Interview, Fireside Chat
Users You Don't Want by Michael Seibel
- Startups often initially adopt an "open barn doors" strategy to maximize user acquisition, inadvertently attracting users who attempt to hijack the product for unintended purposes.
- Justin.tv serves as a primary case study where a platform built for general live streaming was hijacked within a year to distribute global copyrighted content.
- Unintended usage can occasionally reveal valuable market opportunities; specifically, Justin.tv evolved into Twitch after identifying a segment of hijacked users who were video gamers.
- Product usage exists on a spectrum ranging from intended use to high-value alternative use cases, to negative hijacking that degrades network value.
- Corporate streamers on Justin.tv represented a "negative hijack" category that provided short-term ad revenue but failed to generate long-term value.
- Severe negative hijacking includes users creating content that harms the community, such as those streaming inappropriate material on Justin.tv.
- Startups frequently fail to identify and remove hijack users, often confusing them with valuable early adopters who have clear utility.
- Hijack users actively harm a business network even if their intentions are not malicious, simply by attempting to force the product to solve unrelated problems.
- A user occupying excessive customer support time is classified as a hijack if their revenue does not justify the support cost, unless the interaction yields critical product learning.
- Airbnb illustrates a legal and safety risk scenario where "hijack" users might have attempted to use listings for illegal activities, such as hosting drug parties or mobile crack dens.
- Revenue generation from hijack users is not a sufficient justification for retention if the negative externalities (e.g., legal liability, brand damage) outweigh the financial gain.
- Retaining hijack users often leads to a compromised product roadmap where the product attempts to "half-solve" a multitude of problems rather than excelling at one.
- Founders must maintain a strong product opinion and avoid allowing hijack users to dictate feature development or roadmap priorities.
- Exploring unintended use cases is acceptable for experimentation, provided the core product vision is not steered by these specific user groups.