#76: Momentum Paradox & Product Playbook
April 6, 2025 – DevTools Brew #76
I’m Morgan Perry, co-founder of Qovery. Every week, I’m sharing lessons and truths behind building and scaling devtool startups—from 0 to 1 and beyond.
In today's edition:
The Momentum Paradox
→ Why moving fast without clarity only drained our efforts - until we realized true momentum comes from ruthless focus and directionThe Product Playbook
→ Lessons from Linear’s early days with CEO Karri Saarinen, on how brutal clarity and disciplined execution create real, lasting momentum.
Both stories point to the same conclusion: It’s not about doing more - it’s about moving with purpose.
Let's dive in.
The Momentum Paradox
Direction matters more than speed
"Everyone obsesses over velocity. Few understand the power of the right direction."
Momentum is this invisible force that powers every great startup. Yet it’s one of the most misunderstood concepts in building.
Most founders equate it with growth or relentless forward motion—more users, more features, more revenue. But true momentum isn’t just about speed. It’s about velocity + direction.
At Qovery, I made this mistake countless times.
Shipping features weekly. Growing our user base. Getting mentions on social media and press. On paper, it looked like progress. But it didn’t feel like it. The results weren’t compounding.
Turns out, speed without direction isn’t momentum. It’s just wasted effort.
The real unlocks didn’t come from moving faster. They came from stepping back and getting brutally clear and honest on a few fundamental questions:
→ Who are we really building for?
→ What will we deliberately stop building?
→ What truly makes us different?
36 months in, we hit a wall. Growth flattened. Team energy dipped. We were building what users were asking for—but not what would move our core metrics.
So what? We paused new feature development for several weeks. It felt like sacrilege for a small startup racing against time.
But instead of building, we spent those weeks reviewing and talking to our most engaged users - not about features, but about their workflows, pain points, their motivations to switch and where we could be a business-critical solution.
And that’s when the real momentum started.
The truth? Momentum doesn’t always come from moving fast. It comes from moving with clarity.
We realized we had been building for an audience and use case who wouldn’t actually drive our growth. We were solving the wrong problem for the wrong audience.
Real momentum comes from aligning action and direction. When every initiative reinforces the same core objective, even small steps compound into real progress.
Here’s now the framework we use now whenever we feel stuck:
Who is this really for? — Forcing absolute clarity about our target user.
What problem is so painful they’ll pay to solve it? — Testing the true value proposition.
What’s noise and what’s signal? — Filtering out distractions from real opportunities.
Now, our decision-making process is different.
We start every all-hands by restating who we serve and what problem we’re solving. Every new initiative has to pass through those filters.
We ask ourselves:
→ Are we really stuck, or are we getting clearer?
→ Are we slowing down, or finally focusing on what matters?
→ Are we losing momentum, or redirecting it more effectively?
The hardest lesson: Sometimes, the only way to regain momentum is to stop.
And when you do, progress often looks like clarity - and not speed.
The Product Playbook
Lessons from Linear’s Early Days with CEO Karri Saarinen
When you look at Linear today, it’s easy to forget they faced the same early-stage chaos every founder struggles with.
But Karri Saarinen, CEO of Linear, has an approach to building that isn’t about hacks or secret frameworks - it’s about momentum built through brutal clarity and disciplined execution.
Here’s what hit me:
Build Momentum, Not Perfection
Karri’s philosophy is brutally simple: momentum matters more than perfection.
“Prioritizing momentum over getting everything perfect is the key to progress.”
It’s counterintuitive for most founders—especially for technical ones who obsess over polished features. At Qovery, we fell into this trap more than once.
→ Lesson: Early success isn’t about perfectly refined code. It’s about how fast you learn.
The Problem Behind the Feature
One of Karri’s most powerful insights is his approach to feature requests. Instead of taking them at face value, he digs deeper to understand the problem behind the request.
“When users suggest new features, dig into the underlying problem they’re trying to solve.”
This shifts the conversation from “Can you build X?” to “What are you actually trying to accomplish?”
→ Lesson: Great products solve problems, not feature checklists.
The Weekly Rhythm
Linear’s commitment to weekly product development cycles creates a constant rhythm for the company.
“Setting tasks for the week and delegating responsibilities maintains a strong pace.”
What’s great about this approach is how it balances speed with direction. Weekly cycles force prioritization and avoid getting stuck in endless discussions. It’s a simple but effective way to keep the machine moving.
→ Lesson: Process isn’t the enemy - too much process is. Find the balance that maintains focus without slowing you down.
Launch and Keep Launching
The most counterintuitive insight? Treating launches as ongoing activities, not singular events.
“Don’t wait for the perfect launch moment. Instead, embrace multiple launches.”
This is a direct rejection of the big-bang launch mentality. By making launches an iterative process, Linear maintained momentum through consistent market presence.
→ Lesson: Launches are learning opportunities. Stop trying to make them perfect.
Build in Public
Linear’s transparency around product development has become a competitive advantage.
“Building in public builds trust with users and makes it harder for competitors to surprise you.”
This approach does two things: it builds trust and keeps the team accountable. And by the time competitors catch up, you’ve already moved forward.
→ Lesson: Transparency isn’t just marketing. It’s a defensive strategy.
For early-stage founders, the takeaway is clear: Velocity with direction beats perfection every time.
Final thoughts
Momentum is never about doing more - it’s about moving with purpose.
The real unlock comes from stripping away the noise, focusing on what truly matters, and committing to a clear direction. Whether it’s through disciplined execution or pausing to reassess, momentum is built by doubling down on what actually drives progress—not just by moving faster.
That’s it for me today! :)
Thanks for reading and Happy Sunday!
— Morgan
Do you like personal lessons like this? More insights/stories from other devtool founders? Let me know, I’m always open to feedback.
You can reach out to me on LinkedIn.