Why Developing a Product Against the Business Model Spells Trouble

Developing a product that aligns with your business model isn’t just “good practice”—it’s survival. Yet, companies constantly introduce features that actively fight their own revenue streams and user experience.

Let’s talk about why this is a recipe for disaster.

The Business Model is the Soul

A business model isn’t just a slide in a pitch deck. It’s the logic of how you create, deliver, and capture value. It is the soul of your product.

When you deviate from it, things get ugly.

Case Study: Twitter’s Suicide Note?

On July 1st, Twitter (now X) decided to limit the number of tweets users could read. Elon Musk claimed it was to combat data scraping and improve mental health (sure, Elon).

Whether it was a temporary glitch or a deliberate choice, the message was clear: “Stop using our product.”

This directly contradicts the core value proposition of a social network: engagement. If your model relies on ad revenue and user data, preventing users from seeing content is literally burning money. It alienates the user base and destroys the brand’s utility.

What is a social network if you can’t… network?

Listen to the Model

Your business model tells you where to optimize.

Imagine a platform that charges by the hour but makes you wait 5 minutes for a loading screen every time you click a button. You’re billing them for the wait, sure, but you’re also guaranteeing they’ll leave for a competitor who doesn’t waste their time.

That’s a design flaw that fights the value proposition.

The Consequences

When you fight your own business model, you risk everything.

User Betrayal: Users feel cheated. Trust is hard to build and easy to break.

How users feel when you break the product
Brand Damage: Inconsistencies make you look incompetent.
Market Share Loss: Competitors are watching. If you stumble, they will eat your lunch.

Conclusion

Don’t fight the logic of your own business. Align your product features with your value proposition. If the model says “engagement keeps the lights on,” don’t build features that stop people from engaging. It’s that simple.

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