Board

We think we should be rewarded for the effort, resources, and time we invest in a project.

> A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system. Simple is hard. But that's why theres inherent value in iteration (and it follows, the value in change velocity [https://matt-rickard.com/developer-velocity/]). It tells us to keep our API surface small [https://matt-rickard.com/keep-api-surface-small/

Your next great app idea doesn't have to wait for you to learn how to program. From Airtable to Zapier, here's how to fake your idea into being.

People buy software for the features—and the product with the best features for the job will win. You don't need the best app; you need the best one for your needs.

A few business models that have worked at scale for free internet products

The telephone made the world a smaller place–and changed how we greeted each other. And now it's hard to imagine a world without phones.

It nearly always takes a few failed attempts before building a successful startup, and Baremetrics CEO Josh Pigford’s sheet of his 50+ projects prior to the business is a good reminder of that. Some of the best learnings in a founder’s career come from their previous misfires, which is why this week we’re sharing the top takeaways from founders’ failed projects. As they say, it’s better to learn from other’s mistakes than your own.

Experiments in Permissionless Entrepreneurship

Building software looks a lot like building a house, but selling the two couldn't be more different.you

Things I learnt from reading Good/Bad Strategy.

A (thing) recently announced their launch along with a big venture round. I used (thing) intentionally not to omit their name but because I have no category to put them in. In their press coverage they refused to be put in a category, instead calling themselves a new kind of digital media solution or something like that. While this can work for a launch since it gives an angle to the story, it can also be dangerous. The reason is because customers need to put you in a bucket. Physical or mental. If you are looking to sell media to agencies, you better be able to align to one of the buckets that they use to plan and buy media against: site, portal, network, dsp. Otherwise you literally don’t have a place on a media plan. That’s the physical bucket. If you are calling on publishers or brands, it can be a little easier, but you then spend more time educating them on why you’re not a x, y or z but a (thing)! And then potentially having the conversation go in a direction other than talking to them about their business and how you can help. That’s the mental bucket.  In both cases the LUMAscapes are good bucket guides. A lot of this stems from companies not wanting association with a category since they don’t like the current players’ recent funding valuations or exits. Which I understand, but I don’t agree with. If you started this business than you believe in it no matter what the category. So rather than spending time talking about what you’re not, just own it. Talk about why you started it, the limitations of the current solutions and why you are better. Your clients will appreciate it and you’ll gain credibility as well. Don’t try to be the first (thing).

> Every program attempts to expand until it can read mail. Those programs which cannot so expand are replaced by ones which can. The law is also known as Zawinski's Law of Software Envelopment. Last December, Zoom announced [https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/23/22197057/zoom-email-service-calendar-app-microsoft-google-competition] plans to expand to new products – including possibly an email service. Even tools that are the best examples of the Unix philosophy [https://matt-rickard.com/instinct

Stories from the founders of Netflix, Uber, Airbnb, Substack, Stripe, Datadog, Github, Segment, Dropbox, Superhuman, Instacart, Nextdoor, and many more

Market gyrations and startup valuations have been the hot topics lately. With so much turmoil across the economy, it’s clear we’re still in for more pain as the world adjusts. On the st…

> One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn't going to go off. It's wrong to make promises you don't mean to keep. – Anton Chekhov Whenever I watch movies, I always pay attention to otherwise unrelated elements that seem to get a little extra screen time or one too many mentions. How could those elements foreshadow the plot? Chekhov's gun is a principle that says that every component of a story must have a reason, and irrelevant elements should be removed. Often you can predict

> When people tell me they've learned from experience, I tell them the trick is to learn from other people's experience. – Warren Buffett When you start a company, you get three innovation tokens. You can spend them however you want – adopting a new framework, implementing a unique interview process, adding non-standard terms to a term sheet, 0r designing your own database all count as an innovation token. The standard advice has been to choose boring technology [https://mcfunley.com/choose-bor

Twitter's acquisition was one of my "Low Conviction" 2022 predictions [https://matt-rickard.com/2022-predictions/], but I certainly didn't think this would happen. Here are some of my unsolicited thoughts on what Musk could do with Twitter. Outsource Innovation While Twitter has had a few high-profile product launches in the last two years (Spaces, Fleets, NFTs), the product has been relatively stagnant for years. With the constant churn at the company (Jack gone, the go-private acquisition),

MVP is such a profound misnomer; a good MVP is not viable, and it is certainly not a product. Chances are it isn't minimal either, come to think of it.

It is the act of omission, of saying no to a subset of customers or investors or potential hires, that gives depth to a company’s narrative. Read this edition online Friday, 20 May 2022

Fixing Netflix with less (and more) flix

Modern software’s uniformity has fueled a craving for more interesting, opinionated tools — turning inanimate pixels into something with soul.

The experiences that shape the values that shape the beliefs that shape the products.

How to Identify the Most Successful Companies of the Internet Era

Any creation, be it a piece of art, physical object, or software, can be separated into what I’ll call a “core competency” and “extras”. The core competency is essentially the reason that people want that creation. The extras are things that can make it

> When people tell me they've learned from experience, I tell them the trick is to learn from other people's experience. – Warren Buffett When you start a company, you get three innovation tokens. You can spend them however you want – adopting a new framework, implementing a unique interview process, adding non-standard terms to a term sheet, 0r designing your own database all count as an innovation token. The standard advice has been to choose boring technology [https://mcfunley.com/choose-bor

Q: So what’s a full stack startup? You’ve mentioned that it’s a new, important trend, and a pattern of startups we’ve been seeing over the past couple of years. Chris Dixon: The old approach startups took was to sell or …