Groupon

Groupon's comedy-written, brand-led product worked because it fit the company's DNA. A team of comedians wrote Groupon's copy, and people loved the daily email for the writing, not just the 50% discount. Under Andrew Mason it was a brand-led product that did not take itself seriously.

Ian Silber uses it as one example of why you should work with a company's DNA instead of trying to change it. He contrasts it with Instagram, which moved slower, changed the product less and followed 'do the simple thing first', and with OpenAI, a research lab that sometimes throws things out. Instagram's slower pace worked for most of its stages but would not work at OpenAI's current stage. Quote: "Companies have these really different DNAs." Carry useful habits across companies, but adapt them to each culture.

Lenny's Podcast▶ 1:08:00