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Elad Gil: Things That Work Tend to Work Pretty Fast

By Elad Gil · Product & Building · 1 min read

Gil says if you're grinding for years after launch and there's no market pull, the thing isn't going to work. There's a myth in Silicon Valley that you should keep grinding no matter what. He thinks that's really bad advice.

Key Points

Things that work have worked very fast — usually within the first year of launch
If your customers are complaining but sending feature requests, that's a great sign
When people pivot, they tend to pivot locally — that's a huge mistake

There's a myth in Silicon Valley that you should keep grinding no matter what. I think that's really bad advice. It's the best years of your life and you're burning them away.

Things That Work, Work Fast

Gil: The things I've seen work have worked very fast. They've worked very fast after launch. If somebody talks about grinding for many, many years after the product has been in the market — consumer, enterprise, whatever — it usually means there's no market pull. Which means the thing isn't going to work.

The trap founders fall into is saying — well, just one more thing I need to try. One more thing I need to ship. Then suddenly four years have passed and you haven't made much progress. You could have told two years ago that it wasn't going to work.

If somebody is grinding for years after launch and there's no market pull, it usually means the thing isn't going to work.

The Grind Myth

Gil: There's a myth in Silicon Valley that you should keep grinding no matter what. It's just about the grind, the perseverance. I think that's really bad advice. Because it's the best years of your life, and you're burning them away grinding on something that's never going to work.

Now there are counter examples — the company that tried something for 5 years, changed direction, and suddenly started working. But it changed direction. It's not the same company or product. Those are actually proof points back to the same point.

It's the best years of your life and you're burning them away grinding on something that's never going to work.

Signs People Care

Gil: What does 'work' mean? Usually when someone has product-market fit, the product is half-broken and customers are still using it. Like Twitter during the Fail Whale days.

Or your customers are constantly complaining about your product but they keep sending feature requests. How many asks are you getting? They may feel like — I haven't built anything, this is awful. But the reality is that's great. It means people care. You want to look for signs that people care.

The product is half-broken and customers are still using it. That's usually a very good sign.

Don't Pivot Locally

Gil: When people pivot, they tend to pivot locally. They don't tend to pivot across markets. That's a huge mistake. You're stuck in some local maxima on this fitness landscape and you can't find anything that allows you to climb.

If the thing isn't working and you decide to pivot, it's often wise to rethink everything from the ground up. It's hard if you've raised a lot of money or have a big team — you get stuck because you want to stay around the local maxima of where you landed.

When people pivot, they tend to pivot locally. That's a huge mistake.