I have a friend from a top notch business background, but no startup experience. His ideas may sound cool or work once it already has gained momentum but he simply doesn't understand how hard it is to launch something and get it to hit. How would you tell one of your best friends that his latest idea will never work (unless he started with like 10m in funding)...
Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
1–10 of 47 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
#2What do you hope to gain by telling him this?
Re: Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
#3What's wrong with "In my opinion that wouldn't work unless you had like $10 million in funding - because of X, Y and Z".
Re: Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
#4You don't have to tell him his idea sucks. Just go over the process of what he will have to do in order to succeed. Maybe once he understands the grind of starting a successful business, he will realize how much work and effort it really takes to start a startup.
Re: Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
#5What do you hope to gain by telling him this?
I guess OP doesn't want to gain anything, but just wants to help his friend by giving him honest feedback about his work, at the same time doesn't want to put it out in a way that might sound discouraging or rude.
Re: Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
#6You don't. You can give your input with the known challenges, but you don't tell him to stop doing the idea. People learn by failing and your best friend's idea may never work, but what he learns from that and what spawns from that might work.
I remember specifically when a company pitched their idea that it would never work, and 3 years later the business is doing really well.
The only way you can really tell your best friend to stop, is if you have direct experience in what he is trying to build and have succeeded.
Your friend will learn the hard way and that's the best learning that there is.
Re: Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
#7What do you hope to gain by telling him this?
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Re: Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
#8A few thoughts:
1. Is he asking for your feedback? Founders are forever hearing "that will never work, you should go back to your job." If he's not soliciting your feedback, consider deciding not to pile on.
2. Conversely, if he is asking, give it to him straight. People have a tendency to think "this will never work" while saying things like, "wow, that's cool!" Don't be that guy. He won't appreciate it when he thinks back to the years of time wasted.
3. If you do give feedback, focus on concrete and constructive building blocks, not your value judgments. "How will you solve the chicken and egg problem?" is a far more useful phrasing than "Your latest idea will never work." For bonus points, brainstorm solutions with him. This is harder and more time-consuming, but more helpful for your friend.
4. Remember that the most successful ideas are often the most counterintuitive. Twitter is my favorite example here, but honestly it applies to most huge tech companies. Keep an open mind through the process.
Good luck! Entrepreneurs can seem schizophrenic, balancing logical considerations with the desire to do something extraordinary and contrarian. But helping him navigate this is what makes you a good friend. :)
Re: Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
#9First, you ask if he wants your honest opinion. No one likes unsolicited critism.
Second, what makes you qualified to say his idea sucks? Many people in history were told their idea sucked.
Next...sometimes it's good to let people fail. It builds character. We learn by making mistakes.
But if you feel like you must give criticism...don't simply say it sucks. That's just as useless as saying it's wonderful. If you don't like his idea, say what you don't like about it AND give a suggestion about how to make it better.
The bottom line: your opinion is just one of many and a suggestion is always better than a criticism. Especially when he's your friend.
Re: Ask HN: How to tell your friend his idea sucks
#10I have a friend who always has these crazy business ideas. A bunch of them could work, to be honest. He has a bright mind, but he never actually builds anything. He wants others to work for him and do the technical stuff. Whenever we talk about his projects, I'm completely honest with him as to what kinds of problems he might need to solve before even getting a chance at growing a business. He likes the input, as I have a more rigorous scientific education than him.
So the point is, depending on your relation with your friend, you might simply be honest with him.