By Shreyas Doshi · shreyasdoshi.substack.com · @shreyas on X · LinkedIn
Shreyas Doshi argues that a common implicit assumption, that everything should be meant for everyone, is mistaken, and that treating narrow fit as a defect leads people to create and consume poorly. The essay's framing is that products, content, and ideas often work best when they are intentionally aimed at a specific audience rather than broadly appealing. For product managers, this challenges the instinct to satisfy every segment and pushes toward deliberate targeting. The piece is brief and aphoristic, positioned as a reminder to hold this principle in mind when building and choosing what to engage with.
01Key takeaways
- Question the default assumption that a product or message must appeal to everyone.
- Treat limited appeal as a possible sign of focus rather than a failure to fix.
- Decide explicitly who a product is for, and accept that others will not be the target.
- Apply the same filter when choosing what to consume: not everything has to suit you.
02Key sections
- The implicit assumption
- The essay opens by naming a widespread default: that anything worth making should appeal to everybody. It frames this as a tacit belief rather than a stated one.
- Narrow fit treated as a bug
- When something does not reach everyone, the author describes the instinct to treat that gap as a defect to be repaired, rather than as a normal outcome of targeting.
- Relevance to creating and consuming
- The principle is applied to both sides of the market, suggesting that creators should accept selective audiences and consumers should accept that not everything is for them.
03From the post
“One assumption many people implicitly make in today’s world is that everything is supposed to be meant for everyone. And if that isn’t the case, that’s a bug that must be fixed.”
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.