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Real vs. Fake progress

Y Combinator
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  • Core Strategic Priority
    • Engaging directly with users and continuously iterating the product is identified as the single highest-leverage activity for founders.
  • Definition and Risks of "Fake Progress"
    • Founders often mistake non-Growth KPI activities for actual progress, creating a disconnect between effort and customer value delivery.
    • This "fake progress" is characterized by weekly updates focusing on:
      • Attending industry conferences.
      • Seeking to win awards.
      • Participating in networking events.
      • Optimizing vanity metrics rather than core performance indicators.
  • Value Delivery Gap
    • These alternative activities are described as being "many steps away" from delivering tangible value to the customer.
    • The strategic objective is explicitly defined as prioritizing customer value over the optimization of startup vanity metrics.