yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Michael Seibel: How do you decide what to build next?


less than 1m read
·Nov 3, 2024

So the question is basically how do we figure out what to build next? Here's my answer: the reason why you have a part development cycle is that you can work on multiple things. Usually, there isn't a right answer. Usually, all of the things that you want to build won't work.

So what you need to do is you need to create a process in your company to build things quickly so that you can actually see whether they work or not, and then you can iterate them from there.

So it's far more important to have a tactically talented team that can build MVPs quickly in a non-frustrating way, and then measure the results, than it is to be a super genius who can imagine what's going to happen in the future without actually knowing.

Now, in the big picture, you have to have that imagination for your vision for where it's gonna be ten years from now. You have to have that imagination for the little technical tactical moves in the next three months.

Like, it's really hard to nail those if you have a process that can rip out things quickly and then only iterate the things that are working. That'll serve you far better.

Our mistake was that at justin.tv, it was thinking every time we've got the home run, let's only swing for home runs. And of course, it would take three months to do it because we got to make it perfect, right? And then the whole spike spiral of death.

More Articles

View All
Hands off My Phone! (An ELA audio drama)
[Music] [Applause] Oh no, he didn’t! That is so harsh. Hey, your dad took your phone away just for getting a D on the history test? Yup, my mind is blown. Mine too! I mean, that was an easy test. What? I can’t believe you got a D! Hey, that’s not really……
Tornado Tree Mind Twister
Okay, smart man with your smart physics degree, let’s say your state gets ravaged by tornadoes. You go to the local EMA volunteer center; you volunteer. You and some buddies go out with chainsaws and try to do the best work you can to help people. Okay, …
The 5 Dumbest Purchases I’ve Made In My 20’s
What’s up, you guys? It’s Graham here. So the year is almost over, and in five more months, I am no longer going to be in my twenties because I’m gonna be turning 30. That means I’m going to be entering into a whole new world of adult responsibilities and…
Request for Startups: Government 2.0 - Michael Seibel
Hello, my name is Michael Seibel and I’m the CEO of Y Combinator’s accelerator. Today, I’m here to introduce a new request for startups. Request for startups are a project that we do to inspire founders to apply to YC with new and interesting ideas. Toda…
The First Monotheistic Pharaoh | The Story of God
Amid the remains of dozens of pharaohs, Egyptologist Salma Ikram is going to help me find one whose name is Akhenaten. There he is! Yep, he thought that there were too many gods and not enough focus on him. There will need to be an important god whom onl…
Exploring the Active Volcano of Mauna Loa | National Geographic
(Nature. The most powerful creative force on earth.) I’m Chef Melissa King. Cooking has taken me to incredible places, from TV competitions and celebrity galas to countries around the world. I’m heading out to places I’ve never been before to seek out ne…