Choose the Highway

Let’s paint a picture –

Two drivers are on their way to the same destination.

One of them speeds along a cobblestone road, throttle pinned to the floor, and their speedometer pushed past 100 mph. In the meantime, the other driver is on the highway, driving a state-mandated 65.

Both of these drivers will arrive at their destination at the same time, but the cobblestone driver now has a smashed windscreen, a popped tire, and is fatigued with a headache from all the vibrations.

Meanwhile, the highway driver had the luxury to spend his time thinking. Maybe, even coming to an epiphany.

“Do things that don’t scale”, Paul Graham famously wrote 12 years ago this summer, became arguably the foundational concept for startups – one that the founders themselves matter much more than any idea they start their company with. The concept he went on to describe was sound, but is now probably the most (mis-)quoted part of how startups work in history.

People have taken a sound and true principle to heart, manipulated it beyond recognition, and now apply it in a very different era. The 2010s had new technology with endless ways to try – and sometimes even succeed – at providing value to users. In a world with 100s of opportunities the winners often had one thing in common: They sprinted somewhere, gained market share early, and owned a vertical.

This approach to building software products has stuck, but I think that we’ve outgrown it. The software market today is radically different – more saturated, more competitive, and much more demanding.

What began as insightful advice for an era of abundant low-hanging opportunities has mutated into a dogmatic call to action, detached from its original context.

When there’s hundreds of pain points, untapped markets, an excess of capital that investors are eager to deploy, the obvious answer is to get founders to “throw shit at the wall, see what sticks”: own a vertical as soon as possible or pivot. That way, they get first-mover advantage, and pitch up camp before someone else does.

This also plays into another aspect – Investors often prioritize fast growth (and therefore valuation) above product quality or enduring businesses. While many genuinely care about building exceptional companies, practical realities mean rapid growth and market validation usually dominate focus – the rest are second-class objectives. Product-market fit and MoM% growth is a dominant (but crude) metric used to gauge if a company is onto something. Or often, onto nothing.

Meanwhile most founders, especially first-timers in need of validation and identity, any identity, cling to outdated ideas of endless shipping and pivoting because that’s what they’re told they should be doing. Nobody is malicious here, but the Kool-Aid has been thoroughly consumed.

Rapid iteration and perpetual pivots might yield quick wins, but inevitably build technical debt, erode customer trust, and exhaust teams. Constant high-speed experimentation soon hits diminishing returns.

The popular narrative that startups should move fast and fix issues later overlooks a crucial fact: often successful companies rarely stray far from their original idea. Early clarity and thoughtful beginnings aren’t slow — they’re strategic.

Alternatively, companies can choose the highway—a path characterized by deliberate execution, thoughtful product strategy, and intentional innovation. This doesn't mean slow; it means measured, controlled, and precise.

Great products come from clear visions executed with discipline, patience, and a commitment to excellence. I think companies that thrive long-term are those that don’t chase rapid-fire pivots or execute rudderless action. Instead, they meticulously refine their offerings, setting uncompromising standards and focusing on sustainable growth. But that takes years.

As we stand at the threshold of an era reshaped by AI, the barrier to creation collapses – anyone can build anything. At the same time, most find ourselves attacking existing verticals rather than forging new ones. Amidst this noise, the true differentiator becomes clarity, craftsmanship, and depth. Sharpening your axe before striking once – not striking a thousand trees once and see which is the easiest to fell.

The future belongs to those who refuse to rush blindly forward, who resist the urge to mimic or merely replicate. Instead, they choose to pause, reflect, and innovate thoughtfully. In an age defined by abundant possibility, the winners won't be those who move fastest, but those who move with intention, grace, and unwavering purpose.

Practically, choosing the highway means slowing down enough to deeply understand, not execute with rapid guesswork. It’s refining an MVP thoughtfully over multiple iterations instead of recklessly shipping barely functional prototypes.

Companies like Notion succeeded precisely because they prioritized rigorous, methodical evolution - laying foundations thoughtfully rather than rushing toward market noise.

– L

Update: I can’t spell choose, it seems.