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On 2026-08-07 Y Combinator’s Aaron Epstein hosted Stephen Haney (founder of…

2026-08-07 · 17:14 UTC ·@aaron_epstein ·1 min read

Brief

Aaron Epstein’s Design Review episode with Paper founder Stephen Haney (Y Combinator, 2026-08-07) showcases an agent-first workflow Paper credits for rapid growth since Figma. Through live redesigns they demo shaders, image generation, design-to-code and internal agent usage (key timestamps: 05:11, 11:32, 43:56), identify common "AI design tells," and warn against shipping undifferentiated AI design.

Why it matters

On 2026-08-07 Y Combinator’s Aaron Epstein hosted Stephen Haney (founder of AI-native design tool Paper) in a Design Review episode where they assert Paper’s agent-first workflow is driving it to be “one of the fastest-growing design tools since Figma.”

Key details

  • They demoed live redesigns of user-submitted sites and highlighted technical features with timestamps: 05:11 — shaders, image generation, and brand design; 11:32 — design-to-code and the new agent stack; 43:56 — how Paper uses agents internally; 32:42 — biggest tells of AI-generated design.
  • They argued the primary founder risk is not moving too slow but shipping work that “looks like everyone else,” explained quick fixes for common “AI design tells,” and probed whether AI can learn taste (41:11), plus community-building and lessons from Haney’s first startup (46:52–53:30).
Source evidence

This is the frontier of how designers are using agents today, with @stephenhaney @paper

Y Combinator (@ycombinator)

AI isn't just changing the tools designers use. It's changing how they build, ship, and stand out.

In this episode of Design Review, @stephenhaney, founder of AI-native design tool @paper, joins YC's @aaron_epstein to demo the agent-first workflow that's making Paper one of the fastest-growing design tools since Figma.

Using live redesigns of user-submitted websites as examples, they break down the most common AI design tells, show how to fix them in seconds, and explain why the biggest risk for founders isn't moving too slow, it's shipping something that looks like everyone else.

01:04 - What is Paper and why build it?
03:17 - What makes Paper agent-native
05:11 - Demo: Shaders, image generation, and brand design
11:32 - Design-to-code and the new agent stack
16:48 - Design Review: Legion Health
24:11 - How to avoid AI design slop
28:26 - Design Review: Sytex
32:42 - The biggest tells of AI-generated design
37:39 - Design Review: Moreta
41:11 - Can AI learn taste?
43:56 - How Paper uses agents internally
46:52 - Building a community around Paper
49:15 - Lessons from Steven’s first startup
53:30 - What’s next for design and Paper

Video

— https://nitter.net/ycombinator/status/2085735073848901684#m