Essay
Users You Don't Want
Michael Seibel · Y Combinator Free Intermediate
This is the sharpest possible answer to the second half of your question: what to do about the people who show up wanting to use your product differently. Seibel calls them hijackers and argues plainly that serving them fragments your roadmap even though it feels rude to turn them away. You will recognize this pattern the moment you read it, and it gives you permission to say no.
- Users who want to repurpose your product for a different problem will pull your roadmap apart if you let them in.
- Saying no to a mismatched user is not bad customer service, it is focus.
- Occasionally a hijacker group reveals a real pivot opportunity, but that is the exception, not the default response.
