Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga, discusses his philosophy for creating products people love by separating winning instincts from losing ideas. He advocates for a playful, humble, and curious approach—testing many variations, embracing failure, and focusing on what works rather than pure originality.
Summarized by Podsumo
Your instinct is right 95% of the time, but your specific idea is wrong 75% of the time – separate the two.
Proven better, new: Copy what works (e.g., onboarding) and innovate only in your unique zone.
Test more ideas in a week than your industry does in a year; become a failure machine to find hits.
Launch a maximum potential product, not an MVP – the best product makers already know it's a hit.
Stop time for pivotal moments: Over-prepare for a key meeting as if it were an IPO moment.
"Separate your winning instincts from your losing ideas. Your gut says the world needs a better way, but your specific packaging of that idea is likely wrong."
"If you don't love your own product, no metric will tell you it's right. You should be addicted to it before you ask anyone else."
"The biggest high in the world is building a product that you're addicted to. At Zynga, every hit game was one I was addicted to before launch."