Come for the creator, stay for the economy

Come for the tool, stay for the network” is one of the most famous strategies for launching and scaling networks. Start with a great “tool”—a product experience that is useful even for one user as a utility. Then, over time, pivot the users into a series of use cases that tap into a “network”—the part where you collaborate, share, communicate, or o

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A popular strategy for bootstrapping networks is what I like to call “come for the tool, stay for the network.” The idea is to initially attract users with a single-player tool and then, over time, get them to participate in a network. The tool helps get to initial critical mass. The network creates the long term value for users, and defensibility

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"creators" have been around for a long time - ever since there's been social media platforms But there's something new: "Creator-led" platforms, where roadmaps, monetization, and policies are aligned to support them from first principles Why the evolution?

Most platforms today are hoping to capture most of the value of “creators” as they professionalize. For example, substack captures you when you are already ready to write something - it presumes you have an idea and are already to execute on it. By capturing the top of the funnel, increasing the space for exploration and inspiration, platforms can ... See more

the new stack is:

platform > creator > audience > company > capital

this is why even a billionaire can struggle to do what a well placed creator can. money moves markets. creators move minds. & when you can influence the perception layer, you’re upstream of everything else.

the aggregation of attention has created an in... See more