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Comment by paradite

7 months ago

The real lesson here is that as a founder, don't spend too much time discussing with your users on discord.

Gathering feedback good. But getting involved in philosophical discussion or how to run the company looks like a bad idea.

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paradite

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freediver  7 months ago

Kagi founder here. I am probably 'guilty' of reading and responding to every comment on discord, our feedback forum and I still respond to support tickets.

This does invite trouble but interacting with users of the product I am building is also the only way I know how to do it and is keeping me sane. Not to mention it helps build a great product, as users probably 'built' half of it with feedback.

I never thought that talking too much with the customers can be bad but it also may be true that full openness approach becomes a burden at some point and that it would be healthier to separate from it a bit.

  • theothermelissa  7 months ago

    I think it's a matter of scale. The principles and instincts that guide us in small-group conversations don't always translate well in large groups -- especially in conversations with an imbalance of emotional investment in the conversation. As the founder, you have a lot more riding on every exchange than any user does (even ardent, investing users). And as your user base grows, both the number of those interactions and their visibility and potential impact on your company is growing. So they're increasing in both number and stakes.