Users You Don't Want by Michael Seibel

TL;DR

The video argues that startups must recognize and remove "hijack users" who use the product for unintended, harmful purposes, even if they generate short-term value or revenue. A spectrum of users exists: intended users, interesting but non-obvious use cases with potential, clear long-term value traps, and actively harmful hijack users.

Key insights

• Hijack users are those who use a product to solve a problem the founders did not intend, potentially harming the business or network.
• Not all unintended use cases are bad; some (e.g., video gamers on Justin.tv) can reveal valuable, scalable opportunities (leading to Twitch).
• A spectrum of users: intended users (good), interesting/unexpected use cases with potential (study these), clear long-term value traps (short-term value but no real value creation, e.g., copyrighted s