RethinkDB: why we failed
In this postmortem from 2017, @mpweiher candidly breaks down the dissolution of their startup, examining the fatal assumptions, misallocated resources, and market dynamics that led to its shutdown.
Core Principles for Independent Builders:
Early signals were often rationalized away instead of prompting an immediate pivot in distribution or pricing.
The psychological toll of running out of capital compounds operational friction in a solo or small team setup.
Key Antidote: Validate paying willingness before committing months to building sophisticated product features.
Community Debate Themes:
Community discussions on HN centered on identifying product-market fit early, avoiding vanity metrics, and the emotional recovery process after shutting down.
CATEGORY Postmortems & Failures →
HISTORICAL ERA Cloud & Mobile Era (2014–2019)
COMMUNITY SCORE 46 points
TOTAL DISCUSSIONS 4 comments
The first problem is that the product should be suggested by the users, not thought up by the developers. If the users tell you what they need, they are more likely to buy it. This is called market-driven product development.
The second thing to keep in mind is that you will probably think your product is about three times as valuable as your competitor thinks your product is. And your customer will think your product is about a third as special as your competitor thinks your product is. So basically, your customer thinks your product is about one ninth as special and beautifully different as you do.
In my humble opinion, these are the mistakes the author made, not the ones he discussed in his piece.
948 points by v3ss0n 185 days ago, 267 comments:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13421608 ↗