---
title: Homebrew Computer Company
description: We are Homebrew Computer Company, the creators and maintainers of Jan, Cortex and other tools.
keywords:
  [
    Homebrew Computer Company,
    Jan,
    local AI,
    open-source alternative to chatgpt,
    alternative to openai platform,
    privacy focus,
    free and open source,
    private and offline,
    conversational AI,
    no-subscription fee,
    large language models,
    about Jan,
    desktop application,
    thinking machines,
  ]
---

import { Callout } from 'nextra/components'

# Homebrew Computer Company

![Eniac](./_assets/eniac.jpeg)
_[Eniac](https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/birth-of-the-computer/4/78), the World's First Computer (Photo courtesy of US Army)_

## About 

We're a team of AI researchers and engineers. We are the creators and lead maintainers of a few open-source AI tools: 

- 👋 [Jan](https://jan.ai): ChatGPT-alternative that runs 100% offline
- 🤖 [Cortex](https://cortex.so/docs/): A simple, embeddable library to run LLMs locally
- More to come! 

<Callout>
The [Homebrew Computer Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homebrew_Computer_Club) was an early computer hobbyist group from 1975 to 1986 that led to Apple and the personal computer revolution.
</Callout>

### Mission

We're a robotics company that focuses on the cognitive framework for future robots. Our long-term mission is to advance human-machine collaboration to enable human civilization to thrive.

### Business Model

We're currently a bootstrapped startup [^2]. We balance technical invention with the search for a sustainable business model (e.g., consulting, paid support, and custom development).

<Callout>
We welcome business inquiries: 👋 hello@jan.ai 
</Callout>

### Community

We have a thriving community built around [Jan](../docs), where we also discuss our other projects.  

- [Discord](https://discord.gg/AAGQNpJQtH)
- [Twitter](https://twitter.com/jandotai)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/homebrewltd)
- [HuggingFace](https://huggingface.co/janhq)
- Email: hello@jan.ai

## Philosophy

Homebrew is an opinionated company with a clear philosophy for the products we build: 

### 🔑 User Owned

We build tools that are user-owned. Our products are [open-source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source), designed to run offline or be [self-hosted](https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/). We make no attempt to lock you in, and our tools are free of [user-hostile dark patterns](https://twitter.com/karpathy/status/1761467904737067456?t=yGoUuKC9LsNGJxSAKv3Ubg) [^1].

We adopt [Local-first](https://www.inkandswitch.com/local-first/) principles and store data locally in [universal file formats](https://stephango.com/file-over-app). We build for privacy by default, and we do not [collect or sell your data](/privacy). 

### 🔧 Right to Tinker

We believe in the [Right to Repair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_repair). We encourage our users to take it further by [tinkering, extending, and customizing](https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a4395/pm-remembers-steve-jobs-how-his-philosophy-changed-technology-6507117/) our products to fit their needs. 

Our products are designed with [Extension APIs](/docs/extensions), and we do our best to write good [documentation](/docs) so users understand how things work under the hood. 

### 👫 Build with the Community

We are part of a larger open-source community and are committed to being a good jigsaw puzzle piece. We credit and actively contribute to upstream projects. 

We adopt a public-by-default approach to [Project Management](https://github.com/orgs/menloresearch/projects/5), [Roadmaps](https://github.com/orgs/menloresearch/projects/5/views/31), and Helpdesk for our products. 

## Inspirations

> Good artists borrow, great artists steal - Picasso

We are inspired by and actively try to emulate the paths of companies we admire ❤️:

- [Posthog](https://posthog.com/handbook)
- [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/)
- [Discourse](https://www.discourse.org/about)
- [Gitlab](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/company/history/#2017-gitlab-storytime)
- [Red Hat](https://www.redhat.com/en/about/development-model)
- [Ghost](https://ghost.org/docs/contributing/)
- [Lago](https://www.getlago.com/blog/open-source-licensing-and-why-lago-chose-agplv3)
- [Twenty](https://twenty.com/story)

## Footnotes

[^1]: [Kaparthy's Love Letter to Obsidian](https://twitter.com/karpathy/status/1761467904737067456?t=yGoUuKC9LsNGJxSAKv3Ubg)

[^2]: [The Market for AI Companies](https://www.artfintel.com/p/the-market-for-ai-companies) by Finbarr Timbers