product quality

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The lost art of giving a sh*t
2 months ago
- The author received misleading emails about outstanding items, highlighting how many small frustrations with products add up over time.
- Many modern products, from e-commerce to analytics, have minor issues like broken links or poor UX that compound into user frustration.
- The standard for product quality is extremely low, so caring deeply about your product can make you stand out.
- Founders should dogfood their own products to find sharp edges and experience customer pain points firsthand.
- If founders don't care, no one else will—employees will ship slop and customers will see you as replaceable.
Make product worse, get money
2 months ago
- The theory that dating apps intentionally avoid matching people to keep them paying is not unique; it reflects a general incentive to make products worse for profit.
- Similar patterns exist across industries, such as pizza restaurants using cheap ingredients, automakers cutting safety costs, and manufacturers reducing product durability.
- Products are often bad because consumers prefer cheaper options, not just because producers are greedy; this is a normal market function.
- Information asymmetries allow bad products to persist when consumers cannot easily judge quality, like in longevity advice or food safety.
- Bad taste among consumers can lead to poor-quality products, though this is subjective and overlaps with information issues.
- Pricing power from moats (e.g., brand, patents) lets companies degrade products or raise prices without competition, as seen in venues with expensive food.
- The key question is why dating apps can get away with poor matching, likely due to lack of viable competition or consumer demand for alternatives.
Mistaking making for the thing you've made
2 months ago
- Development metrics like speed, commits, team size, and hours worked do not determine product quality or customer experience.
- These metrics are back-of-house details that matter to makers but not to users; they say nothing about fit, usability, utility, or performance.
- Confusing the process of making with the product itself is like confusing the kitchen for the meal; the product and customer experience are far more important.

product quality

The lost art of giving a sh*t

Make product worse, get money

Mistaking making for the thing you've made