Failure

Name: Failure
Uploaded: 2023-12-13T12:00:08.000Z
Duration: 2 h 2 min 12 s

Introduction to the Episode

The host introduces the episode as a compilation of stories about failure and its importance in learning and growth.

Importance of Failure

Failure can provide valuable insights and lessons that can't be learned from success alone.

This episode focuses on sharing interesting and insightful stories of failure.

Feedback from viewers is encouraged to determine if this type of content should continue.

Sponsorship - Sendbird

A brief introduction to Sendbird, an all-in-one Communications API platform.

Sendbird - In-app Communication Platform

Sendbird offers an AI-powered chat platform for web and mobile apps.

Features include in-app chat, video calls, AI-powered chatbots, and more.

Companies like Hing, Patreon, Yahoo, and Accolade use Sendbird for engaging communication experiences.

In-app communication has high conversion rates, engagement levels, and satisfaction.

Sponsorship - Split.io

An introduction to Split.io, an AB testing and feature management platform.

Split.io - AB Testing Platform

Split.io is a Next Generation AB testing and feature management platform used by companies like Twitch, Miro, ClickUp, DraftKings.

It helps increase experimentation velocity and provides deep analysis and reporting.

Split.io supports various use cases, including product growth, machine learning, monetization, and email marketing.

Story of Failure - Airbnb Design Team Rebellion

Katie Dill shares her experience of joining Airbnb as the head of design and facing a rebellion from the design team.

Rebellion Against the Head of Design

Katie Dill joined Airbnb to lead the design organization.

The design team rebelled against her shortly after she joined.

They expressed their dissatisfaction with her leadership in a meeting.

The main issue was a lack of trust between Dill and the design team.

Note that this summary covers only a portion of the transcript provided.

Reflecting on a Valuable Learning Experience

The speaker expresses gratitude for a challenging experience where feedback was shared with them. They discuss the importance of listening and bringing people along when making changes, which resulted in improved engagement scores.

Reflecting on a challenging experience where feedback was shared

Expressing gratitude for the opportunity to learn and grow

Importance of listening and understanding team motivations

Making fast changes while bringing people along

Positive impact on engagement scores after implementing changes

Overcoming a Nightmare Stage Experience

The speaker shares their experience of freezing on stage in front of thousands of people, walking off stage, and recovering from the situation. They highlight the lesson learned about surviving and adapting to unexpected challenges.

Freezing on stage during a talk and walking off stage

Recovering from the situation and continuing the talk successfully

Being famous for the performance but learning from the experience

Surviving and adapting to unexpected challenges

Lessons from Failed Projects at Google

The speaker discusses their time at Google working on failed social projects driven by fear rather than creating great products. They reflect on what they learned about leadership during that time.

Working on failed social projects at Google motivated by fear

Lack of focus on creating great products for users' needs

Observing amazing projects happening at Google simultaneously

The Importance of Effective Communication

In this section, the speaker discusses their experience conducting research on communication and the need for better ways to communicate with small groups of family and friends.

Researching Communication Needs

Conducted tactical research on usability studies and formative research on mapping social networks.

Discovered a consistent pattern: people need better ways to communicate with small groups.

Examples like WhatsApp and iMessage were obvious in hindsight but not at the time.

Attempted to build a product called Google+ around this need but it didn't succeed.

Transition from Google to Facebook

The speaker shares their decision to leave Google and join Facebook, highlighting the positive aspects of working at Facebook during that time.

Joining Facebook

Left Google halfway through the project due to motivation issues and fear-driven project management.

Joined Facebook, which was an amazing place at the time with a focus on building great products.

Shifted from working on Google+ to joining Facebook's team.

Embracing Failure as a Product Leader

The speaker emphasizes the importance of failure in personal growth and as a product leader. They discuss their experiences with failure and how it shaped their approach at Intercom.

Embracing Failure at Intercom

Personal experience with failure multiple times throughout their career.

Joined Intercom because it offered an opportunity to design not just the product but also the company culture.

Built a culture that embraces failure, encourages trying new things, and taking big bets.

Principle of "ship fast, ship early, ship often" promotes learning from mistakes and iterating quickly.

Balancing high standards with the need for speed and learning is an ongoing challenge.

Navigating Tension Between Quality Standards and Speed

The speaker discusses the tension between maintaining high quality standards and the need for speed in shipping products. They highlight the challenges of balancing these two aspects at Intercom.

Quality vs Speed Tradeoff

Intercom values high standards and craftsmanship, aiming to never be embarrassed by what they ship.

Encourage fast iteration, learning from mistakes, and making improvements quickly.

Navigating the tension between quality and speed is a constant challenge.

Struggle with maintaining high standards while also embracing failure and taking risks.

Importance of Failure for Personal Growth

The speaker reflects on the importance of failure for personal growth and shares a story about joining Intercom based on their desire to design not just products but also the company itself.

Importance of Failure

Personal experience with failure has been instrumental in personal growth.

Joined Intercom because it offered an opportunity to design not just products but also the company culture.

Embracing failure as a means of learning and improvement is a core principle at Intercom.

[t=0:12:52] Tactical Research on Communication Needs

The speaker discusses their experience conducting tactical research on communication needs, specifically focusing on usability studies and formative research related to mapping social networks.

Conducting Tactical Research

Worked as a researcher in the UX team, conducting usability studies and formative research.

Explored how people communicate within their social networks, mapping out channels used.

Discovered that people needed better ways to communicate with small groups of family and friends.

[t=0:13:37] Building Product Around Communication Needs

The speaker talks about attempting to build a product called Google+ around the identified need for better communication with small groups. However, they acknowledge that it was motivated by the wrong reasons.

Building Google+ Product

Attempted to build a product called Google+ to address the need for better communication with small groups.

Realized that products like WhatsApp and iMessage already fulfilled this need.

Acknowledged that the motivation behind building Google+ came from the wrong place.

[t=0:14:29] Transition from Google to Facebook

The speaker shares their decision to leave Google and join Facebook, highlighting the positive aspects of working at Facebook during that time.

Joining Facebook

Left Google in the middle of the project due to motivation issues and fear-driven project management.

Joined Facebook, which was an amazing place at the time with a focus on building great products.

Shifted from working on Google+ to joining Facebook's team.

[t=0:15:40] Challenges of Transitioning from Google to Facebook

The speaker discusses the challenges they faced when transitioning from Google to Facebook, including scrutiny and assumptions made by their former colleagues.

Challenges Faced

Former colleagues at Google assumed they were a spy when leaving for Facebook.

Experienced intense scrutiny, including forensic analysis of their laptop.

Reflects on understanding why these measures were taken but believes it stemmed from fear-driven project management.

[t=0:16:20] Embracing Failure as a Product Leader

The speaker emphasizes the importance of failure in personal growth and as a product leader. They discuss their experiences with failure and how it shaped their approach at Intercom.

Importance of Failure

Personal experience with failure multiple times throughout their career.

Joined Intercom because it offered an opportunity to design not just the product but also the company culture.

Built a culture that embraces failure, encourages trying new things, and taking big bets.

[t=0:17:48] Balancing Quality Standards and Speed

The speaker discusses the tension between maintaining high quality standards and the need for speed in shipping products. They highlight the challenges of balancing these two aspects at Intercom.

Quality vs Speed Tradeoff

Intercom values high standards and craftsmanship, aiming to never be embarrassed by what they ship.

Encourage fast iteration, learning from mistakes, and making improvements quickly.

Navigating the tension between quality and speed is a constant challenge.

[t=0:18:22] Designing Company Culture at Intercom

The speaker shares their decision to join Intercom based on the opportunity to design not just products but also the company culture. They discuss the importance of embracing failure and taking risks.

Designing Company Culture

Joined Intercom because it offered an opportunity to design not just products but also the company culture.

Built a culture that embraces failure, encourages trying new things, and taking big bets.

Balancing high standards with the need for speed and learning is an ongoing challenge.

Notable Disasters in Product Companies

In this section, the speaker discusses their experiences working at two notable product companies, pets.com and Quibi. They share lessons learned from these experiences and how they have influenced their future work.

Lessons from Pets.com

Working at pets.com, a high-profile but ultimately unsuccessful e-commerce website, opened doors for the speaker's professional growth and ambition.

The overfunding of pet e-commerce sites led to an unwinable arms race, highlighting the importance of managing investments wisely.

Despite the criticism that pets.com faced, it was possible to make a business like shipping dog food work given the right timing and market conditions.

Lessons from Quibi

The failure of Quibi reignited the speaker's enthusiasm for the industry and made them realize their passion for software development.

The speaker had considered pursuing various unrelated interests after leaving Snapchat but was drawn back to the tech industry by an opportunity at Quibi.

Quibi aimed to combine mobile technology with Hollywood-style content production but ultimately did not succeed.

Lessons Learned from Notable Disasters

In this section, the speaker reflects on the broader lessons learned from their experiences at pets.com and Quibi.

Key Takeaways

Experiencing notable disasters can lead to personal growth and open new opportunities in one's professional life.

Having excessive investment can become a burden and lead to unwise decision-making.

Timing is crucial, and success in a particular industry can depend on market conditions and the evolution of technology.

The transcript provided does not contain enough content to create additional sections.

The Initial Pitch and Declining the Offer

In this section, the speaker talks about being approached multiple times to join a project but declining initially. However, after some time, they were convinced to join and help with the project.

Considering the Offer

The speaker had several lunch meetings with the project team over a period of seven months.

They politely declined the invitation to get involved in the project each time.

The team provided updates on their progress during these lunches.

Change of Heart

After about six weeks, two key members of the team left, leaving a significant gap in leadership.

The speaker was approached again and asked for help due to the urgent need for assistance.

Initially hesitant, the speaker's spouse encouraged them to consider helping out for a few days a week.

Despite concerns about getting more involved than planned, the speaker eventually agreed to assist.

Falling in Love with Building Again

In this section, the speaker reflects on their experience working on the project and how it reignited their passion for building something from scratch.

Unexpected Passion

Initially skeptical about committing more time than initially planned, the speaker quickly became deeply invested in the project.

Building a team from scratch and designing and developing a product brought immense joy.

Taking advantage of modern software architecture added excitement to the process.

Despite acknowledging some mistakes made during this venture (referring to "quibby"), overall, they are grateful for this experience.

Understanding Companies as Math Problems

In this section, the speaker discusses their evolving perspective on companies and how they realized that success is not solely dependent on product execution but also on understanding fundamental equations and variables.

Misjudging Companies

The speaker used to focus primarily on product execution and creating a delightful user experience.

They believed that if they solved an interesting problem in a superior way, word-of-mouth would take care of the rest.

However, they now realize that companies are like math problems with various variables influenced by investments and expected returns.

The Broken Equation of Quibby

In this section, the speaker reflects on the challenges faced by "quibby" due to a flawed equation in their business model.

Flawed Assumptions

"Quibby" aimed to create a bespoke content library at a massive scale, requiring significant investment.

They produced 70 shows in 18 months, surpassing major broadcast networks' output for an entire year.

Additionally, they planned to augment episodic shows with daily content comparable to network television quality.

However, their launch coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing them from producing most of their intended content.

As a result, their high-quality production was reduced to self-produced content similar to YouTube videos.

Fundamental Equation Failure

The foundational equation of whether enough premium bespoke content could be created within budget constraints was fundamentally broken.

Despite efforts to iterate and execute well, the flawed equation hindered success.

Lessons Learned from Quibby's Failure

In this section, the speaker reflects on the lessons learned from the failure of "quibby" and emphasizes the importance of understanding fundamental equations in business models.

Importance of Equations

The speaker acknowledges that while product execution is crucial, it cannot compensate for a broken fundamental equation.

No amount of iteration or execution can overcome a flawed equation's failed outputs.

The speaker highlights the significant investment made in content production and the challenge of creating enough premium bespoke content within budget constraints.

Conclusion

In this section, the speaker concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding both product execution and fundamental equations in building successful companies.

Balancing Execution and Equations

Building a successful company requires a balance between excellent product execution and understanding the underlying equations.

While focusing on creating delightful products is important, it is equally crucial to ensure that the fundamental equation of the business model is sound.

The Math Was Wrong

In this section, the speaker discusses how the initial estimation of two billion dollars for a project was incorrect and that it would actually require six to ten billion dollars. This high risk-reward profile made it difficult for anyone to support such a large investment.

The initial estimate of two billion dollars for the project was incorrect.

The actual cost of the project would be much higher, ranging from six to ten billion dollars.

The risk-reward profile of investing such a large amount was deemed too high.

Failing Conclusively as a Learning Opportunity

The speaker emphasizes the importance of failing conclusively in order to turn failures into valuable learning experiences. They share their own history where only 30% of experiments were successful, highlighting the need for a culture that encourages risk-taking and learning from failures.

Failure should be seen as an opportunity for learning rather than wasted time.

Experiment success rates are typically low, with only around 30% yielding positive results.

Creating a culture that embraces failure and encourages risk-taking is crucial.

Failure should not be defined solely based on revenue generation but rather on the ability to learn from it.

Celebrating Failure and Learning

The speaker emphasizes the importance of celebrating failure as long as there is learning involved. They highlight the need for designing tests that can fail conclusively in order to avoid repeating unsuccessful strategies over an extended period.

Failure should be celebrated if there is valuable learning attached to it.

Learning can only happen when tests are designed to fail conclusively.

Many situations arise where repeated attempts at implementing an idea fail because conclusive testing was not conducted.

Designing Tests to Fail Conclusively

The speaker discusses the importance of designing tests that can fail conclusively in order to avoid repeating unsuccessful strategies for an extended period. They highlight the challenges of achieving this in B2B companies due to limited resources and time.

Intuition alone is not enough to determine if a strategy will work.

Designing tests that can fail conclusively is challenging but necessary.

B2B companies face limitations in terms of resources and time compared to consumer-focused companies.

Maximizing the treatment effect and testing all possible tactics can help identify successful strategies.

Two Ways to Make Experiments Successful

The speaker explains that there are two ways to make experiments successful: having a large sample size (n) or implementing a significant treatment effect. They discuss how B2B companies often lack the luxury of a large sample size, so maximizing the treatment effect becomes crucial.

Experiment success can be achieved through either a large sample size (n) or a significant treatment effect.

B2B companies usually have limitations in terms of sample size compared to consumer-focused companies like Facebook.

To compensate for limited sample sizes, it is recommended to maximize the treatment effect by employing various tactics.

Maximizing Treatment Effect in B2B Companies

The speaker suggests maximizing the treatment effect by using all possible tactics when testing hypotheses in B2B companies. They emphasize that if all efforts fail, it indicates that further investment may not be worthwhile.

In B2B companies, where large sample sizes are rare, maximizing the treatment effect becomes crucial.

It is recommended to use all possible tactics when testing hypotheses.

If all efforts fail despite maximizing the treatment effect, it may indicate that further investment is not justified.

Optimizing Over Time and Sharing an Example

The speaker discusses the importance of optimizing experiments over time and shares an example of account-based marketing in enterprise software as a common scenario where this approach is applied.

Optimization should be an ongoing process, refining experiments over time.

Account-based marketing in enterprise software is a common scenario for applying this approach.

The example highlights the need to be thoughtful about experiment design and maximize touchpoints with target customers.

Applying the Framework to Email Modification

The speaker explains how the framework can also be applied to smaller-scale tests, such as email modifications. They discuss the importance of testing various elements within an email to identify areas for improvement.

The framework can be applied to smaller-scale tests like email modifications.

Testing different elements within an email, such as triggers, content, personalization, and design, can help identify areas for improvement.

Low-cost tests allow for iterations and learning without significant consequences if unsuccessful.

Trade-offs in Comprehensive Testing

The speaker acknowledges that comprehensive testing comes with trade-offs. While it allows for thorough exploration of potential improvements, it may make it difficult to pinpoint specific factors contributing to success or failure.

Comprehensive testing involves exploring multiple factors simultaneously.

It becomes challenging to determine which specific factor contributed to success or failure when multiple changes are made at once.

Trade-offs exist between comprehensive testing and isolating individual variables for more precise analysis.

Jump to Solutions and Mistakes in Product Management

In this section, the speaker discusses the common mistake of getting too attached to a specific solution when working as a product manager. They emphasize the importance of focusing on understanding user problems and needs before jumping into solutions.

Getting Attached to Solutions

Many people, including product managers, tend to get attached to a specific solution or way of implementing something.

It is important to shift focus from the desired solution and instead concentrate on understanding users' problems and needs.

The first step is to understand the problems faced by users in the real world before considering any specific solution.

Product Mistake: Airbnb's Approach with Airbnb Plus

In this section, the speaker shares an example of a product mistake made at Airbnb regarding their approach with Airbnb Plus. They discuss how they were too focused on finding a solution without fully understanding the underlying problem.

Airbnb Plus - Trusting Airbnb as a Platform

The concept of Airbnb Plus was introduced to address trust issues that some users had with using Airbnb.

Instead of solely relying on managed inventory like hotels, they wanted to ensure consistent quality across all listings.

However, they were overly focused on finding a solution without fully understanding the core problem.

They went down the path of inspecting properties and managing inventory rather than addressing the real issue - helping users know what they are getting themselves into.

The company's strategic strength was not in operations but in being a platform marketplace.

Unit economics and scalability were also challenges for implementing their initial approach.

Lessons Learned from Airbnb Plus

In this section, the speaker reflects on lessons learned from their experience with Airbnb Plus. They highlight the importance of considering unit economics from the beginning and tailoring solutions based on specific user problems.

Unit Economics and Tailored Solutions

It is crucial to ensure that unit economics work right from the beginning, rather than relying on future scale to make things work.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, it is important to tailor solutions based on the specific problems faced by each listing.

Guest reviews can be a valuable source of information for users to assess the quality of a place, rather than relying solely on inspections.

Exploring alternative solutions like lockboxes or partnerships with local cleaners can be more cost-effective and efficient in addressing quality concerns.

Gina Godel's Experience at Duolingo

In this section, Gina Godel shares her experience as an early growth leader at Duolingo and discusses the importance of understanding user problems and finding tailored solutions.

Understanding User Problems

Gina Godel highlights the significance of understanding user problems as a key aspect of product management.

She emphasizes the need to identify what users care about in terms of quality and address those concerns effectively.

By focusing on specific user needs, tailored solutions can be developed instead of relying on generic approaches.

The transcript provided does not include any further sections or timestamps.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses the importance of recognizing and highlighting the "B moments" in life, which are often overshadowed by the highlights. They emphasize that everyone experiences these moments and it's important not to lose hope during them.

Recognizing B Moments

The speaker shares impressive highlights from their career, such as meeting President Obama and working with notable companies like Dualingo and Tumblr. However, they acknowledge that there were many "B moments" behind these achievements.

These "B moments" are often overlooked because they are not as glamorous or impressive as the highlights.

The speaker believes it is essential to highlight these moments because most people experience them on a daily, weekly, monthly, or periodic basis.

It's easy to feel discouraged during these moments and think that things won't work out. However, recognizing them as part of the journey is crucial.

New Section

In this section, the speaker shares an example of a "B side story" from their life. They discuss their initial aspirations to become an actress and their struggles with education and depression.

Example of a B Side Story

The speaker reveals that they initially wanted to be an actress or work at SeaWorld before realizing their true path.

They applied to prestigious schools but didn't get accepted into any Ivy League institutions or top schools.

The speaker dropped out of college due to severe depression but ironically attended Reed College, where Steve Jobs also dropped out.

Despite being an overachiever in high school, they faced challenges and setbacks in college that made them question their future prospects.

A college counselor even expressed disappointment in their lack of accomplishments at one point.

New Section

In this section, the speaker reflects on the importance of storytelling and understanding what others perceive as valuable. They share their experiences of facing rejections and setbacks in their career journey.

Importance of Storytelling and Perceived Value

The speaker emphasizes that it's not just about doing things that matter or achieving success; it's also about being able to tell a compelling story.

They applied to numerous companies but didn't hear back from most of them, highlighting the challenges they faced in finding opportunities.

The speaker shares an incident where they secured an internship at a digital marketing agency in New York City but lost their visa due to administrative errors.

They faced layoffs, firings, and financial difficulties throughout their career journey, which were unexpected considering their later achievements.

Despite these setbacks, the speaker believes that understanding what others perceive as valuable is crucial for personal growth and success.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses the rocky start they had while working for Tumblr and highlights the challenges they faced with payments and job security.

Rocky Start at Tumblr

The speaker joined Tumblr with high hopes but encountered difficulties due to its early-stage startup nature.

They struggled with wiring money to Brazil, resulting in a six-month period without payment.

At one point, they had to borrow money from colleagues just to pay contractors.

Eventually, Tumblr laid off the speaker due to its decision to sell to Yahoo, leaving them uncertain about their future prospects.

New Section

In this section, the speaker shares how they found opportunities despite facing multiple job losses. They discuss their involvement with Duolingo and expanding their role across different countries.

Finding Opportunities Amidst Challenges

The speaker started working with Duolingo as a consultant after being recommended by someone familiar with their work at Flickr.

Initially focused on helping Duolingo grow in Brazil, the speaker's role expanded to include other countries like Chile and Argentina.

Despite having limited knowledge or connections in these regions, they embraced the challenge and succeeded.

The speaker eventually joined Duolingo full-time and took on responsibilities for global growth, including Japan, China, Korea, Turkey, Spain, France, and more.

They highlight that even after achieving success at Duolingo, they still faced uncertainty about their future career path.

New Section

In this section, the speaker reflects on their post-Duolingo journey and their desire to work for nonprofits. They share their experiences before transitioning into an agency focused on helping US-based tech companies grow in Latin America.

Post-Duolingo Journey

After leaving Duolingo, the speaker felt unsure about their next steps despite their accomplishments.

They considered working for nonprofits but had a few experiences before deciding to start an agency focused on assisting US-based tech companies in expanding into Latin America.

Through this agency, they were able to help well-known companies like Dualingo establish a presence in Latin America when they were still relatively unknown.

The speaker's journey highlights the importance of embracing challenges and seizing opportunities even when faced with uncertainty.

Staying Resilient and Believing in Yourself

The importance of resilience and self-belief in overcoming challenges and setbacks.

Staying Resilient

It is important to stay resilient and believe in yourself, even when facing difficulties.

Falling down is a part of the journey, but it's crucial to get back up and keep going.

Underestimating the Length of a Career

People often underestimate how long their career can be.

There is ample time to try new things and for success to come.

Many people waste time instead of recognizing the opportunities available to them.

Switching Careers

Personal experiences of switching careers multiple times.

Emphasizing that there is plenty of time to explore different paths.

Don't stress if things aren't moving as fast as desired.

Learning from Mistakes and Failed Experiments

The value of learning from mistakes and failed experiments in personal growth.

Embracing Failure

More than 50% of AB tests did not work out as expected.

Acknowledging that failures are a natural part of the growth process.

Forgetting Failures

Focusing on successes can make it easy to forget about past failures.

Reflecting on mistakes helps gain valuable insights for future endeavors.

The Badge Experiment Mistake

A mistake made by the growth team involving implementing badges as a gamification strategy.

Initially, it was decided not to run the experiment due to perceived low return on investment (ROI).

Lack of Dogfooding

Realizing that dogfooding (testing one's own product) was overlooked during experimentation.

Importance of Testing Experiments

Recognizing the significance of testing experiments before dismissing them.

Learning from past mistakes and incorporating dogfooding into the growth team's practice.

The Value of Dogfooding and Early Growth

The importance of dogfooding and its impact on early growth.

Dogfooding Discussion

Conversations with engineers at Latitude about the value of dogfooding.

Realization that testing experiments earlier could have led to faster growth with badges.

Treasure Trove of Growth

Badges became a valuable asset for Duolingo's growth strategy.

Reflecting on the missed opportunity to achieve growth earlier through badges.

Mistakes and Failures in Building Duolingo

In this section, Luis von Ahn, the CEO of Duolingo, talks about some mistakes and failures they encountered while building the language-learning app.

Failed Attempt at Making Duolingo a Social App

Tried making Duolingo a social app early on but failed.

The feature was called "D-Duels" where users could compete with each other.

Despite being clever, people didn't use it and they couldn't figure out why.

Dualingo for Schools Platform Failure

Attempted to create a platform for schools using Duolingo but couldn't gain traction.

Launched Duolingo in China and it got downloaded by a million people on the first day, but the app got blocked by the government.

Faced difficulties recovering from this setback.

Launched Duolingo in India without realizing that most people set their phone UI to English instead of Hindi.

Users were looking to learn English rather than other languages offered by Duolingo, leading to dissatisfaction and low ratings.

Learning from Product Failures

Maggie Crowley, VP of Product at Toast, shares her favorite interview question about failure and discusses her own product failure experience.

Asking About Worst Product Shipped in Interviews

Maggie asks every product interviewee about their worst product shipped because she believes it reveals important insights about their experience and ability to admit mistakes.

A Costly Rewrite Project

Maggie shares an example of a failed rewrite project she worked on.

They decided to rewrite an existing product without proper discovery or technical research.

The project took two and a half years instead of six months and still wasn't completed satisfactorily.

Many people rotated in and out of the project, and it became a sunk cost.

The failure taught her not to undertake large-scale rewrites without careful consideration.

Embracing Failure for Growth

Lenny Rachitsky concludes the episode by expressing gratitude to the guests for sharing their stories of failure and emphasizes the importance of setbacks and challenges in personal and professional growth.

Stories of Failure as Learning Opportunities

Lenny thanks all the guests for being vulnerable and sharing their stories of failure.

Encourages listeners to see setbacks, challenges, and failures as opportunities for growth.

Acknowledges that failures can often lead to significant progress in one's career or life.

Sharing Your Own Story

Lenny invites listeners to share their own stories of failure by leaving comments on YouTube, his newsletter, or reaching out directly.

Emphasizes that learning from failure is a valuable experience.

The transcript provided was already in English.