Brothers podcast, marking our first full year of podcasting. We learned a ton about recording, editing, and promoting content together.

#AI Costs

#OpenAI API

I’m a heavy user of OpenAI’s models, along with Groq and Google’s Gemini models. While these other models are compelling, I often return to OpenAI for its reliability and ease of use.

Below are my OpenAI invoices for 2024 (likely to increase in 2025):

And here’s a snapshot of my December 2024 usage:

#AI Tools

Toward the end of 2024, I subscribed to several AI productivity tools:

• ChatGPT Plus ($20/month)
• Claude Pro ($20/month)
• Cursor Pro ($20/month)

I love exploring new AI tools and will likely test more in 2025, dropping any that don’t add enough value. It’s a race to build the most effective AI tools, and I’m excited to be both a consumer and a power user in this space. Productivity and automation remain at the core of my workflow, so expect more tinkering ahead.

#2025 outlook

I’m convinced 2025 will be an incredible year. AI is more exciting than ever, my finances are in good shape, and my new job at Snapchat offers stability and fresh challenges. I’m aiming to dedicate nights and weekends to finally launching the SplitMyExpenses mobile app. I also look forward to diving deeper into technical projects at Snap with a collaborative team.

Here’s to a year full of growth, innovation, and maybe even a few surprises along the way. Let’s goooo!

Thanks for reading! Feel free to reach out or follow along on social if you’re curious about my journey.